Japan Press Weekly

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2007 May 16 - 22 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

3,200 people rally calling for defense of Constitution

In protest against the forcible enactment of the bill to establish procedures for constitutional revision, about 3,200 people took part in a rally urgently called for in Tokyo on May 16.

Determined that now is the time to drastically increase the movement to defend the pacifist Constitution, they marched in demonstration to the Diet Building and there staged sit-in actions.

On behalf of the rally organizers, New Japan Women’s Association Chair Takada Kimiko stated, “Public opinion concerning the Constitution is undergoing positive changes. In order to put an end to the pro-constitutional revision force’s scheme, let us defeat them in the upcoming House of Councilors election.”

A representative from Osaka Prefecture reported that in the prefecture more than 600 Article 9 Associations have been established, that the Joint Action Center against Adverse Revision of the Constitution-Osaka has been organized in 54 administrative districts, and that the number of signatures collected from residents supporting the petition for the defense of Article 9 surpassed 1.1 million.

Japanese Communist Party Ichida Tadayoshi in his speech pointed out that the constitutional revision procedure law is clearly defective as demonstrated by its 18-item supplementary resolution.

He stressed that the pro-constitutional revision force’s rampage is arousing the resentment and the concern of the public, and that the fact that pro-Yasukuni forces have come to take center stage of the pro-constitutional revision forces increases the gap between them and the public and is undermining their plan to revise the Constitution.

“Let us make every effort to establish a stable majority of the public on this issue, opposition to adverse revision of the Constitution,” Ichida said.
- Akahata, May 17, 2007