Let’s repeal the war laws! ～Not pessimistic but angry voices shook the Diet building

The resistance by more than 40,000 protesters outside of the Diet building helped delay the resolution of the war bills in the upper house plenary session on Sep.18. Even after the last train was gone past midnight, more than 1,000 people continued protesting at the Diet building, shouting “Hang in there, opposition lawmakers!” 

At 2:18 a.m., it was reported that the upper house passed the legislation. OKUDA Aki, a leader of Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy-s (SEALDs) shouted “Repeal the war laws!” as soon as he saw the voting streamed on the smartphone. 

Very angry voices against the bills shook the building in the dead of night. Okuda continued to say, “We have no feelings of pessimism! There is only anger and indignation here.” The people then started to chant, “Let’s beat the lawmakers who approved the bills in the next election!” Their new struggle has already started.

Opposition lawmakers came out of the Diet to report the results one after another. YAMAMOTO Taro, a lawmaker who snail-walked by himself to delay the voting during the plenary session, called to the people, “The Japanese prime minister just gave up the most important thing in Japan to the U.S. We have no choice but to take it back because it is so important to us.  Let’s establish a new government that can do that. Our struggle has yet to finish.”

Until the end of the deliberations and the voting under the runaway Abe government, there were conspicuous irregularities in the steering of the Diet, including the forcible resolution of the unconstitutional bills, the restriction on time to speak and so on. (By M)
 Photo: People protest in front of the Diet building on Sept. 18.
video by YUMOTO Masanori 3min.

「悲壮感はない、怒りと憤りだ」～議事堂を揺るがす「採決撤回！」のコール

 「戦 争法案」の参院本会議採決は野党の抵抗と4万人をこえる国会包囲の力で、9月18日中の採決を許さなかった。日にちをまたぎ終電がなくなっても、国会周辺 には千人を超える人々がいた。そして「野党ガンバレ」の声を上げ続けた。午前2時18分、本会議可決をスマホの中継画面で確認したシールズの奥田愛基さん は、間髪入れずに「採決撤回！」と叫んだ。怒りの大コールが深夜の議事堂を揺るがした。「ここには悲壮感はない。怒りと憤りだ」と語る奥田さん。続けて 「賛成議員を落選させよう」のコールが上がった。もう次の運動が始まっているのだ。野党議員も議場から次々に報告に来た。「一人牛歩」をやった山本太郎さ んは「首相はわが国の一番大切なものをアメリカに差し上げてしまった。大切なものなので返してもらうしかない。それができる政権をつくっていこう。いまか らですよ」と呼びかけた。違憲立法のごり押し、そして本会議でも発言時間を制限するなど、最後まで安倍暴走は際立っていた。（M）  
動画（湯本雅典 3分）　＊写真＝国会正門前（9/18午後9時）