Petition for retrial is rejected by the Tokyo High Court: Sunagawa Incident

 

“The Abe Administration has twisted the decision of the Supreme Court on the Sunagawa Incident to use it as a legal basis of the undemocratic 2015 Military Legislation. A retrial is likely to seriously damage the administration, so I feel political intentions behind the High Court’s decision”. (TSUCHIYA Gentaro)

“I have been involved in this struggle for 60 years. This is against war and for peace and the Constitution. The High Court’s heartless decision is totally unacceptable”. (MUTO Gun-ichiro)

The Sunagawa Incident court case was over which is superior – the Japan-US Security Treaty or the Japanese Constitution. This is also related to the current problems over US military bases in Okinawa. In 1959, the Tokyo District Court handed down a not guilty verdict to the defendants, saying that the stationing of the US Military in Japan is unconstitutional, but later, the Tokyo High Court overturned the verdict and decided they were guilty. However, an official document has revealed that the US Government directly pressed the Chief Justice of Japan’s Supreme Court at that time during the court case. Based on the new evidence, the four former defendants including Tsuchiya and Muto filed a petition for retrial, which was rejected at the Tokyo High Court on November 15, following the same decision by the Tokyo District Court. Both decisions never referred to the new evidence. The four are going to make a special appeal to the Supreme Court and continue their struggle. (M) 

cf. Sunagawa Struggle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunagawa_Struggle

83歳の元被告が怒りの会見〜砂川事件再審請求を東京高裁が棄却

「安倍政権は砂川事件最高裁判決を曲解して安保法制の法的根拠にしてきた。再審決定すると政権には大問題になる。だから今回の決定には政治的意図を感じる」（土屋源太郎/右）、「60年間一生をかけて闘ってきた。これは戦争と平和、憲法を守る問題だ。こんな血の通わない文章で切り捨てる裁判所を許せない」（武藤軍一郎/左）。安保条約と憲法のどちらが上かを争った「砂川事件裁判」。今の沖縄基地問題に直結するものだ。1959年の東京地裁の伊達判決は、「米軍駐留を憲法違反として」被告を無罪としたが、同年12月最高裁は逆転判決で有罪を下した。しかしこの過程で、米政府が直接最高裁長官に圧力をかけたことが公文書で明らかになっている。これを新証拠に元被告の土屋、武藤さんら4人が再審請求をしていたが、11月15日、東京地裁に続いて東京高裁でも棄却された。内容は新証拠に触れることなく法律解釈だけの門前払い。請求人らは最高裁に「特別抗告」して闘いを継続する方針だ。（M）

Epoch-making ruling!: Appeal court dismissed anthem punishment for iconic activist teacher

The Tokyo High Court ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education on May 28 to retract the decision they made in the academic year 2007 that suspended NEZU Kumiko, then a teacher at a junior high school, from work for six months, reversing the earlier ruling by the Tokyo District Court. Nezu was punished for disobedience to the city’s directive obliging teachers to stand up and sing the national anthem, Kimigayo, in school ceremonies. She remained seated while Kimigayo was played during the graduation ceremony that was held on 30 March, 2007. The court also reversed the lower court’s decision regarding compensations Nezu and another ex-teacher KAWARAI Junko demanded for damages they suffered from reprimands: The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education was ordered to pay 100,000 yen to each of the plaintiffs. (The Tokyo District Court ordered the education board to revoke three-month suspension for Kawarai in the same ruling that endorsed the punishment for Nezu.)  “The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education decided the punishments mechanically, which is against the principle explained by then prime and education ministers in the Diet session discussing the national flag and national anthem bill. In addition, by mechanically escalating punishments, the board will eventually force punished teachers to choose between losing their jobs or giving up their believes. It is violation of constitutional freedom of thought and creed and, therefore, it is concluded that the defendant had given the plaintiffs significant psychological pressures and damages,” presiding Judge SUDO Noriaki clearly explained as he handed down the ruling.  As soon as the audience heard the ruling, cheers and applause arouse.  “I cannot be happier. I didn’t even dream of winning the suit. I truly feel rewarded for many years of struggle,” “Today I prepared a banner saying ‘reversal victory’ and brought it to the court just in case. I am very satisfied to be able to put up the banner proudly in front of the courthouse,” said Nezu and Kawarai respectively.  (By SATO Shigemi, member of a supporters group for Nezu, Kawarai and other teachers refusing to stand along Kimigayo)

Earlier in the same week, a group of ex-teachers also won compensation in a damage suit filed against the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. The Tokyo District Court ruled on 25 May that the Tokyo Metropolitan government must pay 2.11 to 2.6 million yen to each of 22 former high school teachers in compensation for the damages caused by refusal by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education to rehire them after retirement. Those teachers disobeyed orders to stand and sing Kimigayo at graduation ceremonies and reprimanded before the retirement. (Based on a report by KONDO Jun’ichi, member of the association of punished teachers demanding retraction of the punishments and a plaintiff of another anthem punishment suit)

*Photo: Nezu, left, and Kawarai, right, with Kawarai’s banner in the center 

Photos  

画期的判決！勝っ たぞ！～東京高裁、根津さんの「停職6か月処分」を取り消し
 

 5 月28日、東京高裁（須藤典明裁判長）は、根津公子さんに対する2007年3月30日に出された卒業式におけ る「君が代不起立」停職6か月処分について、地裁判決を覆し処分取り消しの判決を出した。また根津、河 原井さんに対する損害賠償についても地裁判決を覆し、10万円の賠償を都 教委に課す判決を出した。須藤 裁判長は「都教委は処分を機械的に運用してきた。これは国会答弁に違反し、なおかつ被処分者は最終的 に職を失う。憲法に保障されている思想・信条を侵害することになり、控訴人に多大な精神的圧力、損害 を与えたことになる」と明確に述べた。その瞬間、傍聴席から「勝訴したんだ！」「やったー！」と拍手 が巻き起こった。根津さん「本当にうれしい。こんなことが起こるとは夢にも思わなかった。長い間闘っ てきてよかった」。河原井さん「今日、もしかしたらと思い“逆転勝訴”の垂れ幕を書いてきた。この垂れ幕 を裁判所前で誇らかに掲げることができて満足です」と語っていた。（解雇させない会・佐藤茂美） 
報告　＊ 写真＝喜びの根津公子さん（左）と河原井純子さん （右）