JTU(JAPAN TEACHERS' UNION) decided to hold the JTU 57th National Conference on Educational Research in Tokyo, and we applied to use the conference hall in "Grand Prince Hotel Shintakanawa" on March 2007. Our application was accepted and the contract was established between JTU and the Prince hotel. In spite of all the preparation process we went through with the Prince Hotel, we were suddenly notified by the Prince Hotel that our contract was cancelled, in November 2007, the reason given being expected protest demonstrations of right-wing organizations around the Hotel.

Since we demanded a retraction of their cancellation, but without success, we asked for a provisional disposition in the Tokyo District Court. On 30th January, the Tokyo High Court approved JTU's use of the Conference hall, and dismissed the claim of the Prince Hotel. This was the third judgment following 2 previous decisions of the courts, 26th December 2007 and 16th January 2008, which also stated "the Prince Hotel must let JTU use the Conference hall".

With those legal judgments, JTU expected to have National Conference at the Prince Hotel and kept negotiating with them until the very last stage. However, the Prince Hotel never changed their attitude of refusal, and even worse, we found out that the Prince Hotel had already made a new contract to let another enterprise use the conference hall on the same day as JTU was supposed to use it. This is an unbelievable outrage.

Because of the process described above, preparation time had run out and JTU Executive Committee had no choice but to decide suspension of the JTU 57th National Research Conference.

JTU has attached much importance to our research activity whose pillar is democratization of education and freedom of study. From the first JTU National Conference on Educational Research, which was held in Nikkou in 1951, we continued to hold our Research Conferences in all parts of Japan, every year, up to last year - the 56th Conference.

In the National Conference on Educational Research, we shared today's educational issues and clarified the objectives of Educational Research, with the aim of "Opening Research Activity". In the subcommittee linked to National Conference, we learned from the practice of other members, and strengthened our membership. The National Conferences that we continued to hold were widely recognized as an important opportunity for Educational Research activity, and they were highly evaluated domestically and internationally.

The behavior of the Prince Hotel towards us, ignoring judgments of the courts, must be considered an outrage which shakes the judicial system to its foundation, and is totally unworthy of a country living under the rule of law. Also it is a breach of the 21st article of the Constitution of Japan, which secured Freedom of Assembly, Association and Expression, and hampers freedom of Educational Research Activity. In today's society where keeping the law is strictly required for each enterprises and organization, the illegal behavior of Prince Hotel is absolutely unacceptable, and we will firmly protest against it.