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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Thousands take part in anti-government protests in Japan

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Several thousand angry Japanese have staged demonstrations against the Tokyo government over its weak domestic and regional policies. "Prime Minister Kan only worries about how China and North Korea are feeling and never think about his own people. That's what I cannot tolerate the most: I cannot forgive the ruling DPJ performing anti-Japan [actions]", said one of the speakers addressing a crowd of thousands on Saturday. There is growing discontent among the Japanese people for the Kan administration's foreign policy, particularly for its handling of diplomatic spats with China and Russia. A recent poll shows that the approval rating of Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has fallen six points to 21 percent, which is the lowest level since he took office in June.

People shout slogans and hold national flags during a rally denouncing the Japanese government in Tokyo on December 18, 2010.

Protesters criticized Kan's recent foreign policy decisions, particularly what they regard as his slow response to the recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Relations have turned sour between the two countries since Japan arrested a Chinese boat captain near a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea in September. The captain was released later. However, the territorial dispute has sparked several protests in both countries. The uninhabited islands, called the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, are close to key shipping lanes, have rich fishing grounds and are believed to contain oil deposits.

The protester also criticized Premier Kan and his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama for their failure to remove USZ-led military bases from the southern island of Okinawa. "Indecisive and Band-Aid fixes... that's exactly what Kan heard from Hatoyama, and that's the DNA of DPJ", the speaker said. Kan's predecessor Yukio Hatoyama had to resign after he failed to keep his campaign promise of removing the base off Okinawa. The American Futenma base is unpopular among local residents who associate it with crime and pollution. The base has provoked a wave of anger in the country, with the nation demanding a complete removal of the airbase off the island.


Enticing Fury

Pakistan Cyber Force

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