March 29, 2016

On the day before the national security legislation came into effect on March 29, many citizens raised voices in protest around the Diet building in Tokyo.

The All-Out Action Committee, which is composed of trade unions and various civic groups, staged a sit-in in front of the Dietmembers’ office building from noon to 5 p.m.

One of the organizers, Takada Ken, stressed in his speech, “Unlike the prewar period, now there exist powerful popular movements. It is important to continue fighting to prevent the war laws from being implemented.”

Holding up colorful placards, protesters called out, “Repeal the war legislation!” “Resign, Abe Cabinet!”

Arioka Michio, 75, a member of the Article 9 Association of trading company workers (including retired employees), said, “It’s been 11 years since we formed the association. Thanks to the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution, Japan’s trading firms have been able to carry out business across the world. We must not become a ‘merchant of death’ making easy money by exporting weapons.”

At the rally, Japanese Communist Party parliamentarians Miyamoto Takeshi and Inoue Satoshi delivered speeches in solidarity along with lawmakers from the Democratic and Social Democratic parties.

That evening, the Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy-s (SEALDs) held a protest rally in front of the main gate of the Diet building.

Young participants shouted in chorus, “Protect Japan’s future!” “Don’t dispatch the Self-Defense Forces abroad!” and “What’s democracy like? This is it!”

SEALDs member Okuda Aki said to the protesters, “Let’s show to the Abe administration that we will never forget last autumn’s steamrolling through of the war legislation.”

A high school boy said, “Opposition parties have joined hands to struggle together. I’ll call on my friends to exercise our newly-obtained right to vote in order to overthrow the Abe government.”