Tokyo (VNA) – Protesting the war inVietnam and supporting Vietnamese people in the struggle for nationalreunification in the 1960s and 1970s were one of the core activities of theLabour Union of Yokohama city, Japan.
Senior members of the union shared theirmemories about these activities with Vietnam News Agency’s reporters on theoccasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties (September21, 1973).
The union, founded in December 1947, organised manymeetings opposing the US war in Vietnam, gathering large number of peace loversin the city. News stories reporting the US air force’s bombing in the north ofVietnam as well as the worldwide movements protesting war in the SoutheastAsian country were hung at public places in Yokohama, drawing public interestat that time.
From early 1965, the movement against the US warin Vietnam developed strongly. In September 1966, the Labour Union of Yokohamacoordinated with trade unions around the globe to protest the US war inVietnam. Numerous demonstrations took place across the city. Added to this wereactivities to raise funds to send medicines and essential goods to supportVietnamese people.
Morita Kenichi, former President of the YokohamaLabour Union in the 1985-1992 period, was a pioneer in anti-war activities. Toprevent the US forces at the North Piece military base in Yokohama from sendingmilitary trucks to the south of Vietnam, on August 5-6, 1972, the unionmobilised over 500 youths to stage a demonstration at the nearby Murasamebridge to stop the trucks. Morita led the demonstrators, who received warmsupport from city dwellers, hence successfully forcing the US army to cancelits plan to send military trucks to Vietnam. This event grabbed the headline onthe front page of many Japanese newspapers at that time.
During a visit to Vietnam in 1983, Morita had anopportunity to meet then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong who conveyed hisgratefulness to Yokohama people for their valuable assistance for Vietnameseduring the wartime.
Two other senior members of the Yokohama TradeUnion, Yoshizawa Teiko and Motoyoshi Ryokichi also actively participated inanti-war activities in Yokohama. Theycontinued to work for the friendship between the two nations in peacetime.
As chairman of the Japan-Vietnam FriendshipAssociation, Motoyoshi regularly organises people-to-people exchanges andactivities to support Vietnamese expatriates in Japan.-VNA
Senior members of the union shared theirmemories about these activities with Vietnam News Agency’s reporters on theoccasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties (September21, 1973).
The union, founded in December 1947, organised manymeetings opposing the US war in Vietnam, gathering large number of peace loversin the city. News stories reporting the US air force’s bombing in the north ofVietnam as well as the worldwide movements protesting war in the SoutheastAsian country were hung at public places in Yokohama, drawing public interestat that time.
From early 1965, the movement against the US warin Vietnam developed strongly. In September 1966, the Labour Union of Yokohamacoordinated with trade unions around the globe to protest the US war inVietnam. Numerous demonstrations took place across the city. Added to this wereactivities to raise funds to send medicines and essential goods to supportVietnamese people.
Morita Kenichi, former President of the YokohamaLabour Union in the 1985-1992 period, was a pioneer in anti-war activities. Toprevent the US forces at the North Piece military base in Yokohama from sendingmilitary trucks to the south of Vietnam, on August 5-6, 1972, the unionmobilised over 500 youths to stage a demonstration at the nearby Murasamebridge to stop the trucks. Morita led the demonstrators, who received warmsupport from city dwellers, hence successfully forcing the US army to cancelits plan to send military trucks to Vietnam. This event grabbed the headline onthe front page of many Japanese newspapers at that time.
During a visit to Vietnam in 1983, Morita had anopportunity to meet then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong who conveyed hisgratefulness to Yokohama people for their valuable assistance for Vietnameseduring the wartime.
Two other senior members of the Yokohama TradeUnion, Yoshizawa Teiko and Motoyoshi Ryokichi also actively participated inanti-war activities in Yokohama. Theycontinued to work for the friendship between the two nations in peacetime.
As chairman of the Japan-Vietnam FriendshipAssociation, Motoyoshi regularly organises people-to-people exchanges andactivities to support Vietnamese expatriates in Japan.-VNA
VNA
