Big movement called for to block contingency legislation

As the parliament is about to start debates on the government proposal for wartime legislation, trade unions, religious leaders, and citizens organizations have decided to launch a broad based united movement to block the contingency legislation and the adverse revision of the Constitution.

About 150 people joined with 36 opposition party members of parliament at a meeting held in the Diet building on January 21 at the call of the Christians Peace Network, the Japan Buddha Sangha, and the Citizens' Emergency Action against Terrorism or Retaliatory War.

Representatives of the Japan Federation of Aviation Workers' Unions, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), the National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo), and the Peace Forum made speeches to express solidarity.

Shii Kazuo, Japanese Communist Party chair, Doi Takako, Social Democratic Party leader, and Yokomichi Takahiro, former Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) vice president, made speeches. The DPJ is in favor of emergency legislation, and Yokomichi, who voted against the DPJ decision voted against the bill for sending the Self-Defense Forces abroad to take part in a war, was discharged from his post last December.

In his speech, Shii criticized the government and the three ruling parties for trying to enact the emergency legislation at any cost as part of the preparation to take part in U.S. wars. He expressed his determination to form a grand unity between different parties and groups to fight against the emergency legislation. (end)