Gallery: Disability Japan 2005-06
Appealing to the Politicians
Unlike previous protests which were directed at the bureacrats within the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, this protest was primarily oriented at appealing to the members of the lower house of representatives. The day of the protest (May 12, 2005) was also the day that the bill was being debated in committee. Select members of the disability organizations sat in during the committee deliberations which were being held the entire day. I listened to part of the deliberations and then left to join the main protest.
In the early afternoon, the protesters met with members of the opposition parties in front of the lower house representative buildings (photo above). The main opposition parties were the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social-Democratic Party (SDP), and the Japan Communist Party (JCP). Backing the bill were the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito.
The opposition politicians met and listened to the protesters. In the photo below, Hiroko Nakamura (no relation to me), the head of the Center for Independent Living in Matsue (Shimane Prefecture), is reading a statement to the representatives of the Lower House of Parliament.
