JAPAN-SECURITY/PROTEST Thousands of people protest in front of the parliament against security bills

Record ID: 141101

  • Title: JAPAN-SECURITY/PROTEST Thousands of people protest in front of the parliament against security bills
  • Date: 16th September 2015
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (SEPTEMBER 15, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LABOUR UNION MEMBERS MARCHING AGAINST SECURITY BILLS TOKYO, JAPAN (SEPTEMBER 15, 2015) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) JAPANESE PARLIAMENT PROTESTERS IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT PROTESTERS WITH BANNERS AND GLOWSTICKS PROTESTERS IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 30 YEAR OLD COMPANY EMPLOYEE, BOHYUN LEE, SAYING: "I came because all I care about is peace between Asian nations, and I think the security bills doesn't produce that." POLICE GRIPPING ON METAL BARRICADES TO KEEP PROTESTERS FROM FLOODING MAIN STREET IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT POLICE OFFICER (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 32 YEAR OLD FARMER, AKIKO UTSUMI, SAYING: "Going forward, some country will be on the killing side, and innocent civilians will be killed. I just can't handle the situation where someone has to kill and someone has to die." POLICE OFFICERS STANDING BEHIND METAL BARRICADES KEEPING PROTESTERS OFF MAIN STREET IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT PROTESTER HOLDING BANNER READING (English): "Aberican Dream"
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2DKUD0FP3ULKMXOYL1KK7W4FL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Thousands of people marched and protested around the Japanese Parliament on Tuesday (September 15) for the second consecutive day this week. They chanted for the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the scrapping of a set of security bills which would allow Japanese troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War Two.
    Earlier in the day, thousands of labour union members rallied around the parliament, chanting anti-security bill and anti-Abe slogans.
    The labour union's march was followed by a larger protest right in front of the main gate of the parliament, where protest organizers said about 10,000 gathered to call for the scrapping of the security bills and the resignation of Abe.
    Bohyun Lee is a 30 year old company employee.
    "I came because all I care about is peace between Asian nations, and I think the security bills doesn't produce that," Lee said.
    Another protester, 32 year old farmer Akiko Utsumi, said the bill would just change who kills and who gets killed in war.
    "Going forward, some country will be on the killing side, and innocent civilians will be killed. I just can't handle the situation where someone has to kill and someone has to die," Utsumi said.
    Tuesday's protest was preceded by a bigger protest on Monday (September 14), where participants had heavy scuffles with the police, as authorities tried to keep them within the sidewalk despite lack of space and multiple pleas to open the main street in front of parliament for pedestrians.
    The police eventually let the protesters flood the main street, right after they blockaded the entire main gate of the parliament with police vans.
    Despite such big protests, held on a weekly basis, Abe's ruling bloc wants to pass the security bills before parliament ends its session on September 27. A vote in the upper house is expected this week.
    Abe's ruling bloc has a majority in the upper house, but opposition parties have vowed to use all possible means to prevent a vote, including delaying procedures by submitting time-consuming non-confidence and censure motions.
    Abe last week won a rare second consecutive term as a ruling party chief, and hence premier, pledging to retain focus on reviving the world's third-largest economy and deepen debate on revising its pacifist constitutions.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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