TOKYO (AP) — Shouting “banzai!” or “live long,” thousands of people gathered in a Tokyo park on Thursday and marched through the streets to the banging of traditional drums, as Japan kicked off celebrations to mark May Day.
The holiday, also known as International Workers’ Day or Labor Day, marks the struggles and achievements of workers and the labor movement around the world. Thousands of people are expected to attend rallies and marches across the U.S., including in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
“For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of workers must be recognized,” said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group who marched in Japan’s capital.
U.S. organizers say their message this year is focused on fighting back against President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
Even in Japan, some said Trump’s policies hung over the day like a shadow. One truck in the Tokyo march featured a doll that looked like Trump.
Tadashi Ito, a union construction worker in Japan, said he worried about the potential for rising prices of imported raw materials in the months ahead.
“Everybody is fighting over work and so the contracts tend to go where the wages are cheapest,” he said.
“We think peace comes first. And we hope Trump will eradicate conflict and inequalities,” Ito added.
In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto took to the streets of the capital, Jakarta, to greet thousands of workers who cheered him amid tight police and military security in National Monument Park.
“The government that I lead will work as hard as possible to eliminate poverty from Indonesia,” Subianto told the crowd.
About 200,000 Indonesian workers were expected to take part in May Day marches across Southeast Asia’s largest economy, according to Said Iqbal, president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions.
They are demanding an end to outsourcing rules, wage raises, and protection for domestic workers and migrant workers abroad, Iqbal said.
In Japan, crowds gathered from the northernmost main island of Hokkaido to the tropical island of Amami, and in major cities like Kyoto and Hiroshima.
Their demands were wide-ranging and included higher wages, gender equality, health care, reduced military spending and disaster relief for earthquake victims. They also demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Workers unite! Workers of the world! May Day!” they shouted, punctuating each exclamation with the word “banzai!”
Los Angeles is expected to host one of the world’s largest May Day events this year, and a banner there summarized the day’s theme: “One Struggle, One Fight – Workers Unite!”
“We’re bringing the fight to the billionaires and politicians who are trying to divide us with fear and lies. We know the truth — an attack on immigrant workers is an attack on all workers,” April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million workers, said in a statement.
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Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini in Jakarta and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
