Solidarity Statement from Kyle Kajihiro (of DMZ Hawai'i) to JUCON members demonstrating today in front of the Japanese Diet building against new U.S. military construction in Okinawa:
Aloha ‘Ohana (family)
太平洋の家族のみなさん
Warm greetings from Hawai’i as you celebrate the coming of spring, new life and the creation of a more just and peaceful world.
皆さんが春と新たな命の訪れ、そして今よりもっと公正で平和な世界の創造を祝う このとき、ハワイにて心からのご挨拶を述べます。
My name is Kyle Kajihiro. I am a yonsei Japanese in Hawai’I and Program Director for the American Friends Service Committee Hawaii office. I am sorry that I cannot be there in person, but I join your celebration in the spirit of creativity and peace.
私はカイル・カジヒロです。私はハワイの日系四世で、アメリカン・フレンズ・サービス・コミティーのハワイオフィスのプログラム・ディレクターです。皆さんのイベントに直接参加できず残念ですが、創造と平和の精神において皆さんの祝福に加わります。
In Hawai’i, we struggle to overcome the legacy of war and imperialism. The independent Kingdom of Hawai’i was invaded and occupied by the U.S. military to advance its building of empire in the Pacific. During the Spanish American War, our islands were transformed into America’s Pacific garrison, a stepping stone to Asia.
ハワイでは、我々は戦争と帝国主義の残滓を克服しようと闘っています。独立国であったハワイ王国は、その昔、太平洋における自らの帝国建設を進める
米国に侵略され占領されてしまいました。
The abundant fishponds of Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa – the true name of what many only know as Pearl Harbor and a precious resource that once fed much of O’ahu island – were destroyed and polluted to build one of America’s first overseas military bases. Today, nearly 1000 U.S. foreign military bases encircle the planet in a delusional bid to attain “full spectrum dominance” over the earth.
パール・ハーバーという名でしか多くの人が知りませんが本当の名前でKe Awalau o Pu'uloaという、かつてはO'ahu島の大半の人口に食を恵んだ貴重な資源の地である、魚に溢れた入り江は、米国の最初の海外軍事基地のひとつを建設するために破壊され汚染されてしまいました。
今日、地上に「全方位支配（フル・スペクトラム・ドミナンス）」を達成しようとする幻想から出た思惑で、この惑星全体に1,000近くの海外軍事基地が
置かれています。
Small islands have long been pawns of imperialist nations in their struggle for power and dominance. During WWII, Hawai’i, Guam, the Northern Marianas, the Marshall Islands and Okinawa were caught in the cross fire between warring imperialist nations. But it seems that the American victors in that war learned the wrong lessons – that endless militarization and war brings peace and security. On the other hand, Japan has taken the opposite lesson – that wars end as tragedy.
小さな島々は長い間、勢力と支配を求めようする帝国主義国家の人質となっています。第二次世界大戦の間、ハワイ、グアム、北マリアナ、マーシャル・アイランド、そして沖縄は、戦争しあう帝国主義国家の間に挟まって一斉射撃をうけ続けました。しかしその戦争で勝利した米国は、悪い教訓を学んだように見えます
―際限のない軍事化と戦争が平和と安全保障をもたらす、という教訓です。他方で、日本は正反対の教訓を得ました―戦争は悲劇に終わるという教訓です。
Ironically, Japan can now help America redeem itself. Defend Article 9 in Japan’s constitution. Reject the U.S. bases in Okinawa, and demand the reduction, not relocation of these bases and troops. Standing up to U.S. may begin a momentous process to roll back of the violent legacy of imperialism in the Pacific.
皮肉なことですが、日本は現在、正しい教訓を学べない米国の自らの不足を補う手助けをすることができます。日本国憲法の第九条を守ってください。沖縄で計画されている米国の基地を拒絶してください、そしてこれらの基地と軍隊の再編ではなく、縮小を求めてください。米国に向かい立ち上がることは、太平洋におけるかつての帝国主義の暴力的遺産を撃退する、きわめて重要な過程を開始するかもしれません。
Just as the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been transformed into beacons of peace and hope for the world, let us honor those who perished in war in Okinawa by creating an island of peace rather than a platform for more war.
ヒロシマ、長崎の悲劇が世界にとっての平和と希望の灯に変わったように、沖縄にこれ以上の戦争を行うためのプラットフォームではなく、平和の島を創設することにより、その地で戦火に没した人々の名誉をたたえましょう。
We in Hawai’i envision the transformation of Pearl Harbor back into Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa, both physically and in our collective memory, from a war memorial to a life-giving monument to peace. As you raise your voices to remove the bases from Okinawa, we protest the military’s war training in Makua, Waimanalo and Pohakuloa and call for these lands to become centers for cultural education, environmental restoration and the study of peace. We stand with our brothers and sisters in Guahan and the Marianas to resist the tsunami of militarization that the U.S. proposes to unleash on their islands.
我々ハワイの市民は、物理的にもそして我々皆の記憶においても、戦争の記念物から生命を与える平和の記念碑へと、パールハーバーをKe Awalau o Pu'uloaに回復することを構想しています。みなさんが沖縄から基地を取り除こうと声をあげるように、我々はMakua, Waimanalo, そしてPohakuloaにおいての軍隊の戦争訓練に抗議し、これらの土地が先住民文化教育、環境修復、平和学習のためのセンターになるよう求めています。我々はグアムやマリワナ諸島の兄弟たちと共に、彼らの島々に米国が放とうと企てる軍事化の津波に抵抗するため、立ち上がっています。
The Pacific Ocean unites us as a family. The currents that once carried people across the sea in epic voyages can also carry our prayers and solidarity. We, the peoples of the Pacific must model for the governments new ways to bring about peace, justice and security through peoples’ solidarity rather than militarism.
太平洋は我々をひとつの家族として結んでいます。かつて大航海時代の船旅で人々に海を渡らせた太平洋の潮流は、我々の祈りと連帯をも運びうるものです。
我々、太平洋の諸民族はその政体のために、軍事主義よりはむしろ諸民族の連帯を通じて平和と正義と安全保障を生む新たな方法を作り出さねばなりません。
Thank you for your commitment to a better and more peaceful world.
より良くより平和な世界をつくるために献身されている皆さまに感謝します。
In solidarity
みなさんに連帯して
Kyle Kajihiro
カイル カジヒロ
( Many thanks to Makiko Sato for this translation)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Coalition for Peace on the Korean Peninsula ask for calm and more investigation re the mysterious sinking of S. Korean warship Cheonan
From Narae Lee of Peace Boat USA:
The Statement on the Current State of Affairs for Peace on the Korean Peninsula
We, Korean civil society, gather here today to overcome the crisis and conflicts caused by the Cheonan incident and to take a major step forward toward our goal of democracy, co-existence and peace.
Since the South Korean Cheonan navy warship mysteriously sank on March 26th, our society has grieved the tragic incident together, and tried to clarify the cause and to provide comprehensive countermeasures to prevent its recurrence.
However, a handful of governmental and military officials have tightly controlled the relevant information in the name of military secrets and national security, checking these voluntary acts of citizens to find out the truth of the incident. Despite the fact that the Lee Myung-bak administration kept warning of a premature conclusion, the administration released the resulting reports which contained a number of unexplained hypotheses and caused questions before necessary investigations were finished. The investigation was conducted by the military which should have been reprimanded. In addition, without allowing enough time for the public and the National Assembly to review the investigation, the Lee administration unilaterally announced dangerous diplomatic and military countermeasures against North Korea without a national agreement. These are the types of measures that make ineffective the ‘peaceful crisis-management system’, which has been gradually established since the “July7 Declaration” by the Roh Tae-woo administration. As a result, the Korean Peninsula is facing the most devastating tensions since the end of the military regime. As a result, the Korean Peninsula is facing the most devastating tensions since the end of the military regime.
Do you think that such impetuous and dogmatic measures by the Lee administration are helping to resolve the situation? Instead, those actions are shaking the very foundation of the systems of peace and prosperity, which would secure the future of the Korean Peninsula. Amid the international economic crisis, our economy was slowly recovering but now it is faltering again. The efforts of the Six-Party-Talks as well as the denuclearization of North Korea are missing in the Lee administration’s enforcements of military and economic countermeasures against North Korea.
People!
