The peak of the Anpo struggle Millions strike and a tragic martyr emerges

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]to Japan. The Anpo struggle reached its peak on June 15th, 3 days before the security treaty was to be ratified, with a series of coordinated protests. The labor unions in the Kōkumin Kaigi mobilized 6.4 million workers in a general strike, and an estimated 30,000 shops closed down for the day in a show of solidarity. The Zen Kakudōen, for their part, made one last attempt to raid the Diet, but this time, unlike the November 1959 raid, they were met with better prepared and well-armed security forces who countered the protesters with tear gas and water cannons. In one wild skirmish with the Zen Kakudōen, a young woman named Kamba Michiko was crushed to death by the riot police, and she became a martyr for the movement. A few days later, in one final protest, 300,000 demonstrators surrounded the Diet,