About 100 union members from the air, sea and ground transportation industries rallied at the Diet Friday to urge the scrapping of the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines.
If the bills, currently under deliberation, clear the Diet, there is a good chance that transportation companies would be asked by the government to cooperate with U.S. military forces in emergency situations.
"If these bills pass, it will be difficult for private companies that are government- licensed to say no, and employees will not be able to reject cooperation with U.S. forces if they are ordered to by their companies," one participant said.
Concerns about safety have been fueled by the fact that two Japanese seamen died during the Iran-Iraq War.
Union members, some donning company uniforms, called out to passersby to support abandonment of the bills.
Union members from 20 industries and companies including the All Japan Seamen's Union participated in the rally.