Did you witness such military tension when peace and engagement policies were consistently pursued in the past? Now we are at crossroads and need to decide whether to go back to the adventurism of the Cold War era, which the issue of security was ill-used for politics and blinded people to the truth. Or to take future-oriented peaceful realism, which emphasizes the democratic process, checks on the abuse of the administrative and military power, and seeks ways for peace and co-existence rather than provocative slogans.
In this regard, we express our opinions.
First, both North and South Korea should immediately stop the military confrontation, which will bring the Korean Peninsula to war and economic crisis. The South should withdraw its series of dangerous military measures and economic sanctions against North Korea, which were enforced without debates with the public, the Nation Assembly, and concerned countries. In addition, the North also should refrain from provocative rhetoric and radical military actions but instead cooperate with a rational process of uncovering the truth of the case.
First, we call on the South Korean government to take an additional measure to clarify the facts of the case, which should be able to answer a number of remaining questions regarding the sinking of Cheon-ahn vessel. In that regard, the National Assembly should be given a free hand in clarifying the truth and reviewing the investigations. Furthermore, an international investigation committee - including concerned parties, the United States, and China - should be established so as to ensure the credibility of investigation findings.
First, both the South Korean government and the media should not abuse this case, for the upcoming election, which is directly connected to the safety of people. The government and the majority party should explain if it was necessary to release the premature results of the investigation and to announce military countermeasures. In addition, we urge the government to immediately stop abusing its political and legal power to pressure the voters who raise rational questions to the government’s report and reactions.
We appeal to you!
The crisis on the Korean Peninsula took place without our intention, but we should be responsible to clarify the real cause and seek ways to resolve this problem in an appropriate way. It is directly related to our future of democracy and peace. It is time to call upon your wisdom and courage to achieve peace.
At 3 pm, on May 29, let us show our will to uncover the truth and accomplish real peace on the Korean Peninsula. From today, let’s begin to light up candles for peace of the Peninsula, each and every night.
On June 2, election day we will judge the situations of the country and the time with a sense of ownership and open our future toward democracy, co-existence, and peace for ourselves.
May 26, 2010
The Coalition for Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Creative Korea Party / Democratic Labor Party / Democratic Party / New Progressive Party / The People’s Participation Party / 91 South Korean NGOs
Yayori Awards seek to honor activists, artists, journalists working on women’s issues worldwide
The organizing committee for the Yayori Awards is pleased to announce that nomination forms are now available for the 2010 competition of its program. The Yayori Awards were created through the final will and funds of the late Yayori Matsui, a well-known journalist and activist on feminist and human rights issues. Her many accomplishments include establishing the Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center (AJWRC), organizing the Violence Against Women in War Network, Japan (VAWW-NET Japan), and acting as a key organizer for the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery held in 2000.
The Yayori Awards are presented during each competition round in two separate categories:
1) The Women's Human Rights Activities Award (commonly referred to as the Yayori Award) is presented to a grassroots-level woman activist, journalist, or artist who works with socially marginalized peoples to solve serious social issues in Asia and other regions, and whose work helps to create a 21st century free from war and discrimination against women.Winners in both categories will receive a certificate and a monetary award in the amount of 500,000 yen. In the event that multiple awardees are selected for the Yayori Journalist Award, the money will be divided amongst all recipients.
Nomination forms for this award must be submitted in English. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
2) The Yayori Journalist Award is presented to a woman journalist or artist (either an individual or group) who vividly portrays the situation of women from a global gender perspective.
Self-nominations for this award are acceptable. Since the nominee’s future work shall be subject to publication in Japanese, however, all submissions must be in the Japanese language.
Past winners have included a group of women working to bring justice to victims of sexual violence committed during the civil war in Guatemala, a feminist photojournalist from Nepal working on issues of peace and human rights, and numerous others doing important work for empowerment and justice at the grassroots level. The Japan Times did a feature story on the 2008 Yayori Journalist Award winner's work on the fight against nuclear power plants in a Japanese town.
The organizing committee is seeking nominations from around the world for both awards, and will send printed leaflets upon request. The deadline for this year’s competition is August 31, 2010.
Detailed information regarding the awards, including a pamphlet, nomination forms, and list of all past award recipients are all available on the Yayori Award website.
Japanese Anglicans Apologize for Meiji Japan's Invasion of Korea & Pray for Peace for Asia
Anglicans say sorry for Japan’s Korea invasion
June 30, 2010
By Paul Hwang, Seoul
UCA News
Japanese Anglican bishops have agreed to issue an apology for Japan’s annexation of Korea 100 years ago.
The decision was made during a June 28-29 meeting of Japanese and Korean Anglican bishops on Jeju island.
Japan annexed Korea on Aug. 29, 1910 and its occupation lasted until 1945 when World War II ended.
Koreans have accused Japanese forces of wartime atrocities.
During the recent meeting, bishops from both countries agreed that the Japanese bishops would issue an apology on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the annexation.
Japanese Anglicans would also make a pilgrimage to South Korea’s Ganghwa island, a stronghold of the Korean Anglican Church, in October, as a way of repenting for their country’s aggression.
Bishops from both countries also agreed to hold their second “peace meeting” in Okinawa, Japan, in October 2011, to pray for peace in Asia.
The first such meeting was in Paju, near the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea, in 2007.
Participants from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the United States discussed world peace, focusing on the Korean peninsular in particular.
Eleven Japanese and three Korean bishops participated in the June 28-29 bishops-only meeting, which is held irregularly.
However, a joint committee comprising bishops, priests and laypeople meets every April.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Aquarium plans to take a bite out of Umekoji park - Demonstration in Kyoto, July 15
On July 15, Kyoto City residents will take to the streets to raise awareness about the planned construction of an aquarium in Umekoji Park.
Should construction proceed as planned, this "aquarium," which is more like an glamorized swimming pool, would doom the animals trapped inside to a shorter life-span, and encourage children to embrace a culture of dominance over animals (and others) rather than one of symbiosis and respect.
Thank you Michael Lambe for bringing this to our attention:
Earlier this month (June), despite a strong public outcry from local residents, Kyoto City gave the real estate company Orix permission to build an aquarium on our popular local park.
I think I may have given the impression in my previous post that they were going to build over the entire park. They aren't, but they are going to take a big bite out of it as you can see from the plans below (the planned construction area is shaded in grey at the top of the picture).
Orix has defended the aquarium on the grounds that the facilities will be a chance to use "edutainment" to teach children about nature, the environment, and give them a chance to come into contact with wild animals they would not normally see.For more information or to find out about how you can get involved, check out these groups: Thinking for the Future: Umekoji Park/Kyoto Aquarium (Japanese), the Institute of Biodiversity in Japan (Japanese)
I think it's obvious that a large inland concrete structure filled with fish, penguins and deeply depressed dolphins is about as far away from natural as you can get. Many of the animals will undoubtedly have much shorter lifespans as a result of being kept in captivity. The planned dolphin show is also deeply objectionable, teaching children as it does that it's ok to treat wild animals as if they are toys that exist for our own entertainment. It has also been pointed out that the structure itself will produce vast quantities of CO2.
But above all, destroying much loved green space in favour of an artificial environment and then claiming that this action is environmental is just mind-boggling nonsense!
OR visit Michael's original post (English) which provides information about the demonstration and ideas on how to bring the international spotlight on the construction plans intended to demolition Kyoto's heritage and abuse animal rights for the sake of "edutainment."
Aquarium plans are in the grey area Monday, June 28, 2010
Chairman of Okinawa Assembly asks Obama to scrap new U.S. military base construction proposal at Henoko
Last week, the Okinawa assembly head asked Obama to scrap Futenma plan, according to the The Mainichi Daily News on June 21:
The chairman of the Okinawa prefectural assembly on Monday handed U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos a letter calling for scrapping a plan to transfer the Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within the southern prefecture.
Zenshin Takamine said in the letter addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama that 90 percent of residents in the prefecture are opposed to the plan to move the airfield in the city of Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago, as agreed on last month between the Japanese and U.S. governments.
Takamine also urged Washington to shut down the Futenma base in a residential area and return its land to Japan. Roos, who met Takamine in the prefectural capital of Naha, promised to give the letter to Obama, according to officials with knowledge of the meeting.
Takamine added he hopes Obama will visit Peace Memorial Park in the city of Itoman in the future, saying the main monument there has the names of about 14,000 American servicemen who lost their lives in battles in Okinawa during World War II.
David McNeill: Will the democratically rejected U.S. military base plan bring down another Japanese prime minister?
