Meetings where nothing gets decided, union members leaving one after another—

The arrests and detentions of union members of Kan-nama, which began in 2018, left the union without its executives, forcing the organization to cease operations.

However, the remaining Kan-nama members stood their ground.

Katsuhiko Arakawa, a member of the executive committee, is one such person. “I absolutely didn’t want to be the kind of person who runs away in the middle.”

What did Arakawa realize about the organization’s core values while facing adversity?

Learning about the “company next door” after joining Kan-nama

I became a concrete mixer truck driver in 1995, the year of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. I was told there would be work for ten years due to reconstruction demand. However, once reconstruction began to show signs of wrapping up after about three years, the company started laying off employees. That’s when I decided to join Kan-nama.

Since Kan-nama is an industrial labor union, its members work for a variety of ready-mix concrete companies. I only knew about my own company prior to joining Kan-nama, but since becoming engaged in the union, I’ve come to understand how much drivers at other companies earn and what kind of employment arrangements they have.

I realized that even when doing the same job, salaries and working conditions can vary so much, and I became aware of the significance of workers standing together. Rather than staying ignorant of who works at the neighboring company—even within the same field—I believe it’s better for workers to broaden their horizons, understand the bigger picture, and work together to improve conditions.

A playful friend made the news as a “villain”

Among the Kansai region’s police forces that cracked down on us, the Shiga Prefectural Police were particularly aggressive. When they raided Kan-nama’s office, they showed up in large numbers in a bus, the kind used by riot police. They were carrying shields and what looked like chainsaws. I was like, “Do you have any idea where this is?” The backs of their shields were painted with images of the gods of wind and thunder, motifs of nationalism. I thought to myself, “These guys are crazy.”

I’m in charge of the Hyogo area for Kan-nama, but the Hyogo Prefectural Police didn’t take any action during this crackdown. I haven’t been arrested.

When my colleagues were arrested, they appeared on the TV news. They looked like criminals on screen. Take Akira Ohara (who appeared in the fifth testimony)—even though he’s usually a playful guy who’s always saying silly things, he looked like a villain on camera. YouTube also did a great deal to give the impression that the union members of Kan-nama were bad people.

If the media reports it this way, ordinary people will misunderstand Kan-nama. Even an acquaintance of mine contacted me to ask, “Is Kan-nama okay?”

“I absolutely didn’t want to run away halfway through”

As executives were arrested and detained one after another, Kan-nama ceased to function as an organization. With no one left to make decisions, meetings would drag on without reaching any conclusions. We just kept dragging our feet without getting anything done. Although I knew this wasn’t going to work, that was the reality of the situation.

I wasn’t even allowed to visit the union members who were in custody. All I could do was bring them supplies. From the prosecution’s perspective, their aim was probably to weaken the organization by cutting off communication between union members in this way.

Even so, from the very beginning of the crackdown, I was determined to stay at Kan-nama until the very end. I absolutely didn’t want to run away halfway through. Whether I could keep my livelihood or not was beside the point—it just looked pathetic. I felt that I didn’t want to live that kind of life.

As for what Kan-nama should look like going forward, I believe it is important to keep in mind that “an organization is its people.”

Show consideration for others and feel their pain as your own. Connect with people with the mindset of “I’ll do my best for them.” An organization cannot function without trust.

[Reporter’s Postscript] The Crime of Manipulating Public Perception / Editor-in-Chief Makoto Watanabe

“He has such clear eyes,” I thought when I first saw Katsuhiko Arakawa. I felt comforted and reassured even during our conversations.

In the 14th testimony of our series, Anna Kawanishi told us that her third-grade daughter is a fan of Arakawa. She said that whenever the protest march Arakawa was part of passed by their house, her daughter ran out onto the balcony shouting, “It’s Ara-chan!” Arakawa’s character must have been instinctively recognized by her daughter.

On the other hand, even someone like Arakawa can be portrayed as a “bad guy” if the media reports on him with malicious intent.

Kan-nama has suffered from media manipulation. This is just as cruel as the oppression inflicted by the police, prosecutors, and the courts. The media that engages in such manipulation may be even more responsible, given that the judiciary is influenced by public opinion.

I’d like to tell those reporters and YouTubers who have no qualms about manipulating public opinion to come meet the members of Kan-nama. If, even after that, they still insist that the Kan-nama members are villains, then so be it.

Nevertheless, the members of Kan-nama have not been given the opportunity to speak to the media, and the police and prosecutors’ version of events is being regurgitated without question. Even after an acquittal was handed down in court, the media has failed to scrutinize its own reporting. Not a single apology has been made.

It is cowardly to hide behind the shield of power and throw stones.

(Originally published in Japanese on May 28, 2025. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

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