デモ | protests

I attended protests in Japan three times in the last few weeks. I chose to show up because I would have liked to know what I would feel when being a part of protesters. I wanted to know my opinions against the government that would come out of my mouth in reaction to other protesters’ presence and voices.

The protests were all held against the political activity (as well as inactivity) of the current ruling party, Liberal Democratic Party, and lots of misconducts that they have been denying or avoiding giving decent explanations (which has to lead immediately to the resignation of many of its members). I think it is astonishing that they keep its name today, for what they are doing represents absolutely nothing whatsoever that could be conceived of associated with it.

Seeing the news on social media and a newspaper, I thought they were going to kill the population. It might not be their purpose, but it definitely is part of the blue print for how they want to dominate the nation. They keep insisting that they would like to radically change the constitution, specifically the part that argues for perpetual protection of human rights as well as renunciation of military force of any kind. It has not been realised yet, but it would be no surprise that it comes true in a month, witnessing a number of outrageous bills passed on as easily as the flow of a river. A bill that tries to amend the constitution in such a way that under a given emergent circumstance (whose definition will be up to the government), they restrict the basic rights of the population such as the right for vote, a bill that allows the government to collect private information of individuals and pass on to US companies at their request, a bill that forbids damaging the Japanese national flag in any way, to name a few. Clearly, they intend to recreate the situation right before the World War II. Yet, unbelievably, they keep pretending that they do not. I cannot help but feel this cannot be real.

At the protests I attended, I saw people who seemed to have varied backgrounds. At the first protest I showed up, which took place in front of the National Diet Building, I listened to a woman’s speech. To my recollection, she listed the problems Takaichi never takes accountability for, and then quoted Gandhi. The quote was about the significance of showing up to a protest, even if it makes any difference right away; he said that it is still significant as one does not only protest to change those in power, but also to protect oneself from the power and know who they are. I think it is the essence of protesting even if you do not have anything that makes sounds or cards with messages. You have hands or skin to clap and voices to say out loud, anyway. More fundamentally, the body of your own shows the fragile, yet tangible, actual, and living being, which cannot be summerised to a number on the statistics or a concept that consists of military force.

There would be little that I can make difference to this. But I need to put myself out there as much as I can and prove that I am, and so are many others. I am against the war.