Cross-party group seeks national holiday status for Arrival Remembrance Day
A cross-party group of national lawmakers held the founding preparatory meeting on Sept. 1 of a league that aims to have Sept. 7 — Arrival Remembrance Day — designated a national holiday. Eighty-seven lawmakers have signed on so far.
"The years in which the first generation can watch the ceremony with their own eyes are running out," said organizer Seiichi Tonami, 64, who represents the bay district. "I want a holiday that arrives in time." The group aims to submit a bill to next year's ordinary session. Business federations remain cautious about an additional day off; the government says it will "watch the national debate." If enacted, it would be Hinokuni's first national holiday connected to the Yuragi.