Friday, October 31, 2014

Fictitious story made up by rightists: WATANABE Mina




Labornet TV on Oct. 8 aired the program entitled, “Don’t rewrite the history of ‘comfort women’!” Taking advantage of the report of Asahi Shimbun’s “false testimony of YOSHIDA,” the Abe administration attempts to spread propaganda that the Asahi report formed the international public opinion on comfort women of the Japanese military during the World War II. But WATANABE Mina, the executive director of Women’s Active Museum on War and Peace, showed that it is entirely a nonfactual “made-up story.” She contradicted Abe’s propaganda by giving concrete evidence one after another that “the comfort women issue” began spreading with the confession of KIM Hak-sun, a wartime comfort woman; that the wartime brothels expanded not only in Korea but also all over Asia; that the Japanese Imperial Army documents described the procurement of “comfort women”; and that the films vividly illustrate testimony of comfort women. She said with anger, “We can’t let them rewrite the history. What we should do now is to summon the former prime minister NAKASONE Yasuhiro and others responsible for opening wartime brothels to the Diet and to elucidate the truth. ”
In the second part of the program, AMAGASA Taro explained the background and meaning of the Occupy Hong Kong movement. (Labornet TV project)
Photo; Watanabe Mina in the middle
(Ustream of the Labornet TV, special feature from 9 minutes)

事実に基づかない「右派のつくり話」~レイバーネットTV「慰安婦特集」で渡辺美奈さん

10月8日のレイバーネットTVは、「『慰安婦問題』歴史の書き換えはダメ!」を放送した。安倍政権は「吉田証言虚 偽報道」をここぞとばかり利用して、朝日新聞の報道が国際世論をつくった、と喧伝しようとしている。しかし「女たちの戦争と平和資料館」の渡辺美奈さんは、それはまったく事実に基づかない「つくり話」であることをズ バリ示した。キムハクスンさんの名乗り出から「慰安婦」問題が広がったこと、韓国だけでなくアジア規模に広がっていた慰安所の実態、「慰安婦」調達を示す陸軍文書、そして慰安婦自身の生々しい証言映像など、次から次 へ具体的証拠を示して反論した。「歴史の書き換えは許せない。いまやるべきことは、慰安所をつくった中曽根元総理らを国会に喚問し真実を解明することだ」と怒りをこめて語った。また二部では雨傘太郎氏が登場し、香港 オキュパイ運動の背景・意義をわかりやすく解説した。(レイバーネットTVプロジェクト)
放送アーカイブ(全99 分・特集は9分から、香港は65分から) *写真=渡辺美奈さん(中央)・聞き手は山口正紀さん(左)

Stop taking the same path to war!



 Vicious and despicable abuses of human rights are being committed. Threats were sent to Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, demanding the dismissal of UEMURA Takashi, a part-time lecturer and former Asahi Shimbun newspaper journalist. The sender threatened to bomb the school unless it dismisses him and urged Uemura’s daughter to kill herself by posting her name and photograph online. In the midst of this, a group “Makeruna Hokusei! no Kai” (Don’t Give In, Hokusei! ) was formed mainly by lawyers and scholars on Oct. 6.  On the same day, a press conference was held at the House of Councilors.  “This is a terrorism against free speech, and it is a crime. Before the war, there was a similar incident, in which Professor YANAIHARA was expelled from the university. It is paving the path to war. The freedom of speech and academic freedom will be destroyed unless we stop it here,” said YAMAGUCHI Jiro, a founding member of the group.  UTSUMI Aiko, another member called out, “Hokusei is a respectable university with its own peace declaration. Although there have been moves to support Uemura within the school, let’s support him and Hokusei from outside of the school !” (By M)
Youtube

 ここで止めよう!いつか来た道~「北星学園脅迫事件」で記者会見

札幌市にある北星学園大学に「元朝日記者・植村隆をやめさせなければ爆破する」という脅し、さらに高校生の長女の写真をネットにさらし「自殺に追いこ む」と脅迫するなど、悪質で卑劣な人権侵害行為が、いま起きている。そうした中、学者・弁護士を中心に「負けるな北星!の会」が発足し、10月6日、衆院議員会館で記者会見が開かれた。「これは言論へのテロリズムで犯 罪行為。戦前も矢内原教授が追放された事件があったが、今回の問題は戦争への道を重なるもの。ここで止めないと“表現・学問の自由”が崩壊する」(山口二郎さん・写真)。内海愛子さんは「北星学園は平和宣言をもって いるりっぱな大学。だから植村さんを守る動きがつくれているが、外からも応援しよう」と呼びかけた。(M)
動画(YouTube 4 分半)


How could the Diet press club monopolize the building?