In "Okinawa's US base took one PM down, can it take another?," published at the Irish Times, David McNeill, a Japan Focus associate, suggests that Japan's new prime minister Naoko Kan might go the way of his predecessor:
For over a decade, Henoko beach on Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa has been the site of a battle that has pitted pensioners against government surveyors, corroded relations between Tokyo and Washington, and arguably claimed the scalp of Japan’s last prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama.Okinawans don't see the need for another U.S. military base; or for all of the rest, for that matter:
Locals warn that his successor, Naoto Kan, will follow him to the political gallows if he follows through on a promise to build a US marine heliport, with a huge runway, off this beach.
“I think 100,000 people or more will come to stop it,” predicts Michio Sakima, who curates a local museum dedicated to remembering the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. “He’ll have to send in the army and the riot police and there would be war. There’s no way that’s going to happen.”
Okinawa Prefecture is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of US military bases. The Americans invaded in 1945, mounting an attack that left 223,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians dead – roughly a quarter of the local population – and 50,000 US troops killed or injured. In 1972 the islands reverted to Japanese rule, but most of the bases remained.
Today they occupy nearly a fifth of the main island and include Kadena, the biggest and most active US Air Force facility in East Asia, and Futenma, which occupies the centre of Ginowan city. Local people like Sakima call these bases war spoils, and want them returned to Japanese control. “It makes me very angry when I think what we could do with all that land,” he says from the roof of the museum, which overlooks Futenma. His voice is occasionally drowned out by the drone of giant transport aircraft that fly in and out of the base.
“We were told that the bases were protecting us, but few here believe that now,” says Mao Ishikawa, an Okinawa-based photographer. “Soviet Russia is gone, we’re friendlier with China, and North Korea is a powerless country that would be destroyed if it ever considered attacking us. Everybody knows the bases are for America’s convenience.”Locals and experts say it will be impossible to move forward with the Washington-Tokyo base proposal first brokered between the Bush and Koizumi administrations:
On the nearby beach, a small group of activists and students stand guard over a permanent protest outpost, marking the time since their watch began: 2,253 days. “People here are furious that the Hatoyama government let them down,” says Tomohiro Inafuku. “It seems whoever is in government the result is the same.”
In the past, these pensioners have gone toe-to-toe with engineers trying to survey the sea for the offshore runway. If the prime minister brings more engineers or – heaven forbid – riot police, they say their children and grandchildren will join them.
“I think the Kan government has made a terrible mistake,” says Lummis. “It’s going to be impossible to build this base, and it’s very poor politics to promise something you can’t do.”
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"Peaceful New Earth Celebration" in Tokyo spotlights Okinawa, indigenous cultures, sustainability, & global networking
This past Sunday afternoon, the normally boisterous outdoor stage area in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park was silent except for the sound of a Native American flute. The slow, penetrating melody was soon joined by rhythmic drumming and chanting, which gradually rose to an energetic crescendo. The musicians—all Japanese people with intimate connections to North American indigenous cultures—were purifying the space with a Lakota Sun Dance ritual in preparation for the day’s event: Peaceful New Earth Celebration.Supported by Peace Not War Japan and Spring Love Harukaze, the celebration was the inaugural event for the Neo Ryuku Arc Network. The organization was recently formed in response to the critical issue of the Japanese and U.S. governments declaring plans to construct military facilities in Okinawa and Tokunoshima--both part of the Ryukyu archipelago--despite the strong objections of local citizens. The day’s events included a morning peace parade through Tokyo’s busy Shibuya district, followed by a lineup in the park of talented musical performers and talk sessions on militarism and peace-related issues.
Sun Dance ceremony performers Arakawa Shizuka, who lived among the Lakota and married a medicine man, and Nonaka Katsumi, who has close connections with the Hopi in Black Mesa, Arizona“The purpose of the Sun Dance is to give thanks to the sun and the universe, and to pray that all living beings may live together in peace,” explained performer Arai Norihito. An ecologist, Arai was invited to join the Lakota tribe as a family member following a chance encounter in South Dakota, United States where members heard him singing. “Since the Sun Dance is traditionally performed during the summer solstice, the timing could not have been more perfect to coincide with this event’s call for peaceful relations in Okinawa, Japan, the Asia-Pacific, the United States, and elsewhere.”
“My own roots are from Jewish settlers who came to Japan, which is, in fact, not at all a homogenous country, as some would claim,” Arai remarked following the ceremony. “I believe that this diversity represents the potential for us all to unite together in peace—both within Japan and beyond.” Arai's own organization, Peace Seed, promotes seed-saving and biodiversity programs, and also supports sustainable community gardening on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota through its "Lakota Peace Garden" project.
Peace Seed's Arai Norihito "Recent events have made it clear that anyone could be targeted by the U.S. military at any time," commented Neo Ryuku Arc Network organizer Akazaki Hitomi following the ceremony. "Standing up to the United States government is no small undertaking, and so we must put our strengths together with other peace movements overseas. In doing so, we must use the positive energy of the indigenous cultures from our islands—where we have lived in harmony with nature for centuries—to help us ensure a peaceful future.”
Akazaki HitomiPeace Not War Japan’s Fukui Hiroshi spoke next, explaining the reasoning for the festival’s timing:
Humanity is now at an urgent crossroads: Will we continue to relate to each other within the framework of militarism, or will we make the shift to more sustainable, ecological, and peaceful ways of living?After a spirited performance from roots reggae singer Ailie and Native American flautist Masago Hideaki, seasoned activist Sakata Masako from the Kenju no kai (an organization to protect Mt. Takao) gave an impassioned, heartfelt speech drawing connections between the anti- military base struggle and her own lifework to save the mountain (located an hour from Tokyo) from highway tunnel construction.
The situation in Okinawa is at the center of this question, and it is therefore critical that we utilize our democratic rights at this time to continue speaking out for peace.
We must also reach beyond the limitations of the mass media to forge connections with peace movements in places such as Guam and Hawaii, where similar struggles against U.S. military bases are also taking place.
Ailie, Masago Hideaki,and a belly dance performer“When governmental ministries prioritize the perceived need for things like military bases and highways over the lives that stand to be annihilated as a result, it shows how far they have become disconnected from the existence of life itself,” she asserted. “Military bases are used for the purpose of war, which translates into the reality of wounded and maimed children in other lands—just as tunnels through mountains spell death for countless living beings. We must never forget this fundamental truth.”
“As the host nation for the COP10 conference coming up in October, it is an absolute contradiction that Japan has plans to destroy the biodiversity existing in places like Henoko and Mt. Takao,” she concluded. “This represents an enormous opportunity for our movements to take a giant step forward.”
Sakata was then joined onstage by two representatives from Yuntaku Takae, a Tokyo-based group offering support to the sit-in movement to stop the construction of U.S. military helipads near Takae Village in Okinawa’s Yanbaru “Broccoli” Forest.
“In an attempt to spread fear within our movement, the government sued members of our nonviolent sit-in protest movement—including an eight year-old child and the spouse of a protester, who was not even on the scene at the time—and forbid us from doing any further activism or blogging,” explained one of the speakers. “We have managed to continue our sit-in, but since the government is threatening to resume their watch over our actions beginning in July, we need all the assistance we can get. We gratefully welcome supporters to Takae to come join our movement.”
Sakata Masako (center) with Yuntaku Takae representatives (photo left)
Information from the struggle to protect Takae Village (above) Next onstage was Tei Kazuma, a singer/songwriter from Tokunoshima Island. Introducing his opening number, “Hito no hatake” (“Peoples’ Farms”), he explained, “I wrote this piece as a tribute to people whose farms have been in their families for generations—including my own—but are now being threatened with destruction by U.S. military facility construction plans.” A video of Tei performing the song, which includes footage from protest demonstrations on Tokunoshima and stunning scenery from the island, may be viewed here.
Tei KazumaTei’s performance was followed by a talk on the military base issue from an ecological perspective given by Hoshikawa Jun, the director of Greenpeace Japan. “The reasoning behind recent lawsuits has held that military base construction—with all of its resulting destruction to the dugong and the region's biodiversity—would never be allowed in the United States, and so by the same logic, it most certainly should not be permitted in Okinawa either,” he commented. He also explained the activities of the Japan-US Citizens for Okinawa Network (JUCON), of which he is a member. JUCON's counterpart in the U.S., Network for Okinawa, recently released an official statement on the U.S. military base relocation issue that may be read here.
