(1) Interview summary of two women from 日本軍慰安婦問題解決全国行動 (Japanese military’s comfort women’s problem solving nationwide movement) *no voice recording available
General Info:
- “Standing” every Friday from 12PM (only when the Diet is in a session) for 10 years (even before 3.11)
- Usually they do it at the front of Shinjuku Odakyu every third Wednesday
- They want people to learn about comfort women issues.
Why Kasumigaseki?
- They want elementary school and junior high school students (who are there for their school field trip) to learn about the issues, because schools do not teach them about comfort women.
- People who are at Kasumigaseki will mostly likely to be interested in social issues
- Politicians will also walk pass by them, so they will notice that they are there.
Issues they face:
- Their members are almost all women, and when there is no guys, some people attacks them (radical right wing people)
- For example, while we were there, an old guy verbally attacked them saying they are illogical, because they are women.
(2) Interview Summary of a young male member of Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes *no voice recording available
Does your company allow you to participate in a protest like this?
- He said yes, but it is a very rare case in Japan. He explained “in japan, companies do not like their employees to participate in protests. However, my company supports it and the company actually sends people to the protest.”
Do you think this protest is toward the government or the ordinary people who pass by?
- He said “personally, I believe this is more toward ordinary people. We want ordinary people, especially young people, to be aware of what is going on; therefore, we distributes stickers that are “catchy” designs. “
(3) Interview summary of Jacinta Hin, a member of Beautiful Energy, at the Friday Night Protest *no voice recording available
General Info:
- Beautiful Energy participates every Friday Night Protest; however, they do not make noises or speak up. Instead, they decorate the sidewalk with candles, gather and communicate with people. They are using Kasumigaseki as more like a gathering place for themselves and not a place for them to speak up toward the Diet.
- However, she is very close to the House of Rep Makoto Yamazaki from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (he is a Sophia graduate). They work on the issues together and they even went to the United States together to learn about energy.
- There were kids participating too (the only kids we saw at the protest).
(4) Interview summary of a woman, a member of Adachi-ku Labor Peace Committee Preparation who was distributing her original flyers to people. *no voice recording available
- She was there by herself distributing flyers covering different types of issues such as nuclear energy, constitutional revision, Okinawa US base issues, accepting foreign workers etc.
Why Kasumigaseki?
- She said she came to Kasumigaseki, because she found out that other organizations are having a protest, so that she knew there will be a lot of people who she can give out flyers too ←Redwolf do not like this type of people
Do you consider yourself as an activist?
- She said no. She said she is just a citizen. Seems like she did not want others to think she is an activist.
MU
Demonstrating Space: Kasumigaseki 