2004 AUGUST 25 - AUGUST 31 NEWS

FUTENMA: THE MOST DANGEROUS BASE IN THE WORLD
Ginowan Mayor Iha Yoichi calls on the Japanese and U.S. governments to begin to discuss the closure of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station now, stressing that U.S. forces must stop their flights over residential areas.

TEXTBOOK DISTORTING HISTORY WILL DEPRIVE CHILDREN OF FUTURE
The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has decided that a metropolitan junior high school will use a history textbook which is under sharp criticism inside and outside Japan for its glorification of Japan's war of aggression.

JCP CALLS FOR NEW POLITICAL DIRECTION IN OPPOSITION TO 'TWO-PARTY SYSTEM'
The JCP Central Committee 2nd Plenum resolved to concentrate on day-to-day political activity in order to establish a people-first new political direction in opposition to the moves toward a two-party system.


OKINAWA AND U.S. FORCES
* Japan's attitude to the U.S. called into question: U.S. helicopter crash (August 25)
* Prime minister refuses to revise SOFA (August 26)
* U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Base is the most dangerous base in the world (August 31)


POLITICS
Democratic Party
* DPJ vows to get constitution revised (August 26)
* Okada reelected as DPJ leader (August 31)

Money scandal
* JCP: Diet must probe into covert dental donation to LDP Hashimoto faction (August 30)


HISTORY
Textbook distorting history will deprive children of future -- Akahata editorial, August 25
* Tokyo adopts war-praising history textbook (August 27)


LABOR
* Public servants resolve to defend peace and oppose structural reform policy (August 26)
* Non-stop LC TV production depends on only two shifts
* Telecommunication workers resolve to defend Article 9 and increase opposition to NTT corporate restructuring (August 31)
* Construction workers resolve to struggle against war and poverty (August 31)
* Take actions for higher minimum wage and better social security system: General Workers' Union (August 31)


ENVIRONMENT
* Court orders halt to Isahaya Bay reclamation (August 26)
* JCP publishes statement on ruling on Isahaya Bay drainage (August 26)


NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION
* Letter to all governments of the world


JCP
* JCP Central Committee reviews election and sets out new political direction in opposition to 'two-party system' (August 28)




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