Hoshikawa, who was born in Tokyo but identifies as a Ryukyu islander after having spent more than thirty years living in the region, has a fascinating background as a translator and writer on topics such as peace and Native American spirituality. “View from Two Ground Zeros”, his deeply thought-provoking 2004 piece on the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and anti-American sentiment, may be read on truthout.org here.
Hoshikawa Jun (right), who was joined onstage by Arakawa Shizuka and Arai NorihitoThe next talk session, “Okinawa, Gaza and Militarism,” featured journalists May Shigenobu and Shiva Rei, both of whose work has focused closely on Palestinian-related issues. Both were invited to speak at the event in light of the recent deadly attack by the Israeli military on the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid ship traveling to Gaza.
"The recent attack represents only the surface level of much deeper lying issues represented by Gaza and the Palestinian occupation itself, which must continue to be addressed," explained Shigenobu. “We must also understand the occupation as a fundamental violation of human rights. Would we tolerate the idea of Tokyo being put under lockdown, with no food or supplies being allowed inside? If people can imagine this happening to themselves, they will understand the urgent need to act against the injustices that are now being committed against Palestinians.”
Shiva Rei commented next on the similarities between the Okinawan and the Palestinian experience. “While the day-to-day realities are obviously extremely different, comparisons may be drawn simply with regard to the shared status of living under occupation in a militarized region,” he explained. “We must go back in history and look at how both the Ryukyu people and the Palestinians have been oppressed by their occupiers in the process of establishing these systematized inequalities.”
“It is obvious that that the U.S. remains in Okinawa not because its military bases are necessary, but because it is such a cozy operation for the U.S., with Japan heavily subsidizing its presence,” continued Shigenobu. “The fear-based policy that the U.S. government has perpetuated since 9-11 has enabled it to engage in massive military spending, while also painting North Korea as a threat. The real truth, however, is that the U.S—with its endless appetite for wars and its history as the only nation on earth to have used the atomic bomb—is the country that people should be afraid of.”
Shiva Rei and May ShigenobuThe event included several more performances, including an unscheduled reading of US for Okinawa member Rob Pott’s catchy, piercingly worded hip-hop poem “Okinawa o shiranai” ("Unknown Okinawa"), before finishing with two more Ryukyu-themed musical acts. Asazaki Ikue, a traditional folk artist from Amami-Oshima island, first sang a lineup of gorgeous, ethereal, several centuries-old songs that she herself has described in past interviews as “trance-like” and “touching us in a place so deep that only our souls can remember.”
Asazaki IkueThe event concluded with a spirited performance from Japanese chindon (street performance) band Jintaramuta, who were joined for the final lineup by the Shisas (from “shisa”, the mythological Ryukyu lion-dog), including a folk song that was written by someone whose entire family had been killed in the Battle of Okinawa.
Jintaramuta and ShisasPeace Not War Japan’s Hiroshi Fukui reminded attendees that with constitutional elections coming up on July 11th, people have an opportunity to choose politicians who will implement the ideals of peace and sustainability that underscored the day’s event. “This is our democratic right—and we have the responsibility to exercise it.”
The event finished with video messages from Okinawan singer and popular peace icon Kina Shoukichi, as well as Ginowan City Mayor Iha Youichi and several mayors from towns on Tokunoshima Island. A powerful message of solidarity was also read onstage that had been received from Hawaii activist Kyle Kajihiro on the occasion of the recent Spring Love Harukaze event , underscoring the network's commitment to collaborating with peace networks overseas.
Peaceful New Earth Celebration was followed on hundreds of Twitter reports throughout the day, and was also recorded and broadcast live on UStream--reportedly being Sunday’s top watched program in all of Japan.. The stream is available here.
The Neo Ryuku Arc Network is planning several upcoming events, including one in Tokyo to coincide with the Peace Music Festa to be held in Henokohama, Okinawa this coming October. Watch for details!
US for Okinawa's Rob Pott performing “Okinawa o shiranai”
Masayan, whose traveling shop features his own handmade crafts using all natural materials, such as bracelets using woven grass, natural dyes of persimmon and indigo, and hand-picked mountain seedsText and photos by Kimberly Hughes
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Masahide Ota: "The war is still going on for the people in Okinawa."
Today Okinawans commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa, an ongoing battle for their island they are now fighting against former enemies who killed 90,000 Okinawan civilians and who refuse to leave.
Former Governor Masahide Ota describes the situation and collective feelings of Okinawans in this eloquent essay published in Magazine 9, "The war is still going on for the people of Okinawa."
Former Governor Masahide Ota describes the situation and collective feelings of Okinawans in this eloquent essay published in Magazine 9, "The war is still going on for the people of Okinawa."
After World War II, when I was released from the internment camp, I went around collecting the remains of my friends and teachers who died in the war.
I couldn’t forget about my suffering in the war and the internment camp, and I often woke up from nightmares.
My body and soul were totally worn out, and I didn’t feel like doing anything.
That continued for a whole year, I think.
But one day, a teacher of mine showed me the new constitution, asking, “Have you read this?”
That was in 1947. The constitution read, ”…the Japanese people forever renounce war, and military forces will never be maintained“.
Upon reading this, I was deeply impressed, feeling, “Ah, we will be free from war forever”.
This constitution gave me the power to live.
I can never forget how impressed I was.
That’s why I cannot let anybody change Article 9.
Under no circumstances will I ever agree to changing to changing Article 9.
The younger generation knows nothing about how dreadful war is.
I can’t blame them their lack of experience, but I do feel they should study more.
Even newspaper reporters don’t know what war is actually like.
I fear that the media is changing and becoming dangerous.
In Okinawa, many people who went through extreme conditions under the war are even now experiencing extreme anxiety and depression.
The remains of 4000-5000 dead Okinawans have yet to be collected.
Unexploded bombs are all over, without being treated.
Some experts says that it will take 50-60 more years to complete the treatment of unexploded bombs of the battles in Okinawa.
Not only that, even after the war, at least 5200 Okinawans have been the victims of crimes committed by American soldiers.
Thus the war is still going on for the people in Okinawa.
Why shall we start preparing for a new war, while the old war is not over yet?
I truly don’t understand.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Chamorro & Rafaluwasch delegates urge immediate UN action to stop U.S. military expansion on Guam & Saipan to prevent more human rights violations
A delegation of Chamorus and Rafaluwasch from the territory of Guam and Saipan testified today before the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization. The representatives of the islands' indigenous peoples insisted the international community pay closer attention to Guam’s continued colonial status.
Specifically, they expressed opposition to the U.S. (the island's Administering Power) plan to expand military presence on the island. The U.S. military already uses 30% of Guam's territory, which it seized from the Japanese imperial military in the aftermath of the Second World War. Delegates urged the UN Special Committee to visit Guam to see for themselves how U.S. military expansion is negatively impacting the human rights of the Chamorro people.
Many delegates called attention to the 11,000-page draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) by the U.S. The people of Guam were given only 90 days to respond to the document. Hope Alvarez Cristobal of the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice urged the UN Special Committee to examine the document to see that it is “in direct violation of various international human rights instruments, including United Nations resolutions and declarations”.
Mr. St. Aimee, Chairman of the UN Special Committee, recognized during the hearing that the Second Decade of the Eradication of Colonization did not yield necessary results. Therefore, the Special Committee resolved to move into the Third Decade of the Eradication of Colonization stating their dedication to passing this resolution.
The Guam delegation represents a second generation of Chamorros who have appealed to the United Nations over the past 20 years regarding Guam’s political status and the U.S. refusal to respect the Chamorro people’s human right to self-determination.
Delegates repeatedly expressed the need for urgent action. Senator Vicente Pangelinan, Guam Legislature, insisted:
Fuetsan Famalao’an, a small non-governmental organization of women on Guam concerned about the US Department of Defense’s plan for increased militarization on Guam implored the Committee to take a critical step in this process: send delegates to Guam to further investigate the consequences of militarization:
Miles echoed the Chamorro call for immediate UN intervention:
They also asked that the UN Special Committee ensure that United States congressional appropriations and other United States military projects be put on hold until the U.S. remedied past injustice; negated current adverse impacts; and removed the potential for future adverse impacts upon the people of Guam and Saipan.
Specifically, they expressed opposition to the U.S. (the island's Administering Power) plan to expand military presence on the island. The U.S. military already uses 30% of Guam's territory, which it seized from the Japanese imperial military in the aftermath of the Second World War. Delegates urged the UN Special Committee to visit Guam to see for themselves how U.S. military expansion is negatively impacting the human rights of the Chamorro people.
