Japan Press Weekly

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2017 October 4 - 10 [POLITICS]

2,000 people march in Ginza to open path for gov’t change

Shouting in chorus, “Put an end to the Abe Cabinet!” and “Create a government for a better future!”, around 2,000 citizens along with sound vans on October 5 marched in demonstration through Tokyo’s famed shopping district of Ginza.

Prior to the march, a rally was held at Hibiya Amphitheater. Misao Redwolf of the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes gave a speech on behalf of the organizing committee, saying, “The coming general election will provide us with a golden opportunity to bring down Prime Minister Abe Shinzo from power. The opposition parties-citizens alliance has made a fresh start. It is high time for us to work to kick him out of office!”

Yamaguchi Jiro of the Citizens Alliance, who is a Hosei University professor, said, “Having experienced various events, three opposition parties and concerned citizens created a new framework of collaboration. Let’s keep the struggle going!”

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Yamashita Yoshiki, Kan Naoto of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Social Democratic Party vice head Fukushima Mizuho attended the rally. Yamashita said to the participants that the joint struggle between opposition parties and concerned citizens became robust because of its two-year history of united struggle and that it will not be discouraged by a few setbacks. He said, “Now is the time to oust Abe and open a path for a new direction in politics!”