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13 former school principals in Yamaguchi Prefecture protest right of collective self-defense

by Takuya Murata, Starr Writer

On August 21, former school principals in Yamaguchi Prefecture issued a statement criticizing the Japanese government’s decision to exercise the nation’s right to collective self-defense. Thirteen former principals of prefectural and private high schools, and public elementary schools and junior high schools, are protesting the stance adopted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, elected from the Yamaguchi No. 4 constituency, and his Cabinet. This is the first statement on the matter by former principals in the Chugoku region, located to the west on Honshu, Japan’s main island. A similar statement was made by former principals in Hokkaido in July.

The statement issued by the former principals in Yamaguchi Prefecture emphasizes that teachers have vowed to observe the Constitution with the credo, “We will never send our students into battle again.” It also condemned the Cabinet decision as a “coup d’etat” against constitutionalism and a significant turnabout toward becoming a nation that will again engage in war. It said that all possible action should be taken to demand that the Cabinet’s approval be retracted and to prevent related bills from becoming laws.

The former teachers served as principals in schools in Iwakuni, Suo-Oshima, and other cities and towns in the prefecture and range in age from their 60s to their 80s. Kazuo Yokonuma, 78, the leader of the group, held a press conference at a hotel in the city of Yamaguchi. The former principal of Ganyo High School (now Iwakuni Sogo High School) said, “We were engaged in education with the belief that we should never teach students to accept war. We need to call for the Constitution to be upheld.”

To rally support from teachers, former teachers, and parents, the group will launch a signature drive and street activities.

(Originally published on August 22, 2014)

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