 Rallies held calling for defense of pacifist Constitution On the 58th anniversary on November 3 of the promulgation of the Constitution, rallies and street actions were held in various cities. In Aomori, Mie, and Kagawa prefectures,local Article 9 Associations were founded in response to the call of the nine public figures who founded the national Article 9 Association. In Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, about 3,200 citizens attended a rally. Kobayashi Takeshi, Aichi University professor, and Mizuta Hiroshi, Peace Action co-representative, made speeches. It was announced that the Article 9 Association-Aichi will be formed this year. In Neyagawa City, Osaka, about 1,000 citizens listened to a lecture given by Komori Yoichi, professor at Tokyo University and secretary general of the Article 9 Association. At a "Constitution lecture" meeting in Chiba City, Yamaguchi Tomio, Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives, reported on heated discussions over the Constitution in the House of Representatives Constitution Research Committee, emphasizing that the general public is not in favor of constitutional changes. About 500 people attended the meeting. At the inaugural meeting of the Article 9 Association-Mie held in Tsu City, Okudaira Yasuhiro, one of the nine initiators of the Article 9 Association and the appeal in defense of Article 9, said, "Our goal of defending Article 9 can be shared by those who regard the Self-Defense Forces as constitutional because the SDF is for 'exclusively self-defense'." In Tokyo, JCP lawmaker Yamaguchi and others from pro-constitution organizations made speeches and delivered handbills. Riding separately on five boats, about 150 citizens carried out an on-sea demonstration in Yokohama Port, shouting "Defend the Constitution! Foil relocation of the U.S. 1st Army Corps command to Camp Zama!" (end) |