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To fighting Chilean comrades
A letter from the Japanese Zengakuren

                                                                              31 October 2011

Dear comrades fighting in Chile,

We, the Zengakuren, a national federation of students’ associations in Japan, received a series of urgent reports on Chilean students’ struggle from comrades of the FLTI [Fracción Leninista Trotskista Internacional]. We express our solidarity with you, Chilean students, who have been bravely fighting against the Piñera government for 5 months for ‘free education’. In anger we strongly condemn Piñera’s authoritarian regime for arresting students and keeping them imprisoned in jail.

In response to the appeals from FLTI comrades, we have been making efforts to publicly reveal the repression on fighting Chilean students and calling on Japanese students and workers to condemn this repression. Here we inform you of part of our recent struggles. On 23 October, the Zengakuren held demonstrations in 6 cities, including Tokyo, together with young workers in the Antiwar Youth Committee, under the banner: Stop the nuclear development of Japan! Oppose the strengthening of the new US-Japan military alliance! Smash the massive taxation plan! We also carried out this demonstration as a fight to hold up our solidarity with you, fighting Chilean students.

In Tokyo, demonstrators marched up to the US Embassy and the Diet Building to express their protest. Before the demonstration started, Zengakuren Chairman Yuichiro Sakai called on the marchers: ‘Zengakuren received a call from FLTI comrades to protest against the Chilean government’s repression on fighting students and workers. In response to the call, let us carry out today’s demonstration in solidarity with Chilean comrades.’ In the middle of their march, Zengakuren students held up placards with English slogans: ‘We fight in solidarity with the Chilean students and the working class!’, ‘Denounce the oppression on the Chilean students by the regime!’, etc.

On 28 October, Zengakuren Chief Secretary Nagatomo Hirokawa and other delegates staged a protest action at the Chilean embassy in Tokyo. Faced with Zengakuren’s strong protest, the Chilean Envoy Patricio Beckr had to meet them. For over 20 minutes, the Zengakuren delegates strongly demanded that unwarrantedly arrested students and workers be immediately freed from jails. In the end, they handed to the Envoy a letter of protest to the Chilean President. The letter states: ‘Stop the repression on workers and students fighting for free education. Immediately release the arrested protestors.’ The Envoy said, ‘I will surly forward it to the President in Santiago’.. see letter

Comrades fighting in Chile!
In this way, we have been fighting to protest against Pinera’s repression in solidarity with you.

We also wish you to know about another issue we are tackling: imperialist Japan’s nuclear development. On 19 September, 60,000 workers and students rallied in Tokyo to say ‘Stop nuclear plants’. They rallied with burning anger against the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, which was so serious that it was impossible to predict how and when it could be resolved. In the forefront of the angry masses, Zengakuren fought, raising the banner: Fight to stop the Noda-led government from restarting suspended nuclear plants! Immediately scrap all the nuclear plants in the country! Fight against the nuclear development of the Japanese state! See attached pictures (7) (8).

Fighting comrades in Chile!
Let us strengthen our solidarity beyond borders over the Ocean to smash the state repression! Let us advance together!

The Central Executive Committee of the All-Japan Federation of Students’ Self-Governing Associations [Zengakuren]