This video says about itself: ‘Peace protest, Hiroshima, Japan, March 2003, a few days prior to the start of the Iraq War.’
From the Internationald Herald Tribune:
Chief of the Democratic Party in Japan to step down
Reuters, The Associated Press
Published: November 4, 2007
TOKYO: The head of the main opposition party in Japan said Sunday he would step down as party chief amid controversy over his apparent willingness to form a coalition with the ruling bloc.
The resignation of the Democratic Party president, Ichiro Ozawa, came just days after his party blocked government efforts to extend a naval mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.
Ozawa said he was resigning to take responsibility for causing confusion within the party for failing to immediately reject a power-sharing proposal from Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday.
“I caused political confusion over Prime Minister Fukuda’s coalition proposal,” Ozawa told a news conference.
“I have therefore decided to resign from my post as president,” he said. …
Earlier Sunday, another Democratic Party executive demanded early elections to break the parliamentary impasse.
The party will not back a compromise that would let Japanese naval ships return to the Indian Ocean to support coalition efforts in Afghanistan, said Naoto Kan, the party’s secretary general.
“Our aim is to achieve a change in government,” Kan told a talk show on the public broadcaster NHK. “What we need now is to ask the public for a mandate in the lower house.”
It is to be hoped that this resignation of a spineless opposition leader to a Rightist government, pals of George W. Bush, will lead to stronger opposition and the end of that government. It is also to be hoped that this resignation in Japan will be an inspiration to stronger opposition in other countries against pro-war policies; including in the USA.
Japan withdraws naval support for US war in Afghanistan: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 