Yesterday back home was the Labour Day march which I missed. Today in Japan was another public holiday, this time to recognise the promulgation of the Japanese Constitution, the peace constitution, the one with Article 9, which says Japan will never again go to war (to summarise it).
Well, this is right where my work sits: security, peace, constitutional amendments, the politics of it all. Naturally I went along to 'observe' the rally first-hand. The fact that it happened to be in a park not far from the university where I work was, well, convenient...
There is a lot of passion for the constitution, especially that peace clause and that passion is not always communicated more broadly outside Japan...that's partly why I am here for the next five years, to research and write on this very issue.
It was a massive turnout, but orderly...
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| Listening to the speakers |
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| One person's view |
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| Grouped for the march later |
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| Flags of participating groups |
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| A small part of the crowd |
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| The flag of the Maruki Art Gallery, Hiroshima peace artists |
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| Peace beats |
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| More of the crowd |
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| Peace flags |
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| March gets underway |
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| Some materials (for research purposes of course) |
...as one might expect. At the end of the speeches, there was a concert as people took to the surrounding roads to march in protest. It felt a little bit like what yesterday was at home, I imagine. In an era when it is said people are bored or disillusioned with politics, it is good to see this level of engagement (for research purposes of course).
[Camera : Canon EOS60D, 28-80mm, 2.19pm-2.52pm, 3 May 2016, Constitution Day]
