Press Conference:
Yuzuru Nakamura, President, Japan Teachers Union;
Kazuomi Makieda & Masataka Iwasaki, Lawyers

The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.

The Japan Teachers Union's (Nikkyoso) annual convention was scheduled to be held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shintakanawa earlier this year.

However, just three months before the National Educational Research Congress was to be held, the hotel refused to honor the contract. The facility cited expected protests by rightwing organizations inconveniencing hotel guests and causing problems for neighbors.

Yuzuru Nakamura, the head of the Japan Teachers Union, and lawyers Kazuomi Makieda and Masataka Iwasaki will speak about the case shortly after the second oral proceedings, which will be held at the Tokyo District Court July 15.

The hotel's refusal comes amid other examples of freedom of expression and association being curbed in recent years over fears of a vocal and -- sometimes violent -- minority. This includes arson at the home of a lawmaker because of his political views and cancellations of showings of a documentary about the Yasukuni Shrine.

The union has often been at odds with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Prince Hotel group has close ties with the ruling party, including holding its annual conventions and being home to the offices of one of the LDP's factions.

Yuzuru Nakamura

Kazuomi Makieda

Masataka Iwasaki