Thursday, July 30, 2015

To raise a voice~An encounter of a school girl and a teacher




On the local news section of the July 11 morning edition of Asahi Shimbun, I found an article titled “the youth raising their voices,” featuring young people who oppose the war bill. The article quoted FUKUDA Wakako, a senior student of Wako University, as saying, “In junior high school, I found a teacher who would not sing the Kimigayo national anthem at school ceremonies. Every morning and evening in front of the school gate, she stood and spoke about the reasons why she would not sing. ‘Isn’t it hairy?’ one of my friends said, with a faint smile. The school ignored her. I walked pass her, minding too much about what my boyfriend would think.”
 I knew right away it was about NEZU Kimiko. Nezu moved to a junior high school in Machida from Tachikawa nine years ago. She had been suspended from work for three months for not standing for Kimigayo. From the first day of her transfer to the end of the three months, Nezu--not permitted to give lessons--spoke out to the students and passersby in front of the school gate every day about the ridiculousness of forcing Kimigayo.  ( by SASAKI Yumi ) 
*Photos=NEZU Kimiko who has come to work during the suspension (left), Fukuda who plays an active role in SEALDs (right) 

声を上げること~ 福田和香子さんと根津公子さんの出会い

 7月11日の「朝日新聞」朝刊社会面 に、戦争法案に反対する「声を上げる若者たち」 という特集があった。和光大学4年の福田和香子さんの 記事を読みすすむと、次のような件があった。<中学の頃、式典で君が代を歌わない教諭がいた。朝夕校 門前に立って、歌わない理由を話す。「やばくない?」と薄く笑う友達。見ぬふりをする学校。彼氏の目を 気にして、通り過ぎた自分。> これは、根津公子さんのことに違いないと即座に確信した。9年前、根津 さんは、立川から町田の中学に異動。「君が代」不起立で、停職3ヶ月の処分を受けていた。転任早々の 4月から3ヶ月、授業を許されない根津さんは、毎日校門前で、生徒や道行く人に「君が代」強制のおか しさを訴えた。(佐々木有美) 
*写 真=町田の中学で「停職出勤」をした根津公子さん(左)とシールズで活躍する福田さん(右)

World recognition of history; Japan should recognize as its own history—Film ‘John Rabe’ screening




“NHK has three taboos--the Emperor’s war responsibility, the comfort women issue and the Nanking Massacre,” IKEDA Eriko, former director of Japan Broadcasting Co. NHK and director of the Women’s Active Museum on War and Peace (WAM), said confidently. Ikeda was one of the promoters of the film “John Rabe; the Schindler of Nanking,” which was screened on July 20 in Tokyo.
 She continued to say, “It has been a while since all the descriptions of comfort women were deleted from junior high-school history textbooks. Ignoring these historical facts related to Japan’s wartime aggression has come to create such a war-monger administration. Japanese people should also learn the historical knowledge shared by the people around the world. With such a perspective, I want many people to see the film.”  Other promoters, including GOTO Michio, professor emeritus at Tsuru University, FUJITA Takakage, president of Association for Inheriting and Carrying Statement of Murayama, MATSUMOTO Kozo, president of All Japan Dockworkers’ Union and KIKUCHI Susumu, president of All Japan Construction and Transport Workers’ Union, attended the press conference on July 7, when each of them expressed his feelings about it. (By M)

世界の常識を日本の 常識に~映画『ジョン・ラーベ』大上映会記者会見

 「NHKの3大タブーは、天皇の戦争責任・慰安婦問題・南京大虐殺です」。そう断言するの は、元NHKディレクターで現在「女たちの戦争と平和資料館」館長の池田恵理子さん(写真)。池田さん は、7月20日の『ジョン・ラーベ~南京のシンドラー』大上映会の呼びかけ人の一人だ。池田さんは続け る。「中学の教科書でも慰安婦の記述がゼロになって久しい。こうした加害の事実に眼を向けてこなかっ たことが、いまの戦争推進政権を作りだしてしまった。世界中が知っている常識を日本人も知らなくては ダメ。この映画はその意味でも多くの人に観てほしい」と語った。7月7日の『ジョン・ラーベ』上映に向 けた記者会見には、他に後藤道夫(都留文科大学名誉教授)・藤田高景(村山談話を継承し発展させる 会)・松本耕三(全港湾委員長)・菊池進(全日建委員長)の各呼びかけ人も出席し、それぞれの思いを 述べた。また8日の「日刊ゲンダイ」は大きくこれを報じた。(M) 記事 動画(池田さんの発言 5分35秒)『ジョン・ラーベ』大上映会HP

