Thousands of farmers and members of the public took to the streets of Tokyo on Saturday to protest proposals to cut tariffs on farm products, a topic being debated at a World Trade Organization mini-ministerial meeting at the Imperial Hotel in the city.
Following a line of tractors, the demonstrators marched through Tokyo's ritzy Ginza district and along other major roads chanting slogans including, "Defend food safety and the farming industry in Japan."
"Japanese agriculture would die if we made further compromises (in negotiations with other WTO members)," farmer Kazuyoshi Fujita told a gathering in Tokyo's Hibiya Park before the march. Fujita was among the organizers of the event.