Japan Press Weekly

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2023 June 7 - 13 [POLITICS]

1,500 young people march in pro-Constitution demonstration

About 1,500 young people on June 11 braved the rain to march in demonstration through Tokyo's upscale shopping district of Ginza, calling for defending the Constitution. They chanted in rhythm, "Hear the voices of the public! 'No' to a war-fighting Japan!" attracting attention from pedestrians.

Japanese Communist Party members of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko and Yamazoe Taku joined in the demonstration.

Young people on a sound truck, leading the demo, made speeches one after another.

A 21-year-old college student from Osaka, who wants to be a school teacher, said, "What we want is peace, not war."

Haraguchi Nanako, 31, from Okinawa said that Japan's remorse over its past war of aggression led to the establishment of the pacifist Constitution. She called on passersby who were stopping at a traffic light, "Yes, we can change society. Let's create a society where everyone can live in peace!"

Okunishi Satoko, 33, from Osaka said, "I feel hope today by meeting many young people of my generation raising their voices in protest."

A 17-year-old high school student from Shizuoka said, "It will be our generation who will be drafted to fight if a war breaks out." A high school student, 17, from Saitama said, "I want the government to work to improve the quality of life of the general public, not increase military spending."

A student in his junior year of college from Hiroshima said, "We shouldn't change the present Constitution. As a citizen of the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima, I cannot tolerate any move that increases the possibility of a nuclear war."

Matsumoto Tomoko, 29, from Fukushima said, "Since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown accident occurred 12 years ago, evacuees' human rights have been either neglected or treated lightly. I want to change the direction of politics, not the Constitution."

A 27-year-old man from Toyama, who has a developmental disability, said that he works in a job assistance center, receiving a public disability pension and lives with his grandmother who lives on a pension, and that they are often short of living expenses. He said, "I need a substantial increase in my hourly wage just to make ends meet."

A 27-year-old medical worker from Tokyo said, "I want society to abide by Article 25 of the Constitution so that everyone can live a wholesome and cultured life."