Weitere Angriffe auf Gewerkschafter in Osaka

Auch die öffentlich bekundete Bereitschaft, freiwillig bei der Polizei auszusagen, half nichts: Am Abend zum 9. Dezember verhaftete die Polizei von Osaka den (mit den meisten Stimmen gewählten) Stadtrat von Kadoma im Bezirk Osaka (und örtlichen Gewerkschaftsvorsitzenden) Hisayoshi Toda unter dem Vorwurf er habe (verbotenerweise) als einzelner Politiker Geld für seinen Wahlkampf von einer Organisation (der Bauarbeitergewerkschaft) bekommen. Auch eine im Finanzbereich der Gewerkschaft arbeitende Kollegin wurde festgenommen. Regionale Zeitungen schrieben am folgenden Tag ganz direkt, die Aktion diene unter anderem dazu, den regionalen Gewerkschaftsvorsitzenden der Bauarbeiter Kenichi Take, der seit Januar 2005 in Untersuchungshaft ist, unter neuen anschuldigungen weiter festhalten zu können, da in diesen Tagen der zulässige Haftzeitraum auslaufe. Am selben Tag stellte die Tokioter Staatsanwaltschaft ein Verfahren gegen 8 führende Politiker der regierenden LDP ein, die nachgewiessenermassen Geld von der japanischen Zahnärztlichen Vereinigung erhalten haben. Was die Analyse der (oppositionellen) Gewerkschafter bestärkt, es handele sich um einen aus der Luft gegriffenen Vorwand, um die Politik der Aggression gegen die Gewerkschaftsbewegung, wie sie im Bezirk Osaka seit Anfang des Jahres (und mit weiteren Aktionen in der Jahresmitte, weswegen dies auch als dritte "Angriffswelle" bezeichnet wird) offensichtlich als "Modell" exerziert werden soll, fortzusetzen. Der (englische, hiermit kurz zusammengefasste) Solidaritätsaufruf "Protest Statement on the Third Wave of Repression" der "Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers" vom 9. Dezember 2005, inklusive Adressen für Protest- und Solidaritätsschreiben.

Protest Statement on the Third Wave of Repression

HASEGAWA Takehisa, President Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers / TODA Hisayoshi, President Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kinki District / TAKE Kenichi, President Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area Branch (Kan-Nama)

December 9, 2005

In the evening of December 9, the Security Department of the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Mr. TODA Hisayoshi, city council member of Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture, and the president of Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kinki District, on a charge of violation of the Political Fund Control Law. The police also arrested a woman, accounting staff of the Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area Branch (Kan-Nama).

According to newspapers the police plans to rearrest Take Kenichi, president of Kan-Nama, already in custody, on another charge, next week on December 12. This wave of arrests is the third of the frame-ups against our union by the state power since January this year. The police have overtly launched outrageous and systematic repression against our union.

The alleged crime seems that the Kansai Area Branch would have donated a political fund to the city council member Toda, violating the Political Fund Control Law that prohibits donation by an organization to an individual politician.

The fact is, however, Kan-Nama never donated an illegal political fund. If there were any suspicion of illegal donation, voluntary appearance of the council member Toda and the union officials and questioning by the police would suffice.

The police had actually plenty of opportunities to demand their voluntary appearance; already on November 9, they carried out more than 20 house searches, including that of the office and the home of council member Toda and offices of Kan-Nama. Mr. Toda is a prominent figure in the city who got the most votes in the last city council election. Every inhabitant knows him. He also occupies a public position as the president of a labor union. The arrested woman has accepted the demand of the police to appear voluntarily since the repression of last January. Knowing enough that they do not run and hide, the police dared to arrest them. With the clear intention to humiliate them in public, the police arrested Mr. Toda in the chamber of the city council and the staff at the railway station on her way home from the union office.

Coincidently, yesterday, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided not to indict HASHIMOTO Ryutaro, former prime minister, YAMAZAKI Taku, former vice-president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other five politicians who received a huge amount of illegal political fund from Japan Dental Political Federation. This decision was made against the recent resolution of the Committee for the Inquest of the Prosecution for their indictment.

While the big-name politicians of the LDP received hundreds of millions yens of dirty money in violation of the Political Fund Control Law and are not arrested nor indicted, legitimate labor union activists are unjustly arrested and treated as atrocious criminals even without preliminary hearing.

We cannot contain our anger at this dirty and abominable police repression."December 12" has a specific meaning. President Take and other union officials have been in detention more than 11 months since last January. The police, the prosecution and the court have rejected bail application. The only one pretext for that was that the questioning of the defendants is on the way. On December 12 is the day when the final questioning of the defendants will take place and the pretext of prolonged detention will disappear.

The underlying aim of the police and the prosecution is to dramatize the case as a horrible crime and to prolong the unjust detention of president Take and other union officials. The police, the prosecution and the judicial institutions seem to be preparing a systematic plan to give a devastating blow to our legitimate labor movement with all possible ways.

No onslaught of the ruling power with its every nasty measure can defeat us.

Our labor movement is a movement for justice. We oppose the war drive of Koizumi administration. We oppose the Structural Reform Policy in favor of a small group of big corporations and financial groups. We struggle for the defense of rights to live of workers, small and medium enterprises and the socially vulnerable.

As far as the ready mixed concrete industry and the cement industry are concerned, the only way for the workers and the small and medium enterprises to live together on a new industrial base and to offer safe and reliable ready mixed concrete to final consumers is to develop our industrial policy to which we have been devoting all our energy since the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995.

We will put in all our effort to achieve early release of our fellow workers. At the same time, we will further promote our industrial policy with growing confidence. The vicious intention of the ruling power shall be beaten down.

Please send an encouraging letter and a letter of protest to the followings; Send Copies of Your Letters To:

<President of Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area Ready-mixed Concrete Branch, TAKE Ken-ichi> 550-0021 Kawaguchi 2-4-28 Nishi-ku Osaka-shi Osaka-fu, Japan; e-mail: web@rentai-union.com

Protest These Attacks By Sending Letters to

1.<Chief of Headquarters of Osaka Prefectural Police, YONEMURA Toshiro> 540-8540 Otemae 3-1-11 Chuo-ku Osaka-shi Osaka-fu, Japan

2.<Prosecutor of Osaka Prosecutors Office, MIYAMOTO Kenji> 553-8512 Fukushima 1-1-60 Fukushima-ku Osaka-shi Osaka-fu, Japan