Many delegates called attention to the 11,000-page draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) by the U.S. The people of Guam were given only 90 days to respond to the document. Hope Alvarez Cristobal of the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice urged the UN Special Committee to examine the document to see that it is “in direct violation of various international human rights instruments, including United Nations resolutions and declarations”.
Mr. St. Aimee, Chairman of the UN Special Committee, recognized during the hearing that the Second Decade of the Eradication of Colonization did not yield necessary results. Therefore, the Special Committee resolved to move into the Third Decade of the Eradication of Colonization stating their dedication to passing this resolution.
The Guam delegation represents a second generation of Chamorros who have appealed to the United Nations over the past 20 years regarding Guam’s political status and the U.S. refusal to respect the Chamorro people’s human right to self-determination.
Delegates repeatedly expressed the need for urgent action. Senator Vicente Pangelinan, Guam Legislature, insisted:
This body must advance the self-determination process for the native inhabitants of Guam NOW, for the recent decisions by our administering authority dilutes our Right to Self-Determination…Hope Antoinette Cristobal, a Chamorro activist and psychologist, called attention to the toxic effects of colonization on the health of the people of Guam. She testified:
“I am here to testify that the indigenous people of Guam continue to suffer social, cultural, and environmental annihilation at the hands of our American oppressors…A representative for the Chamorro organization, We are Guahan, also emphasized the need for urgent action, “We have repeatedly sought political rights; and the actions in response to those requests over the years have moved at a pace we no longer have the luxury of accommodating.”
Robust research suggests that these aggregate problems in our communities are a result of the cultural and social deterioration of our families and neighborhoods. The same families and neighborhoods that had previously sustained our health for generations prior to colonization.
Fuetsan Famalao’an, a small non-governmental organization of women on Guam concerned about the US Department of Defense’s plan for increased militarization on Guam implored the Committee to take a critical step in this process: send delegates to Guam to further investigate the consequences of militarization:
We urge you to one day conduct a UN C-24 hearing in Guam. You will see with your own eyes, the substandard of living of many of the Chamorros and other residents of Guam who live across the fences, resembling the racial and economic disparity found in the segregated city neighborhoods throughout the globe.Rima Ilarishigh Peter Miles, a Refaluwasch Carolinian from the island of Saipan spoke as a member of Women for Genuine Security (WGS). WGS is part of an international network of women who are organizing to put an end to the devastating effects of US militarization and bring about true security based on justice and respect. Miles noted that U.S. Navy activities on the island have gravely impacted the environment, human health and the welfare of the territorial government. She concluded, “the United States does not care what it destroys as long as no one knows about it”.
Miles echoed the Chamorro call for immediate UN intervention:
We stand here at this urgent moment to call the United Nations to immediate action.Petitioners stressed that that UN intervention is essential to stop the blockage of the process of decolonization. They requested that the UN Special Committee declare the militarization of Guam to be a major impediment to Guam’s exercise of its right to self-determination.
Advancements must be made for the protection and fulfillment of the Chamoru Right to Self-Determination. This right is currently being threatened and undermined by the continued avoidance of the issue by the US, as well as recent actions which contradict the terms of the U.S. obligation to the Chamoru people of Guam.
They also asked that the UN Special Committee ensure that United States congressional appropriations and other United States military projects be put on hold until the U.S. remedied past injustice; negated current adverse impacts; and removed the potential for future adverse impacts upon the people of Guam and Saipan.
Amnesty Int. Action: Immediate & Unconditional Release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Amnesty International has a new action to support the release of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi:
On May 14, 2009, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, and two of her assistants were taken from her home to Insein Prison following an incident in which an American man allegedly swam across a lake to her house and stayed there for two days.
Suu Kyi was subsequently put on trial for breaching the terms of her house arrest, and was sentenced to an additional 18 months under house arrest on August 11, 2009. These charges and punishment are politically motivated and fail to meet international and national legal standards. The only issue here is her immediate and unconditional release.
Call on Than Shwe, the head of the military junta, to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe calls for reduction in U.S. bases, in compliance with Article 9
Yesterday The Mainichi Daily News reported "Nobel laureate Oe calls for reducing U.S. bases in Okinawa" in compliance with Article 9, the Japanese Constitution's Peace Clause:
Kenzaburo Oe, the 1994 Nobel laureate for literature, on Saturday called for reducing U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture and establishing amicable ties with other nations, particularly with China and also with the United States, in accordance with the ideal of the pacifist Constitution.
"While we are under the nuclear umbrella of the United States, the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty will become unnecessary if we could pursue peaceful relations, rather than relying on military deterrence," Oe told some 2,000 people at a meeting of the Article 9 Association in Tokyo. "I want to achieve this."
The meeting was held on the 50th anniversary of the automatic enactment of the revised bilateral treaty on June 19, 1960, following a 30-day Diet stalemate after the government under then Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi railroaded the revision.
Oe, one of the nine founders of the association, also said, "I have to ask myself if we have kept the principle of Article 9 and if we have taken advantage of it. I believe it is necessary to recreate the treaty in accordance with our Constitution."
Two other founders of the Article 9 Association also gave speeches at the meeting.
Hisae Sawachi, a prominent writer, told the audience Japan's Self-Defense Forces have huge military capacities now, although armament expenditures must be zero under the Constitution and that people in Japan need to get out of the nuclear umbrella and the SDF powers.
"I hope we can establish new ties with the United States, particularly through transactions with U.S. citizens, and could revise the bilateral security treaty by placing Article 9 as the origin (of the negotiations)," she said.
Article 9 stipulates that Japan forever renounces war "as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."
It also says, "Land, sea, and air forces as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."
Another founder, Yasuhiro Okudaira, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo specializing in constitutional studies, said, "Article 9 has inspired us. I'm proud of it."
The participants, meanwhile, mourned late popular playwright Hisashi Inoue, also a founder of the association who succumbed to lung cancer on April 9 this year at the age of 75.
The Article 9 Association was found in June 2004 with the aim to protect the war-renouncing clause of the Constitution, and has generated more than 7,500 like-minded groups across Japan so far.
Among the nine founders, Inoue as well as Shuichi Kato and Makoto Oda, both of whom were influential writers and peace campaigners, have already died.
Japanese former U.S. Marine debunks deterrence myth
Kyodo reporter Shinsaku Yokota's "Japanese ex-marine strives to debunk deterrence 'myth'" reposted at The Japan Times reveals insights from a Japanese former U.S. Marine turned activist. The vet describes American forces as racists and Tokyo as a compliant 'sugar daddy' to the U.S. military:
After he began publicly speaking on the issue of U.S. forces in Okinawa, the fearless ex-marine gained a following among activists and members of university faculties in the prefecture. At their request, he is giving talks about what he perceives to be the injustices of keeping U.S. military installations in Okinawa.Read the entire article here.
He delivered his first speech as a former marine at Okinawa University in Naha on May 23, the very day then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama paid a visit to the prefecture...
"U.S. Marines are stationed all over the world and they are fighting at this very moment," said Takanashi. "There would be no conflicts if the marines were serving as an effective deterrent." Takanashi argues that the word "deterrent" is a fictitious mantra the government uses to pull the wool over people's eyes.
When asked whether the world would face any difficulty if the marines were not in Okinawa, he said the marines can operate effectively in any place in East Asia, meaning their presence in Okinawa is not indispensable.
"The Marine Corps is still in Okinawa because the United States built its military bases here after Japan's defeat in World War II and the situation has gone unchanged ever since," Takanashi said....
"U.S. soldiers tend to think they won't face criminal charges whatever they do here and also know that it is unfair," Takanashi said. "They don't talk about this because the inequities (inherent in the SOFA) are advantageous for them."
Takanashi argues that their attitude reflects their disregard for human rights and racism. "Japan is like a colony of the United States and the most important issue facing Okinawa is neither military nor political but ethnic," he added.