Our Planet-TV, an internet media organization, had asked if it could shoot the protest against the restart of nuclear power plants from the roof of the Diet press club building.  The protest was held in front of the prime minister's official residence. The request was turned down by the press club, which manages the building. Independent journalists like the ones at Our Planet-TV and foreign correspondents have often been excluded from the press clubs in Japan. Consequently, the independent media filed a lawsuit against the press club claiming that they were discriminated against. Our Planet-TV claimed that it would constitute a violation of media freedom and that the press club building was originally built to let the people know the activities of the Diet.
 On Oct. 14th, TANIGUCHI Sonoe, a chief judge of Tokyo District Court, dismissed the case and ruled that either defendant, the state or the Diet press club had no responsibility of compensating Our planet-TV for the damages while neither of the defendants encroached on the right of the plaintiff.
 At the press conference after the decision, SHIRAISHI Hajime, a representative of Our Planet-TV, said, "The ruling was very unduly. The mainstream media are trying to hold fast to vested interests excluding the other media. The ruling goes against the times when better media access to the government is encouraged thanks to the internet spread." She added that she is ready to appeal the court ruling.
 The reporters of Labor Net have also been chagrined at gathering information of the protest activities in front of the prime minister's official residence. We'll continue to closely monitor this case.(Takahei)
Phott\o: The Diet Press Club building on 29th July

 国会記者会館は誰のもの?~アワープラネットTVの損害賠償裁判が敗訴

国 会の活動を国民に伝えるために建てられた国会記者会館を国会記者会(クラブ)だけに使わせていいのか、アワープラネットTVがインターネットメディアにも 建物(屋上)を使う権利があると争った裁判の判決が、10月14日東京地裁であった。谷口園恵裁判長はアワプラTVの主張を却下して、被告の国も記者会も 原告の権利を侵害していないので、損害賠償の責任はないとする判決を下した。判決後記者会見を行ったアワープラネットTVの白石草代表は、「非常に不当な 判決だ。メディアがメディアを排除して記者会が自分たちの既得権を守ろうとしている。インターネットの普及で官庁の取材がオープン化する波に逆行する。た だちに控訴したい」と語った。私たちレイバーネット取材班も首相官邸前取材で同じ悔しい思いをしているので、この裁判を注視していきたい。(高幣) *写真=2012年6月29日の国会記者会館


‘Importance of Continuation’ ~Demonstration against Restart of Nuke Plant



 Protesters rallied in front of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Diet Building on the cool night of Sept. 26. Many held a sign stating “Don’t Restart Sendai Nuke Plant.”  This was the 119th of the Friday anti-nuclear demonstration, which has been held every week in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. Misao REDWOLF from the Metropolitan Coalition against Nukes, the organizer of the event, said, “I have attended the demonstration every Friday, that is to say, 119 times. There are not as many people as before, but the number of demonstrators stays consistent these days.” She emphasized the importance of continuing the protest saying, “By gathering here, we’d like to keep sending a message to the pro-nuke people that the voices against nuclear plants have not been toned down.” Lawmaker KIRA Yoshiko, a regular attendant of the protest, gave a pep talk, “We will squarely confront pro-nuke Prime Minister Abe in the extraordinary Diet session. Let’s fight together in and outside of the Diet!” An elderly woman who sat alone on the ground holding a banner of anti-nuke in her hand said, “I just came out of hospitalization in September, but from now on I’ll come every Friday without fail.” (By M) 
Youtube

 持続することの大切さ~9.26「再稼働反対!官邸前抗議」レポート

少 し肌寒くなった9月26日金曜の夜。この日も官邸前・国会前にはたくさんの人が声をあげた。「川内原発を再稼働するな!」のプラカードが多い。金曜行動も この日で119回目となる。主催者の首都圏反原発連合のミサオ・レッドウルフさん(写真)は、「私は皆勤賞で119回出ている。以前よりは参加者は減った が、このところずっと安定した人数が集まっている。ここの場があることで、脱原発の声が沈静化していないことを、推進派に示し続けたい」と持続する大切さ を語った。常連の吉良よし子議員は国会正門前集会で「再稼働の安倍首相と臨時国会で真正面から対決する。内外で連帯してたたかおう」と檄を飛ばした。ある 高齢の女性は「病気で入院していたが9月に退院したばかり。でもこれから休まず来ます」と、一人地べたに座り脱原発の旗を振っていた。(M) 
動画(木下昌明撮影 6分42秒)

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Don't deprive us of the right to know! ~ Protest against Cabinet's approval of effectuation of State Secrets Law in December




A citizens' group aiming at the abolishment of State Secrets Law staged a protest against the cabinet's approval of the operation guidelines for the law outside the prime minister's office on Oct. 14. “No! to the cabinet's decision!” “Don't deprive us of the right to know!” – About 20 people gathered for a rally started at 8 am and raised their voice. The cabinet, rushing to the effectuation of the law in December, also adopted an order to effectuate the law on Dec. 10 irrespective of the strong opposition from the general public. Lawyer KAIDO Yuichi and Social Democrat Upper House member FUKUSHIMA Mizuho were among the protesters surrounded by a large number of policemen.  “This law has no system to protect whistle-blowers.  Though we could not stop the enactment of this wrong legislation, let's not give up and do our best to abolish the law,” said Kaido.  (By the Committee to Abolish the State Secret Law)



「秘密保護法」廃止へ!実行委員会は1014日、 「秘 密法運用基準の閣議決定を許すな!官邸前行動」を行った。集まった実行委メンバーや市民団 体約20人が「閣議決定反対」「知る権利を奪うな」などと声を張り上げ、年内施行に突き進む政権に対して思いをぶつけた。こうした行動に もかかわらず、政府は午前中の閣議で運用基準を決定。1210日施行の政令も決定し 施行を強行する姿勢を崩していない。午前8時からの官邸前行動は、海渡雄一弁護士、社民党の福島みずほ参院議員が駆けつけ、多数の警察官 が厳重に警戒するなか実施した。海渡弁護士は「この法律には救済策がなく内部通 報者が守られない。間違った制度が作られてしまったが、あきらめないで廃止へ頑張ろう」とあいさつ。(「秘密保護法」廃止へ!実行委員 会)