Japan Press Weekly

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2007 April 4 - 10 [POLITICS]

Religious leaders submit to Diet 7,200 more signatures in opposition to bill to establish procedures for constitutional revision

An association consisting of diverse people of faith in defense of Article 9 on April 3 submitted to the Diet 7,200 signatures calling for the withdrawal of a bill to establish constitutional revision procedures.

Honzan Shugen Sect Director Miyagi Tainen handed the signatures to Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Kasai Akira at a rally held in the Diet Members’ Office Building.

This marked the association’s third submission of similar signatures, amounting to 24,839 in total.

Muranaka Yusho, a professor emeritus of Taisho University and the chief priest of Tendai Sect Jishouin, said, “It is the Japanese people that have built today’s peaceful Japan by defending freedom, democracy, and peace enshrined in the Constitution. Therefore, it is impermissible to forcibly change Article 9.”

National Christian Council in Japan General Secretary Yamamoto Toshimasa said, “Next week, we have Easter. Easter means hope beyond death. We won’t give up scrapping the bill to the end.”

Pointing out that the public opinion in defense of Article 9 has begun disrupting the pro-constitutional revision forces’ plan, Kasai called on the participants to join forces in order to get the bill scrapped.