Make Okinawa US military bases an issue in the general election! ~ press conference of citizen supporters on the day after the US military helicopter accident in Okinawa

 

A press conference, “Urgent appeal from citizen supporters ~ make Futemma and Henoko bases an issue in the general election!”, was held on Oct. 12 at the Hall of House of Councilors in Tokyo. The atmosphere was tense because a US military helicopter had crashed in a farm of Takae in Higashison, Okinawa, just the day before. In front of the Diet Building, there were people sitting with the “Okinawa Times” in their hands with reports of the helicopter accident. One, who was visibly angry, told us, “While the consumption tax becomes the point of election campaign, no discussion is made on how much we spend for military expenses or how much we waste for the riot police to construct the US military helipad at Takae. We would be able to manage without raising the consumption tax rate.” At the conference, KAWANA Mari, a member of the group “Citizens Against Anti-Okinawa Media”, announced, “Yesterday, we submitted to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan a request asking them to take on the review of the construction of a new US military base in Henoko.”    (MIYUKI Emi)

Youtube

沖縄基地問題を選挙の争点に！〜「高江ヘリ事故」翌日、市民有志が記者会見

１０月１２日午後、東京・参議院会館で「市民有志の緊急アピール普天間・辺野古基地問題を選挙の争点に！記者会見」が開かれた。前日には、沖縄県東村高江の集落に米軍ヘリが墜落したばかりで緊迫した雰囲気だった。国会前ではヘリ事故を報じる「沖縄タイムス」（写真）を掲げて座り込みをしている人たちがいた。その中の女性がインタビューに応じてくれた。「税金問題だとかと言っている時に、軍事費にどれだけお金を使っているのか、高江に基地をつくるために機動隊にどれだけ無駄にお金を使っているのか。このことが語られない。消費税をあげなくても十分やっていける」と憤っていた。午後３時から開始された記者会見で、「沖縄への偏見をあおる放送をゆるさない市民有志」の川名真理さんは「昨日、立憲民主党に、辺野古新基地建設見直しの取り組みを求める要請書を提出しました」と発表した。（見雪恵美） 

・動画（31分）

 

At No Nukes Rally in Hokkaido, October 9th Severe criticism of forces in favor of revising the Constitution

 

On October 8-9, 2017, I took part in a rally calling for “No Nukes in Hokkaido,” which was held in Odori street, Sapporo.

Under a clear autumn sky, participants numbered 2,200 (according to the organizers).

In the rally, ONO Yugo, a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, reported on the current situation of the controversial Tomari Nuclear Power Station. Referring to the fact that the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan (NRC) has finally acknowledged  that the faults found near the nuclear plant could be active, the professor explained the development of the issue. ”Now that the NRC has turned down the argument by Hokkaido Electric Power Co. Ltd, that is, that the fault in question is not active, I firmly believe the nuclear plant will never be restarted.”

  NISHIO Masamichi, Honorary Director of Hokkaido Cancer Center joined in the criticism, saying the “Party of Hope (led by Tokyo Gov. Koike) is a Party of Despair. It is, after all, a Koike faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.”

ASADA Shinji, Chief Director of Hokkaido Consumers’ Cooperative, provided covering fire. “I denounce the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets, the Security Acts, and the Conspiracy Act, and I  call for the abolition of the Major Crops Seed Law, which can threaten our food safety but has received  little attention from the public. Prime Minister Abe calls for military provocation against North Korea, and he is holding a snap election in the name of dispelling the national crisis. But the truth is that the national crisis was created by Prime Minister Abe himself.” (Kurogane Ko)

厳しい改憲勢力批判「希望は絶望の党、国難は安倍」～10.9 さようなら原発北海道集会

10月9日、札幌・大通公園で行われた「さようなら原発北海道集会」に参加した。さわやかな秋晴れの空の下、2200人（主催者発表）が集まった。小野有五・北海道大名誉教授は、北海道電力泊原発沖合にある断層について、原子力規制委員会が「活断層」とする考え方を支持している現状とこれまでの推移を報告。「規制委が初めて（断層が活断層でないとする）北電の主張を退けた。もう泊原発は動かないと思っている」と、再稼働阻止への自信を見せた。西尾正道・北海道がんセンター名誉院長は「希望の党は絶望の党であり、自民党小池派に過ぎない」と批判。麻田信二・北海道生活協同組合理事からも、厳しい安倍政権批判が飛び出した。「秘密保護法、違憲の安保法制、共謀罪。そしてあまり注目されていないが食の安全を脅かす種子法廃止。北朝鮮への軍事挑発。安倍首相は国難突破解散と言うが、国難を作り出しているのは安倍首相本人だ」と。（黒鉄好）