Appeal to Japan: Save Article 9

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Tuesday May 06, 2008 12:05 by Justin Morahan - Appeal to Japan: Save Article 9

"No War" Stance is in danger says Nobel Laureate

Summary: Japan's No War stance is in danger from both inside and outside Japan. Speaking In Tokyo Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguirehas called on the Japanese Government to retain Article9 of their Constitution

Often referred to as the "No War" article, the Article states:

":ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. (2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, 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". (Wikipedia translation)

In her talk in Tokyo on Sunday May 3rd, Ms Maguire said: "For 60 years it has set the spirit of disarmament, helped keep peace in South/East Asia, and given hope to the World. However, many of us are concerned to know that there are those, both in the Government, and wider Japanese society, who wish to endanger such peaceful policies, and abandon article 9 and Japan’s Peace Constitution. All peace loving people must unite to oppose such a backward step and support all efforts to build a peaceful Japan and a world based on co-operation and understanding."

The setting aside of Article 9 would strengthen militarism, and nationalism, could make Japan a target and would make the world an even more dangerous place, she said.

The Nobel Laureate said that the world was made dangerous when in May, 2003, President Bush, after claiming ‘victory’ over Iraq, redefined war. He said ‘By a combination of creative strategies and advanced technologies we are redefining war on our own terms’.
"This declaration means: The American Government redefines not only war Strategies but also aims and doctrines of war. . We all, to our horror, watched the ‘creative strategies and advanced technologies’ of Shock and Awe cruelly unleashed upon the Iraqi civilians in March 2003, by the American empire, and their allies."

"People, and especially women and youth, who now pay the highest price in wars, must unite to reject these doctrines of ongoing war by the American empire, and the proposed rearmament of Japan." said Ms Maguire

She also spoke about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the present day threat and cost of nuclear weapons, the bypassing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by Britain and the USA, the human rights violations resulting from the phoney war on terrorism that is creating not a safer but a more dangerous world She added that we must also challenge Israel to lead the way in establishing a nuclear free Middle East.

We must challenge our governments to deal with the real threats to human security, i.e poverty, global militarization; increasing violence and ethnic/political conflicts; abuse of human rights and of international laws by state and non-state players, climate change, competition over resources; and the marginalization of the majority of the people of the world, said Ms Maguire

On Terrorism:, she added that all-inclusive dialogue with all parties to the conflict, was the only way in which to genuinely address many of the world’s ongoing conflicts, citing the Northern Ireland experience as an example. Insurgency groups must be challenged to use only non-violent methods, and civil society plays an important role in dialoguing, she said.

Ms Maguire is a guest of Peaceboat and is due to speak in Hiroshima today.

Full text of speech: homepage