Japan Press Weekly

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2015 July 8 - 14 [POLITICS]

Tokyo Univ. students and professors hold rally against ‘security’ legislation

Undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, and professors of the University of Tokyo on July 10 held an urgent rally at the university’s Komaba Campus in opposition to the “security” legislation.

An audience of more than 300 took part in the rally organized by four undergraduates, one postgraduate, and three professors. They filled the classroom displaying a huge banner which read “Stop forcible Diet vote on war bills!”

A student of the Faculty of Science, one of the organizers, said, “I think it’s necessary to hold rallies to protect constitutionalism and democracy.” A Faculty of Law junior, also an organizer, said, “I hope many other universities will follow our action and voice their opposition to the war bills.”

The appeal, proposing the holding of antiwar actions and discussions on university campuses and putting pressure on the government from every corner of the academic world, received support already from 572 university-affiliated persons in just ten days after it was published on June 29.

Professor Takahashi Tetsuya said, “This is the first student-professor event of this kind since I began teaching here 30 years ago. Many university-affiliated persons have a sense of crisis over the present situation.”

Professor Emeritus Sato Manabu added, “This is epoch-making for us to rise up together with students.” He described the war bills as the largest threat to postwar peace and constitutionalism. We will encounter serious problems in the future if we put off on taking action now.”

A student in the doctoral program in literature criticized the government for intending to abolish humanities departments in state-funded universities. He said, “The government probably doesn’t want to come under fire for its stance opposing Japan’s pacifism and constitutionalism.”

A freshman in the College of Arts and Science said, “I think it’s important to judge by ourselves what is going on by reading books and newspapers and listening to others. We shouldn’t blindly accept everything the government says as correct.”

Professor Ichinokawa Yasutaka made reference to prewar Germany having enacted several enabling acts, which are similar to the war legislation, even before the Nazis came to power. He warned, “Many people in Germany were thinking it would still be all right. They ended up not doing anything until it became too late. We should learn from that experience.”

A Faculty of Agriculture senior said, “The United States often attacks other countries without justification. The way for Japan to be respected in the international community is to adhere to the Constitution and not align with that country which does not recognize international law.”