‘I will fight against this outrageous age bias’—a struggle against a cafe chain




“Only young applicants need apply, and workers will be dismissed in four years when they start to lose their freshness.”The remark was made by the president, NAKAMURA Ayumu, of Chat Noir Co., which runs a cafe chain.
 On July 7, a woman who had worked for the cafe for nine years was dismissed as she was “no longer fresh enough,” according to the company. She joined Tokyo Youth Union and filed a lawsuit.
 "I worked strenuously for Cafe Veloche, one of the franchises, in Chiba for nine years,” she said during the campaign against the company in front of its main office in Tokyo’s busy Ikebukuro district. “When I turned 28, the company terminated my contract for lack of freshness. It is inadmissible that I was not considered of any value at all as a woman nor a human.
 The lower court decision is to be handed down at the end of July.
 About 5,000 are working at Cafe Veloche as part timers while only 300 are full time, which shows how the company is making a huge profit by exploiting workers.
The action represented the voices of 5,000 workers. Her struggle continues until the unfair age discrimination is abolished. (By M) 
Photo: the woman who was unfairly dismissed

「鮮度」でクビを切 るシャノアールを許せない!~本社前で宣伝行動

 「若くない女性はいらない、鮮度が 落ちるから4年で辞めてもらう」。そんなことを公言して実行しているのが、カフェ・ベローチェを展開し ている㈱シャノワールだ。社長が女性の中村歩氏であることにも驚く。7月6日昼、そのシャノアール本社 のある東京・池袋のサンシャインビル前で抗議の宣伝行動が行われた。ベローチェ千葉店に約9年働いてい たが「4年条項」で28歳で雇い止めされた女性がいる。彼女はこんなやり方は許せないと首都圏青年ユニオ ンに加入し、「雇い止め撤回」の裁判を起こしてもう4年闘っている。この日は、その一審判決を7月末に 前にしたアピール行動だった。女性は訴えた。「9年間会社のために一生懸命は働いてきた。鮮度と言わ れ、女性として人間としての価値を否定されたことはどうしても許せない」。ベローチェで働く非正規労 働者は約5000人で社員は300人に過ぎない。膨大な非正規を使い捨てにして暴利をむさぼっているのが、 ㈱シャノアールだ。ユニオンの闘いは5000人の思いを代弁する闘いでもあった。(М)
 *写真=不当 な雇い止めとたたかう女性

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Listen to Chinese workers! – Simultaneous action around the world against Uniqlo




Until several years ago, I never wore any clothes of Uniqlo, a major apparel chain in Japan, as I heard of its dismal working conditions behind its low price products. However, I have put on them recently without confirming that the problem has been solved. Their low price and quality were attractive, but I was wrong. It is said that seventy percent of Uniqlo products are produced at factories in China. It was reported that Uniqlo workers are exploited at one of them in Shenzhen. I decided to join a demonstration against the apparel chain at a Uniqlo store in the Ginza district, central Tokyo on July 15, 2015. There are many mannequins in the store window. The demonstrators including me protested with placards and delivered leaflets written in Japanese and Chinese to passersby. (KASAHARA Mayumi)



中国下請け労働者の声を聞け!~銀座ユニクロ前で世界同時アクション

数年前まで、私は絶対にユニクロ製品を身につけなかった。安さの裏の劣悪な労働条件の話を聞いていたから。しかし、それが解消されたということを聞かないままに、最近は着ていた。安さと品質に惹かれて。不覚だった。ユニクロ製品の7割が中国の委託工場で生産されているとか。その一つの深センの工場で労働者の搾取が行われていると聞いた。友人の呼びかけで、715日、銀座ユニクロに行くことにした。さすが世界のユニクロである。人目を惹くマネキンがウインドウを飾っている。そこに私たち、むくつけき男と、得体のしれない女の7人組が陣取り、プラカードをもってたち、道行く人に日本語と中国語の黄色いチラシを配った。(笠原眞弓)