2010 will be an epochal year concerning peace. In the international arena, there will be the NPT Review Conference, and at home, lawmakers will be able to introduce a bill for holding a national referendum on the constitutional revision after three years since the enactment of the law on the constitutional revision procedure. Aiming for the year 2010, efforts to develop the movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the campaign to prevent constitutional revision are underway. Since the beginning of this year, we have worked on the three major events for peace in solidarity with movements around the world.
First was the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War held in May. It was a common effort of broad sections of groups and individuals working to spread the spirit of Article 9 worldwide that calls for peace making without relying on armed forces. More than 150 oversea guests from 31 countries joined 34,000 participants in four venues, and over 3,000 overflowed the main hall. The Conference sent out calls for nuclear abolition as well as for spreading Article 9. 3000 New Japan Women’s Association, or Shinfujin members took part in the Conference. Shinfujin co-sponsored the International Symposium with other women’s groups, contributing to the success of the Conference.
Second is the citizens’ actions during the G8 Summit in July. While the Summit ended with no substantial outcome, civil organizations and NGOs from different parts of Japan and the world urged the governments of G8 nations in unison that they should come up with solutions to the problems they have caused, and that they should put an end to absurd politics to spend an immense amount of money on war and nuclear weapons.
Shinfujin issued the statement to the G8 Summit under the title of “ Five Proposals from Japanese Women”, with its viewpoint on five major global issues including the prevention of global warming and the regulation on speculative money. It sent the statement to the embassies of G8 nations in Japan, and visited some of them. The first of the five proposals is the abolition of nuclear weapons, and Shinfujin, as a women’s group of the atomic bombed country, called on the nuclear weapons states to carry out the “unequivocal undertaking” for the elimination of their nuclear arsenals as they agreed at the NPT Review Conference in 2000. The official of the German Embassy responded saying that Shinfujin’s proposal accords with the national policy of Germany, and can be considered as a common goal. At the U.S. Embassy, U.S. minister-counselor and the second secretary warmly received Shinfujin delegates, and said that the 2010 NPT Review Conference should produce positive outcome, and that nuclear abolition is the goal the U.S. share with others. We believe that they gave us some lip services but it was still interesting that they take note of the development of Japanese movement and had to refer to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Third is the Japan Mothers’ Congress that took place a week ago. The Japan Mothers Congress started together with the movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons. This year’s was the 54th Congress and 15,000 participated in it. At the international symposium, the panel and the participants discussed how women and people in Japan and the Republic of Korea, the two countries hosting U.S. military bases, as well as in the U.S., nuclear superpower, are developing movements calling for peace. One of the panelists was Ms. Celeste Zappala from the U.S., who is a member of the Military Families Speak Out and is present in this meeting with us today.
All these events were very successful, gathering together grassroots initiatives for nuclear abolition and for preserving Article 9 to make it shine. These initiatives have played an important role in generating changes as seen in the increasing public opinion against the constitutional revision and in winning the ruling of the Nagoya High Court that the airlifting missions of Japan’s Self-Air Force is against the Constitution. Another characteristics today is that the call for “cutting military expenditure to redirect resources into living and social welfare” is becoming a shared view among the Japanese public. Toward 2010, we are urged to carry forward the struggle of women and the people in Japan and the world over.
Shinfujin at the National Convention last year decided to initiate a “nationwide campaign toward 2010 to make Article 9 shine to prevent a bill on constitutional revision from being introduced in the Diet, and to galvanize the effort for nuclear abolition. Part of the various actions in the campaign is what we call “Peace Challenge” initiative. It is a signature drive through which we try to have more and more members get involved in peace work. We have seen a growing number of our younger members joining actions. Eager to do something for future of their children, young members with small children participated for the first time in their life in the signature drive and the National Peace March, on its fiftieth anniversary. These young mothers will join us with their small children in the World Conference in Hiroshima starting on the 4th. They will bring the peace tapestry they made with handprints and footprints of their children.
To make 2010 a steady step forward for a peaceful and just world, let us do our utmost in the new signature drive for nuclear abolition. And let us think of an international action where we can bring together antinuclear and peace trend growing worldwide, such as the second “peace wave”.
Thank you for listening.
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