He is also critical of the way Japan pays money for the U.S. armed forces as host-nation support is squandered.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Secret nuclear trade-off deal for Okinawa (NHK Documentary Tonight)
Wakaizumi negotiating secret deal with the U.S. (Image courtesy of NHK)
On Saturday night, NHK showed a documentary "The Truth Behind the Reversion of Okinawa" detailing these behind the scenes negotiations. It is based on the 1994 memoirs of late confidential agent Wakaizumi entitled, I wish I could believe there were no other options (Tasaku nakarishi woshinzamuto hossu). After 25 years of silence, he revealed documents which verifying the existence of a secret agreement on nuclear weapons between the U.S. and Japan. NHK will air the program in English and Japanese on Monday, June 21st at 8pm, Tokyo Time. That NHK would show a documentary about such a controversial topic certainly is proof that the majority of Japan is disillusioned by and fed up with the games being played with Okinawan lives.
In an introduction to a November 2009 article that appeared in the Asia-Pacific Journal, research professor for Hiroshima Peace Institute Yuki Tanaka demands that any agreement like this based on nuclear deterrence be considered a "crime against humanity":
The revelation of the details of the secret agreements on nuclear weapons in itself cannot bring about a decisive solution to Japan’s nuclear problems, above all since irrefutable evidence has long been available in U.S. documents and circulated widely among Japanese journalists and researchers. The most important question is not the secrecy concerning the U.S. nuclear weapons program in Japan, but the foundations of that secrecy, i.e., Japanese support for the U.S. policy of nuclear deterrence. In the absence of a clear DPJ policy on the issues, it can be expected that similar secret deals will be made to sustain Japanese support for the U.S. policy of nuclear deterrence, including the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons in Japan....
Thus, the question that requires urgent attention is not whether U.S. nuclear weapons have been or will be brought into Japan secretly, but the entire structure of U.S. nuclear deterrence deployed in Japan. It is precisely this structure that leads American policymakers to view Japan as a “vassal state”; without transforming this policy it will remain impossible Japan’s democracy and freedom of information to function autonomously. If Japan’s new Democratic Party government genuinely wishes to establish an “equal partnership” with the U.S. based upon the principle of national “independence,” it must seriously consider freeing Japan entirely from the U.S. nuclear umbrella and its nuclear deterrence strategy.
It is important to recognize nuclear deterrence policies for what they are: a “crime against peace” as explicated in the Nuremberg principle. This is because “nuclear deterrence” effectively means planning and preparation to commit indiscriminate mass killing, or in other words a “crime against humanity,” using nuclear weapons. In this regard, “nuclear deterrence” is no different from the “nuclear terrorism” that the U.S. and other nuclear powers so strongly condemn.
Okinawa has been the pawn of U.S. and Japan policy games for long enough. It is time to end Okinawa's status as a "vassal state" by halting the secret deals. It is time that the Okinawan people be able to take control of their own destinies.
-Posted by Jen Teeter
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Not Just in Okinawa—Expanding Iwakuni Marine Station on Mainland Japan into the Biggest Air Base in East Asia
From PEACE LINK IWAKUNI:
On May 5th, the US Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station held an annual event called "Friendship Day for US-Japan amity exchange." 265,000 citizens came to watch acrobatic flights by both the US and Japanese jet fighters above and around a newly constructed runway.
Peace Link Iwakuni, a grassroots group, demonstrated for 24th time—along with Rim Peace Iwakuni. This video from Yamaguchi Broadcasting Station covers the protest.
The expansion of the Iwakuni base began at the same time as the proposed move of the Futenma Marine Base to Henoko, Okinawa—14 years ago. The ostensible reasons were the same: the reduction of noise pollution and possible jet crashes. But the real reason for the relocation was to move runways offshore. Though uncompleted, the total cost for this project is￥250 billion and an additional budget of ￥91,8 billion for a hangar has been appropriated in the annual "Sympathy Budget (for the US stationed forces )." Japanese taxpayers are paying for all the costs of this sympathy towards the U.S. military.
After completion in 4 years, 59 jet fighters, which are currently based in Atsugi Naval Air Facility in Kanagawa, will move to the Iwakuni Base. This will double the base's size, making it the biggest air base in Far East Asia.
Along with the relocation of jet fighters, about 4,000 people (1,900 military personnels and the families) will move from Atsugi to Iwakuni. For their housing, a budget of ￥19.9 billion has been alloted along with the construction costs.
Most of the citizens seemed to enjoy the jet acrobatic event (more FA-18 Super Hornets were seen than usual) without any awareness of the ongoing base expansion. However, opposition camapign groups handed out over 2,000 flyers to passers-by in just 20 minutes. These groups entered the base with some highschool students for on a "Peace Education" tour.
Japan's new administration ran on the platform of the review of the U.S. relocation issue during last general election, but the relocation and expansion plan is being carried out as if there had been no such election promise.
On May 23rd, the Iwakuni Great Rally, grassroots group will hold the Iwakuni Great Rally opposing this US base expansion on May 23rd.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Neo Ryukyu Arc Network Presents “Celebration for a Peaceful New Earth” in Tokyo, Sunday, June 20th
“Celebration for a Peaceful New Earth," scheduled for this Sunday, June 20th, seeks to support the people of Henoko and Tokunoshima—part of the Ryukyu archipelago—in their struggle to halt the construction of U.S. military bases on their islands. The event will feature the incredible power of music from some of Tokyo’s finest performers, plus a series of talk sessions from a number of seasoned grassroots social activists working both locally and around the world.Come and add your energies and enthusiasm to this event, which promises to leave you inspired on many levels—as well as help us all move closer to the reality of a world based not upon military violence, but rather upon compassion, respect and justice.
Venue: Yoyogi Park Outdoor Stage
Event timetable (performer/speaker times subject to change):
• 10:45 AM: Meet at the Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya station
• 11:00 AM: Peace parade from Shibuya to Yoyogi Park. Bring instruments, colorful clothing, and enthusiasm!
• 12:00〜12:15 Parade arrival ceremony and opening remarks
• 12:15〜13:00 The ARTH (Club/Dub/alternative)
• 13:10〜13:40 Ailie (roots reggae singer) and Masago Hideaki (Indian flute)
• 13:40〜14:25 Speakers: Sakata Masako (Kenji no kai organization to protect Mt. Takao) and a representative from Yuntaku Takae (organization to stop the construction of U.S. military helipads in Takae Village, located in Okinawa’s Yanbaru “Broccoli” Forest)
• 14:25〜14:55 Tei Kazuma (singer/songwriter from Tokunoshima Island)
• 14:55〜15:40 Speaker: Hoshikawa Jun (Director, Greenpeace Japan; Member, Japan-US Citizens for Okinawa Network (JUCON)/Network for Okinawa)
• 15:40〜16:10 Miyake Yohei from Albatrus
• 16:10〜17:00 Speaker: Shiva Rei (freelance journalist)
• 17:00〜17:25 Takeru (reggae)
• 17:25〜17:50 Rakita (pop performer from Okinawa)
• 18:00〜18:50 Jintaramuta (Japanese chindon street music fusion)
• 18:50〜19:00 MC
• 19:00〜19:45 Asazaki Ikue (traditional performer from Amami-Oshima Island)
• 19:45〜20:00 Finale/ Closing MC remarks
Video messages also scheduled to be received from:
• Kina Shoukichi, member of Parliament, globally renowned Okinawan musician, and peace advocate
• Mayors from several towns on Tokunoshima Island
The event calls for the following:
• Adamant demand for the withdrawal of governmental plans for new U.S. military base construction in Henoko and/or Tokunoshima]
• Strong opposition to Hatoyama’s administration trampling over the expressed desires of local citizens with regard to this issue, and the Kan administration’s announcement that it will adhere to its predecessor’s policy in this regard
• The creation of a Neo Ryukyu Arc Network, connecting the shared peace movements of those in the Ryukyu and Amami Islands (located in Japan’s southern regions of Okinawa and Kagoshima prefecture), as well as other peace movements around the world
• Renewed commitment to the protection of the rich natural environment and biodiversity found in the Ryukyu and Amami Island regions
Peace actions are also scheduled to be organized by the network in Tokyo, the Ryukyu archipelago, and beyond in conjunction with the following (watch for upcoming details!):
July: Elections in Japan
August: Japan-U.S. accord
September: COP 10
October: Peace Music Festa event
November: President Obama’s visit to Japan
Additional event details:
・Admission is free!
・Event will take place rain or shine!
・There will be no information or food booths at this event. (Sorry folks!)
・ Please be sure to leave the venue as clean as you found it!
・This is a completely volunteer-organized event. Your donations will be greatly appreciated!
