“Think and act as individuals” – Student activist demands Japan’s Diet members

I was encouraged by the refreshing speech by OKUDA Aki (photo), a member of SEALDs (Students’ Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy), at a public hearing on the Security Bill (actually the “War Bill”) at a Diet session in Japan on September 15, 2015. Before starting his speech, he sharpened up many sleeping Diet members who are supposed to represent the Japanese people. I was very happy with his action as I was frustrated whenever I saw the lawmakers sleep during the session. Many others who were watching the hearing were tweeting the same feelings. There, Okuda thoroughly explained why the younger generation had been criticized as being apathetic about politics and who was responsible for the political apathy. (MATSUMOTO Chie)

 Video(Okuda’s comments. 16 minutes)

「一個人として考え行動してほしい」～シールズの奥田愛基さん公聴会で意見陳述

議員が席を埋める国会で、はじめて自分の声を代弁してもらえたような清々しさとも満足感とも言える印象を得たのは、９月１５日、安全保障関連法案に関する公聴会で、SEALDsメンバー・奥田愛基さん（写真）の発言を聞いたときだった。私たちの税金で、私たちの意思を担いで国会に勤める議員らを前に、まずは文字通り目を覚ませ、仕事をしろと喝を入れた。国会中継を見るたびに居眠りをする議員らを見て、そのつど怒りを感じていたため、これを聞いて胸がすっきりした。ツイッターでは、公聴会を視聴していた多くの人たちが、同じような意見を回覧していた。奥田さんの言葉には、政治に無関心だと批判されてきた世代が、なぜそうであったかその責任の所在やその理由がつまっていた。（松元ちえ） 

People’s anger broke police blockade – Chanting “Down with Abe”

On September 14, 2015, great many people came to the National Diet one after another from around 5pm to protest against the unconstitutional “War Bill”, finally filling the pedestrian areas. The police tried to keep the people from coming into the roads, and this police action made them packed in the narrow areas and caused many of them to be sick. The demonstrators strongly demanded the police to open the roads for them for fear of an accident, and the roads were finally opened for them after 7pm. A huge number of people filled the front gate of the parliament building, demanding Prime Minister Abe to step down. Their never-ending chants “Down with Abe” reflected strong anger against a possible forcible passage of the “War Bill” by the major party coalition of the Liberal Democrats and Komeito that was founded by the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. Some Diet members and OE Kenzaburo, a Nobel Literature Prize laureate, delivered speeches in front of the protesters. The organizer of the action announced the number of the participants to be 45,000, but the number continued to increase. (M)

<https://youtu.be/x-cZVcsuPY0> Video(Five and a half minutes)

9.14  人々の怒りでふたたび車道決壊！～「安倍やめろ」のコール止まず

国会審議も大詰めを迎えた9月14日は、60日ルールの適用が可能になる日でもあった。「戦争法案」に反対する国会前集会には、午後5時すぎから続々と人が集まり、6時には歩道は満員電車状態。警察は絶対車道に出すまいと、堅固な鉄柵と多数の警察官で強力な警備を敷いた。そのため参加者は、ぎゅうぎゅう詰めになり体調不良になる人が多数出た。「事故が起きたらどうする。車道を開けろ！」と激しい抗議が続く中、7時10分ごろ車道は決壊し、警察もやむなく規制線を後退させた。するとあっという間に正門前は巨万の人々で埋まった。「安倍やめろ！」のコールが鳴り止まない。それは強行採決を計る自公への強い怒りだった。メイン集会には国会議員のほか大江健三郎氏もスピーチにたった。総がかり行動の集会では4万5千人と発表があったが、その後もシールズの集会が続き、どんどん人は増え続けた。（M） 

Komeito, get back to the party of peace! – Appeal by a university lecturer

Sit-ins continued in front of the National Diet against the War Bill. More than 8,000 people joined the action on September 11, 2015. There, SANO Jun-ichiro (photo), a lecturer at Soka University that is affiliated to the Soka Gakkai Buddhism sect and tied closely to Komeito, delivered a speech after those of some Diet members and cultural figures, “Komeito, get back to the party of peace! That’s all I want to say”. Komeito is the partner of the major Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition. Then, he introduced an episode of the honorary chairperson of Soka Gakkai and founder of the university, IKEDA Daisaku. Ikeda met and asked Alexei Kosygin in 1974, the then Premier of the Soviet Union, “Are you intended to attack China?” Kosygin answered, “Absolutely no”, and Ikeda passed it to the Chinese leaders, so that both countries avoided war and reached détente. Sano passionately added, “This action is the spirit of Soka University. Diet members of Komeito, get back to this spirit and the party of peace!” The organizer urged that the human chain around the Diet Building scheduled on September 14 was crucially important and that more people were expected to gather  than  the action on August 30. (M)

 Video(4 minutes, appeal by Sano)

「公明党よ平和の党に戻れ！」～国会前集会で創価大学教員が訴え
 

 戦 争法案の強行採決が迫る中、「総がかり行動実行委」は座り込みと国会正門前集会を連日取り組んでいる。9月11日には8千人以上が集まった。集会では、国 会議員の報告、雨宮処凛ら文化人のアピールに続き、創価大学教員の佐野潤一郎さん（写真）がマイクを握った。「公明党よ平和の党に戻れ！ 私が言いたいのはそれだけ」と前置きし、創価大学創設者・池田大作会長のエピソードを紹介した。それは池田氏が1974年にソ連のコスイギン首相と面会し 「中国を攻める気はあるのか」と聞き、「絶対ない」との回答を受け、中国の首脳にそれを伝えて戦争寸前だった中ソを緊張緩和に導いた話だった。「この行動 力こそが創価大学の魂。創価大学出身の公明党議員はこの精神に立ちかえり、平和の党に戻れ！」と熱く訴えた。主催者からは「地方公聴会が入ったので採決は 17日以降になった。14日の国会包囲がとくに重要で、8.30を上回る結集を実現しよう」と呼びかけがあった。（M）
動画（4分 佐野アピール）