On December 1st 2007 the people of the Freedom and Survival Coalition held their annual Anti-War and Resistance Festa. A variety of independent political focus groups came together for this event to discuss and learn about a host of issues that concern residents of Japan.The event started  with a forum at which panelists Tomohiro Akagi representing FREETERS, Sociologist  Michiko Kaizuma and editor of "Anarchist Magazine" Nobuhiro Uemoto participated in a discussion on a number of issues from the G8 summit to the war renouncing article 9 in the Japanese constitution to the death penalty.
In the first session Kei from Irregular Rythm Asylum NO! G8 Action gave a report on his experiences in Germany at this years' protests at Rostock. He talked about the G8 as a system promoting war and poverty and the anti-G8 movement growing in the world using documentary footage.He also examined the meaning and the potentiality of the anti-Toyako summit movement based on borderless solidarity.

Following Kei, there was a session on Agliculture & Our Dietary Life by Yoichi Aikawa (Sociologist, intern farmer) & a young farmer in Sanrizu as well as a member of the Eat Resist Exist! Collective.The facillitator was Pepe Hasegawa ( an irregular contract  worker). First, the Aikawa presented the problems in rural communities and urban cities in order to bridge the gap between this Festa's participants. Describing the actual situation of agriculture and rural communities under the neo-liberal policy as the bottom line of the post-war Japanese agricultural policy, the speaker  introduced the recent trend of young people going into rural areas to start-up organic farming.Eat Resist Exist!, collaborated in the session by using their products at its food booth, and talked about the poor urban diet (like have to buy everything at 99 Shops!).


Photos:The Festa participants march in Harajuku. Note the number of cops. Many of those on the pavement are undercover cops working for the secret police.Those on the road are with the demo.

These sessions were followed by a short break and then there was a presentation on the Death Penalty. The speaker was Jin Nagai (a member of an inmates' union, Toitsu Gokuchusha Kumiai). After the Hikari Town murders, calls for executions of criminials have increased in Japan.The Ministry of Justice has executed 10 inmates in the last 10 months and the supreme court has handed down death penalties four-times more than ten years ago. Even Minister Hatoyama suggested a "conveyor belt system" for execution utilizing a lottery. Nagai argued that with the installment of the "citizen judge system", that Japanese are now being forced into complicity with state murder. In addition another long-time activist in the movement for the abolishment of the death penalty from an inmates' union  spoke on the latest situation in the movement.

All this was followed by a presentation regarding the state of Nuclear Power Plants in
Japan.Masazumi Atsumi (Tokyo Group of White Ribbon of Peace) talked about safety
issues.Following Megawa and Shiga, Kashiwazaki was the third nuclear power
plant to be hit by the earthquakes in Japan.Tokyo Electric still promotes the "safety" of
the nuclear plant and the area, resorting to an explicit cover-up at the Kashiwazaki PR center.

Finally, before the group headed off on the demo, Anti-War activist Mieko Hokama from the Kanto Block of okinawa Hitotsubo Hansen Jinushi-kai & Ippei Onishi from Tachikawa Jieitai Kanshi Tent Village with facilitator from Asobu Motegi (Nakno Joint Action agaist War) talked about Japan's military policy never being affected by the change of prime ministers or the ruling parties.The current situation of militarization, which is deeply linked with the War on Terror, was reported on from a group against US base reallignment and reinforcement and another against militalization in communities for "national emergencies".


Photos: This year there were two sound trucks.One with a DJ and decks playing dance music, another at the front of the march with political punk band "The Happening" on board playing live!

There were stalls selling books and t-shirts as well as organic food and drink from the Eat Resist Exist collective. At 4pm the participants headed off on a demonstration with two sound trucks from Harajuku through Shibuya and back to the meeting venue. After the march there was a more informal discussion and an open Q&A session.

This event is one of the most exciting in Japan and we recommend that you attend next year. You do not have to be affiliated with any group and everyone is welcome. You can choose whether or not just to browse the stalls, take part in the discussions, march or do all three. In the past SPRING has had a stall at this event but this year we encouraged individuals to check it out, as we have been busy organising other things.

This report was compiled quickly from contributions by The Donut and T.A, a Japanese participant.

Pawaa Appu! Women Only Unions in Japan by Kaye Broadbent

Steve Zeltzer on a Recent International Workers Rally in Tokyo
( November 2007 )

(August 2007 )