Event organizers:
Peace Not War Japan
Spring Love Harukaze Organizing Committee
Neo Ryuku Arc Network
With support from:
“Don’t trample on Okinawa!" Emergency action organizing committee
The Network for Okinawa opposes U.S.-Japan May 28 agreement for U.S. military expansion in Okinawa & Tokunoshima
We, the Network for Okinawa, firmly oppose the Joint Statement of the U.S.-Japan Consultative Committee issued on May 28, in which the two governments confirmed their intention to build a 1,800-meter long runway (or more than one runway portions) at Henoko on Okinawa as a “replacement facility” for Futenma Air Station, and the partial relocation of training to Tokunoshima Island.
The people of Okinawa, after losing 100,000 lives, one quarter of its civilian population in the Battle of Okinawa, sacrificed much of their sovereignty, human rights, and freedom during World War II, the U.S. military occupation, and still today—38 years after the island’s reversion to Japan. Although Okinawa accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese territory, it hosts 74% of Japan’s U.S. military bases on illegally expropriated land in the prefecture.
The proposed U.S. military base goes against democratic principles, threatens the environment, and does not improve the security of Japan or the United States.
In March, Washington reiterated a pledge requiring local consent before proceeding with construction. Okinawans have opposed and blocked U.S. military expansion on their island in the name of “Futenma relocation” for the past 13 years, and their resistance at present is stronger than ever. In the Mainichi Newspaper poll conducted from May 28 to 30 in Okinawa, 84% of the residents oppose construction of a new base in Henoko. According to this poll, 91% of Okinawans want US bases in Okinawa either reduced or removed and 71% don’t think Marines are needed in Okinawa. On April 25 at the all-Okinawa rally, 90,000 Okinawans; Governor Nakaima; mayors of all the municipalities; members of the prefectural assembly; and all but one members of Parliament representing Okinawa gathered to call for the unconditional closure of Futenma Air Station and to oppose construction of a new base within Okinawa.
On May 16, 17,000 people surrounded Futenma Air Station in a human chain. Villagers have engaged in an ongoing sit-in at Henoko Beach for more than 2,200 days. Even local business leaders, many of whom would profit from base expansion, refuse to sacrifice “Okinawa’s pride, dignity and autonomy” for the economic benefits that the central government would provide to base-hosting communities.
On June 5, Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan and President Obama held their first phone conference and acknowledged their commonality as former civic activists. In the same conversation, they confirmed their commitment to follow through on the bilateral agreement to build a new base in Henoko, a decision that ignore the overwhelming civic opposition of Okinawa.
We should halt base expansion in Okinawa not only for people’s sake, but for other species and the sea as well. Henoko, where the two countries are planning to build a massive state-of-art military complex to host accident-prone Osprey helicopters, is located on Oura Bay, a unique fan-shaped bay that holds complex and rich ecosystems – those of wetland, sea grass, coral reef, and mangrove that relate to each other and maintain a fragile balance. The combination of forests, rivers and oceans is important to conserving these biodiversity. It is the feeding area of diverse marine animals including the dugong, an endangered marine mammal. In January 2008, a U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) had violated the National Historic Preservation Act by failing to “take account” the effects of the base construction on the dugong, as an Okinawan “natural monument” with significant cultural and historic heritage. On April 24, then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said, "Reclaiming land in Henoko's ocean would be an act of sacrilege against nature."
The U.S. Marine Corps presence in Okinawa has no strategic value. The Japan-US Security Treaty does not require Japan to provide bases to U.S. Marines. Rather than protecting Japan or Okinawa, the bulk of the U.S. Marines whose home base is Okinawa are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their training in Okinawa is for a mission that has nothing to do with “protecting Japan,” as many Japanese have been led to believe. Likewise, Marines won’t serve a role that justifies the plan for a massive, environmentally and socially destructive buildup in Guam.
The Network of Okinawa calls on the U.S. president and Japanese prime minister to change the bilateral agreement; return the Futenma land to its owners; and cancel plans to build new military facilities. We urge President Obama to “uphold and extend fundamental rights and dignity” to all Asian people, including Okinawans and beyond, as he declared in the National Security Strategy of May 2010.
June 14, 2010
Network for Okinawa
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Vanessa Warheit's Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands streaming at the PBS website until June 20
Robert Naiman's HuffPost review of Vanessa Warheit's Insular Empire: America in the Marianas, now web-casting at PBS, the U.S. public television channel's website:
Usually, when someone refers to a place as a "U.S. colony," they are making an analogy, suggesting that U.S. influence somewhere is so strong, and the indigenous residents of the place have so little effective say over key decisions, that it's as if the place were a formal U.S. colony.Read the entire review at this link and view the Insular Empire here.
But, remarkably, and perhaps predictably, for a country whose leaders, editorialists and pundits constantly pontificate about how we are an indispensable force for freedom in the world, we rarely discuss the fact that there are places in the world that are actual U.S. colonies. Still less do we consider whether we are complying with our international obligations to respect the right of self-determination for colonized peoples, and if we are not, what we could do to change that.
A small corrective is being offered as part of Asian Pacific Heritage Month by PBS, which is webcasting Vanessa Warheit's documentary, The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands until next Sunday, June 20.
The Mariana Islands comprise two political entities, the territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Guam was ceded to the U.S. by Spain in 1898 after Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American war, while the Northern Mariana Islands were conquered by the U.S. from Japan in World War II. As political entities, the two have several features in common: while they are ruled by Washington, and their residents are U.S. citizens, many of whom serve in the U.S. military, they have no vote in Presidential elections, nor do they have a representative in Congress who can vote on the passage of legislation.
In other words: they are U.S. colonies.
Guam, in particular, is facing a major decision about its destiny, a decision made in Washington about which its indigenous population has not yet had any effective say. The United States is currently planning to relocate 8,000 Marines and 9,000 dependents to Guam by 2014...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Remembering the 1960 ANPO Struggle: “The souls of the dead live on”
Kato Tokiko, Ueno Chizuko, Hosaka Masayasu, Oguma Eiji, Linda HoaglundLast night, in a packed auditorium at Tokyo University, a panel of scholars gathered to discuss the ANPO Struggle occurring fifty years prior—as well as how its legacy continues to affect peace movements today.
The symposium featured three panelists: author Hosaka Masayasu, professor Oguma Eiji, and film director Linda Hoaglund.
ANPO (a Japanese abbreviation for the “Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan”) was signed on June 19, 1960, despite opposition from a vibrant peace movement including students, artists and activists.
Central to the symposium discussion was the idea of how both individual and collective memory has continued to impact struggles for peace in decades following the ANPO protests.
“For many people in Japan, the presence of U.S. military bases had been all but completely forgotten about in recent decades—until the issue became dragged out of the shadows by the Futenma base conflict,” explained Oguma, a social historian. “And since the United States has not bothered to provide any explanation whatsoever about what the benefits of this air base might provide, it is only too obvious that this treaty is based upon a completely unequal relationship between the two countries.”
Well-known sociologist, professor and feminist scholar Ueno Chizuko, who moderated the discussion, noted that the Futenma issue has been presented by the media with no accompanying historical context such as the resistance against the ANPO treaty.
The event featured a screening of a 15-minute clip from the documentary film ANPO: Art X War, directed and produced by Linda Hoaglund, an American who was born and raised in Japan. The film tells the story of the 1960 protests through the eyes of numerous artists who have spent their lives working to achieve peace.
When queried regarding her motivations for portraying the ANPO resistance movement through art, Hoaglund replied that this presented her with a departure point from which she was then able to explore the issue at increasingly deeper levels. “Ever since I learned as a child that my nation dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, it has become my lifework to seek peace while also exploring the distorted relationship between these two countries.”
“I wanted to the world to know what was really happening with the ANPO struggle—especially given existing media portrayals, such as The New York Times’ dismissing the protesters as just a bunch of crazy communist kids,” she continued. “It fascinates me to explore the idea of individuals rising up to demand justice when their governments are clearly doing the wrong thing.”
Hosaka, author of The Truth about the 1960 ANPO Struggle, commented, “In Japan, education in recent years has managed to convey the idea that Japan is somehow ‘not qualified to wage war.’ This is the completely wrong focus. Instead, we must begin teaching the idea that war is wrong, and that no country must wage it.”
The evening finished with brief and yet poignant remarks from famous singer and actor Kato Tokiko, who was herself a student at the University of Tokyo in the late 1960s. Kato has been deeply involved with peace and ecology movements together with her late husband Fujimoto Toshio, a student movement leader who was jailed in the early 1970s and later founded the Daichi o mamoru kai (Association to Preserve the Earth).
