Mass Protests In Tokyo As Tens of Thousands Reject Controversial Security Bills
Mass Protests In Tokyo As Tens of Thousands Reject Controversial Security Bills
The demonstrators were chanting "No to war legislation" and calling on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to quit, at the large rally in downtown Tokyo on Sunday.
"Sitting in front of TV and just complaining wouldn't do," said Naoko Hiramatsu, a 44-year-old professor of French.
"If I don't take action and try to put a stop on this, I will not be able to explain myself to my child in the future," she added, holding a four-year-old son in her arms. While the organizers estimated that some 120,000 people took part in the Sunday protests, the police provided a far lower figure of 30,000.
Against the Grain
The rally was held in response to a legal initiative pushed by Abe's government. The military bills would allow Japanese soldiers to engage in overseas combat to protect Japanese interests. However, many scholars say the initiative clashes with the Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, which prohibits the use of force to settle international disputes.
Officially, Japan does not have an army, and its troops are known only as the Japan Self-Defense Forces. "For 70 years, thanks to Article 9 of our constitution, Japan has not engaged in war or been touched by any aggression. Article 9 is our foundation," said demonstrator Masako Suzuki.
Tension in the Region
Although the anti-war constitution was imposed by the US after World War II, many Japanese have grown attached to the country's pacifist position. The majority of people oppose the new military bills, surveys show. Obama's administration has welcomed Abe's initiative, which the Japanese government explains by safety concerns from North Korea and China. The bills cleared the lower house of parliament last month and are now being debated in the upper house. The lawmakers are expected to make their final decision in September.
Tens of thousands of people have gathered in front of Japanese parliament to protest against security bills they believe to be unconstitutional, allowing Japanese soldiers to fight overseas in defense of national interests.
Demonstrators have gathered for weeks in downtown Beirut calling for the resignation of officials responsible for the current waste crisis and demanding new elections.
People participating in the 34-hour protest slept in the streets overnight in an unusually calm demonstration of public outrage by the group Bersih, which means “clean” in Malay.
We want all inequitable policies to be challenged.
The lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety accuses the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of withholding information about GMOs for more than 13 years.
It’s our six-month anniversary and we’re celebrating with whistleblowers!
The number of people who are chronically homeless has overwhelmed the dwindling supply of affordable housing in southern California's sprawling metropolitan area.
A secretive plan to ship coal through the Port of Oakland is being driven by a company that wants to massively expand its coal mining operations in Utah – and by a public official who stands to profit personally.
The lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety accuses the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of withholding information about GMOs for more than 13 years.
Local doctors are in the crosshairs over whether corn that’s been genetically modified to resist pesticides is a source of prosperity or of birth defects and illnesses.
-- Delivered by Feed43 service
Post a Comment