A NEW MOOD: JAPAN'S ANTIWAR MOVEMENT
Erik is an Australian peace activist who has just returned from Tokyo.

Japan has been through an upsurge involving tens of thousands of people, many of them attending protests for the first time ever.

The first protest I went to in Tokyo was on the 1st of December 2002. It was freezing cold at the demonstration- almost snowing- in a muddy field out the back of Yoyogi Park. Still, there were some 20 000 people. It was amazing seeing so many unions on a peace march: railway workers and teachers, public servants and car workers. A huge array of peace groups, most coming out of the 60s and 70s filled up the field.

I went on about 10 marches after that first one: almost every weekend from January until the war actually started. Each demo became more and more energised, more colourful, more angry. The strong union and peace group presence continued throughout, but it was obvious that more and more people were turning up as individuals, just because they wanted to stop the war.

Conclusion-from The Perth Express
With the war officially over what now for Iraq? The Bush administration's promise of a democratic Iraq is overshadowed by insufficient resources, inadequate preparations and mounting complaints from Iraqis. The world watches, anticipating Iraqi resent or Iraqi relief at being shaped as a model of modernity for the Arab world. The search for weapons of mass destruction continues as Iraq braces for a power struggle. But the brutal dictatorship is gone. The sanctions are lifted opening the road to humanitarian relief. Perhaps Iraq can now get on with reconstruction and the formation of a democratic government. All the best.