Actors hold anti-war assembly

A group of actors and other theatrical people held an assembly on April 5 in Tokyo to help increase the call for an immediate halt to the Iraq war.

The assembly entitled "We won't give up; the theater empowers the cause of no-war" attracted more than 1,000 people, but due to the capacity of the theater, about 400 people could not get into the hall.

Popular actors, playwrights, stage directors, singers, and kabuki actors (Japanese traditional performing arts) read out a message to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro, saying, "You do not have the right to force the Japanese people into supporting the bombing. We now begin a nationwide action to call on the people not to support the Koizumi government." (end)