“I was sixteen years old when the ANPO protest occurred, and I remember feeling a fierce sense of despair that the revolution we were fighting for did not end up happening,” she told the audience. “We had a vision for a different kind of world, and so the way that events played out—including the death of Michiko Kamba—were completely shocking.”
Kato then led a moment of silence to honor Kamba, who was killed by police exactly 50 years earlier when protesters surrounded the Diet to demand that the ANPO treaty not be implemented.
“History is not something that can be forgotten; it lives on in every one of our hearts—as do the souls of those who died in war or fighting for peace,” she told audience members, of whom several were visibly moved.
“An amazing energy was born from our movement—and it will continue to grow and transform without end.”
--Kimberly Hughes
("ANPO: Art X War" will open in Japan on September 18, 2010)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mainichi: "Legacy of 1960 anti-security treaty movement still remains"
(Photo of Protesters surrounding the Diet Building: “Tenno-empire” and the Struggle Against Established Power in Japan – One Historian’s Engagement" by Tessei Matsuzawa, The Asia-Pacific Journal)Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Michiko Kamba who died during a protest against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty (AMPO) that drew over a million participants to the streets of Tokyo from April to June in 1960. A June 6 article, "Legacy of 1960 anti-security treaty still remains," at the Mainichi takes a sensitive look at this history and those the University of Tokyo student left behind:
Yuichi Yoshikawa visits the southern entranceway of the Diet building on June 15 every year to offer flowers in memory of a female college student, who died there in a clash between police forces and anti-Japan-U.S. Security Treaty demonstrators on the day 50 years ago.
Hundreds of thousands of protestors surrounded the building every day to express their opposition to the bilateral treaty "as we still had vivid memories of World War II, which had ended only 15 years ago, and believed the treaty would lead to another war," Yoshikawa, a 79-year-old veteran peace campaigner, said.
"When only a few people started a march with a flag, other people joined at their own initiative to make it hundreds of demonstrators at last, with antiwar sentiment stirred also by the outbreak of the Korean War and the launch of the Self-Defense Forces in the 1950s," he said.
The death of the student, Michiko Kamba, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Tokyo, happened in the uproar, and those who went through it have wondered about the meaning of the largest mass movement in postwar Japan and how it has affected their subsequent lives and careers over the past half-century.(Photo of Michiko Kamba: “Tenno-empire” and the Struggle Against Established Power in Japan – One Historian’s Engagement" by Tessei Matsuzawa, The Asia-Pacific Journal)
Among them is Akiko Esashi, who was a freshman at Waseda University and joined the demonstration for the first time in May 1960.
"I was just an ordinary student who cheered on baseball games between Waseda and its rival Keio University, and I was told by my father when I left my home in Hiroshima City not to join the student movement," she said. "But I started taking part in the marches frequently after Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi railroaded the revision of the bilateral treaty."
The revised treaty, automatically enacted on June 19, 1960, after a 30-day Diet stalemate, committed the United States to help defend Japan if it came under attack and it provided bases and ports for U.S. armed forces in Japan, stirring public concerns that Japan may be involved in unintended wars.
"The protestors' focus gradually shifted from concerns of war to the shape of Japan's democracy" in the face of the government's hard-line stance, Yoshikawa said.
After graduating from Waseda, Esashi started editing fashion magazines, "but I always felt doubts about my work, given the magazines' stance to flatter Japan's high economic growth in those days," which was promoted by Kishi's successor, Hayato Ikeda, under the "income-doubling plan."
Esashi gradually became involved in the women's liberation movement and anti-Vietnam War activities, initiated by the Peace for Vietnam Committee, known by its Japanese acronym as "Beheiren." It was founded in 1965 by late influential writer Makoto Oda and prominent philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi. Yoshikawa was its secretary general.
She eventually became a freelance writer and penned an award-winning biography of a female writer who faced the 1945 atomic bombing on Hiroshima and other books featuring female activists and reporters, while giving lectures on women's studies at several colleges.
Koichi Kato, a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, was a law student at the University of Tokyo in 1960. "I didn't have a clear idea about whether the security treaty was good or wrong," he said, but he was involved in the demonstrations a few times "in accordance with the conclusion of class discussions as a nonpolitical student."
His father was promoting the security treaty as a then ruling LDP lawmaker. But Kato, now 70, did not fully support either the treaty or the protests involving students and labor union members as well as the Socialist Party and Japanese Communist Party.
"But it urged me to have an interest in social issues and I made up my mind to devote my life to dealing with the Chinese Communist Party" after pondering over how Japan should proceed for the future in international society, he said.
As a diplomat and China expert, he contemplated policy toward China, and as a lawmaker subsequently, he was critical of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine. He now says, "Japan sent unsolicited troops to China, and those who were victimized will never forget it."
Some of the 1960 demonstrators are now trying to hand down the legacy of the movement to later generations.
Prior to the 50th anniversary of Kamba's death, Esashi, 68, put out her biography, "Michiko Kamba -- Legend of a Sacred Girl," from major publisher Bungeishunju Ltd. last month by interviewing those who knew her well and examining many documents, including her writings.
"I wanted to review the explosive experiences in 1960 by writing the biography of Ms. Kamba," she said. "I expect young people to read it and know that there was a woman who tried hard to change politics and society."
Kato, who has held prominent positions such as then Defense Agency chief and LDP secretary general, now advocates the security treaty. "It is unconvincing to say we do not need to possess deterrence, particularly given the brinkmanship of North Korea. Can we feel safe without the nuclear umbrella of the United States?"
His relations with China, meanwhile, have continued.
He assumed the chairmanship of the Japan-China Friendship Association in 2008, succeeding Ikuo Hirayama, a prominent painter who died last December, and says without hesitation that the 1960 movement has affected his career.
"I think Japan, China and the United States need to form 'an equilateral-triangular relationship' to keep each other in check," he said. "The three bilateral ties should work effectively, and the Japan-U.S. ties are situated under the security treaty."
Yoshikawa is still involved in various peace campaigns and calls for abolishing the bilateral security treaty.
"Under the security treaty, the SDF have been deployed to where the United States needs them, such as Iraq. It goes against the pacifist Constitution," he said in his recent lecture at Keio University, focusing mainly on the 1960 protests.
He was invited there as one of several guest lecturers for a contemporary social history course "so we could share history by hearing what those who have gone through it have to say," according to Koichi Takakusagi, professor at the university.
He also suggested the abolishment of the bilateral treaty is the key in addressing the issue of U.S. military bases in Japan, particularly in Okinawa, which hosts the controversial Futenma air station.
Yoshikawa will visit the Diet building with other peace activists on June 15, as in the past years, to leave flowers for Kamba.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Karel van Wolferen: New U.S. military base construction at Henoko "not implementable"
In an interview with The Diplomat, Karel van Wolferen said that Washington unrealistically wants to go back to the days when the LDP rubber-stamped U.S. demands upon Tokyo. The Japan commentator goes on to say that proposed U.S. military expansion in Okinawa is "not implementable
Washington wants an administration like they had before, that will do what they say. Although of course the Liberal Democratic Party wasn’t doing that—they had a way of shoving it ahead of them. The LDP had been postponing this whole base plan for six years and they were going to postpone it further.He also notes that:
Why? Because it’s not implementable. That’s a very basic point, which the Tokyo-based media haven’t been sufficiently pushing because they haven’t been paying attention to Okinawa...
The most important thing to remember is that the LDP would not have carried out the Henoko relocation plan, because you can’t carry it out. It’s impossible. It also means that Naoto Kan’s cabinet could also be torpedoed by Washington. And it may well happen. Because Japan is not an ally of the United States—Japan is a protectorate.
Twenty or 30 years ago there were quite a few American correspondents in Tokyo who had a pretty good historical background on the relationship, and they’d have put all this in perspective.The following are all excellent sources of countervailing interpretations of what's going on in Japan and Okinawa: Japan Focus, Peace Philosophy Centre, and Foreign Policy in Focus.
But today, the American media gets what they write about this from informants in Washington.
There are a couple of people in Tokyo, but they don’t bring the same kind of depth and understanding to it. Which means the story becomes the story that Washington wants people to see and read. And if you were the government in Washington, you’d want it to be like that. So in other words, there’s no countervailing interpretation of what’s going in Japan to what is coming out of Washington.
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