Tokyo, Feb 15: Hundreds of people marched through downtown Tokyo today to protest against a possible US-led attack on Iraq. The so-called "peace parade" through the streets of Shibuya, one of Tokyo's shopping and entertainment hubs, was organised by nearly 20 anti-war and other action groups, including the Japanese chapter of the worldwide environmental watchdog Greenpeace. Many of the groups are opposed to a move by Japan's ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party to change the country's post-World War II constitution which bans the use of force in settling international disputes. Organisers said about 7,000 people took part in a similar joint rally held at Hibiya Park near the Imperial Palace in the centre of Tokyo on January 18. About 300 people, including Europeans and other foreigners, joined the sit-in protest in front of the US embassy for about one-and-a-half-hour around noon today.
Bureau Report