July 2023 Issue
English Version of the “Article 9 Association (A9A)” Bulletin and News
This is the translated version of the Japanese edition of the Bulletin and News published in May
2023. It is published by Katsuyuki Nara of the New English Teachers Association (orShin-Eiken, http://www.shin-eiken.com/) and Sarah Brock. The translation is on our own．
Uploaded on July 20th, 2023

English version No. 271

Strengthening Grassroots Activity Exchange
Article9Association

heldour8th

Secretariat

announcesthat

theywill

Nationwide Activity Exchange Meeting inpublish a book covering the meeting

Tokyo on May 20. 292 people from 151

including group interchanges, meeting

chapters

statements, and comments in early July.

in32

prefecturesattended,exchanging activities and opinions in ourstruggle to continue resisting Japan’s
massivemilitarybuildupandconstitutional amendment plans. During
theexchanges

andopinionsessions,members said explicitly that they weredetermined to strengthen resolve to blockcore changes of the current Constitution.
This issue of A9A Bulletin and News is a
special exchange meeting issue featuringcomments from the participants. Our hopeis that the comments will be useful tomembers

aroundthecountry!

TheMovements for Explicit Constitutional Change
at Parliament Council on Constitution
The House of Councilors election in July 2022 increased the number ofseats held by parties seeking constitutional change. The election results
indicate accelerated impetus towards constitutional amendment, led by
the Japan Restoration Party and the Democratic Party for the People,
followed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komei Party.
Parties leading constitutional amendment are currently centering onplans extending the length of parliamentary terms of office during
emergency situations, making it harder to prevent changes to theconstitution. It will also delay elections in any situation deemed an‘emergency’.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his determination toimplement a constitutional revision "during his term of office", that is, bySeptember next year.

(Translated by Katsuyuki Nara)
Comments from the “8th Nationwide Exchange Meeting”⚫ I got invigorated. (Y, Alumnus of : Tokyo Keizai University)“We are scheduled to hold a Liaison Meeting of the A9A of Japanese University Alumni
in. I got invigorated by hearing reports on innovative and varied activities of A9A
chapters across the country. I also picked up a lot of knowhow. Thank you!”⚫ Use this meeting as a chance to review ouractivities!
“It was good for me to attend this meeting, andafter reviewing the book I found many usefulreferences and ideas I otherwise might havemissed. I think the meeting was a great chance toreview our activities.”⚫ Let us not bemoan our aging! (T and Y of Entotsu (Chimney) group)“I participated in the exchange meeting for the first time. At first I was prepared tobemoan the aging membership, but I found that each group was agelessly creative andthought up interesting and original activities. We need all the courage we can get; inmy group’s street rallies, occasionally a passerby would attack us verbally, saying‘Article 9 will not protect the country’, or ‘What if we were attacked?’”⚫ Words That Resonate with People's Hearts (Machida Minami A9A Group, Tokyo
member N.T.)“Thank you very much for giving me so much energy. My current challenge is how tocreate words—speeches, statements, and arguments, that can resonate with people'shearts, and I have been pondering this for a long time.
“I want to delve into the words of Mr. Ikeda, and contrast them with Nazi propagandist
Goebbels, and revisit Oe Kenzaburo's books. I want to transform my expression toallow me to convey the inherent evil of war, using words infused with love forhumanity, in a manner that truly resonates with people's hearts—family, friends, orothers.
“We need to raise our game. Simply stating truths such as "peace is important, war isbad" fails to strike a chord with people so heavily influenced by mass media,
particularly dangerous when people have daily access to mass media outlets thatexhibit a disconcerting inclination towards war.” (Translated by Toshikazu Izumi)⚫ I realized that Aging Is a Nationwide Issue (Satsuki-ga-Oka A9A Group, Chiba
Prefecture, Contributed by T.H.)“Our group was established in 2005. At that time,some members were old enough to have had
direct experience of being repatriated from China
and other countries after WWII.
Through the years, we have held monthly
meetings, biannual music and peace gatherings,and three annual study sessions. However, overthe past 18 years, the number of participants has
halved, and the staff members of the secretariat
are now over 80 years old.
“Today, I have come to the realization that sustaining our chapter itself has becomechallenging, and this situation is not unique to us—it is a nationwide issue. It has
become clear to me that we need to foster collaboration within the community andreconsider regular promotion tactics and open study sessions.
“When I listened to the representative of the National Association of Mayors for Article
9, I decided to make today a new starting point. As the representative said, we canadvocate nationwide that the Article 9 Constitution represents everyday peace.”(Translated by Sadao Hiroyama)⚫ Let’s Fight against Government Plans to Strengthen SDF Facilities (By K.K.,
Tsuchizaki group of A9A in Akita City, Akita Pref.)“I was impressed by the words of people from all over the country. Especially mayor
Michio Hirao of Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, gave a moving account of his attempts
to build a new peace monument in Maibara modeled on the Heiwa no ichiji -- theCornerstone of Peace -- in Okinawa. The monument will be inscribed with the names ofcivilian victims of war within Japan, as well as names of military service members andcivilians who died abroad.
“My town, Tsuchizaki, was recently classed as a designated observed zone under the2022 Land Use Restriction Law. The reason was that a Ground Self-Defense Force(G-SDF) Camp and a Japan Coast Guard facility were built there. Designated observed
zones are areas close to US military and JSDF facilities; the government can maintainsurveillance over local landowners and users and collect their personal information.
“This is an issue; critics warn that government surveillance will severely restrict
citizens’ rights, besides impacting real-estate transactions. The law directly threatensnot only privacy but also the right to protest, as the government is able to order people
to stop using their lands for purposes which it decides unilaterally are risks to security.
“The existence of two military facilities means that almost
70% of Tsuchizaki residents now live in a designated zone
and risk coming under government surveillance. We aremaking citizens aware of this fact by distributing flyers
and are now organizing a new campaign against the Land
Use Restriction law.
“The government is just about to implement its plan tostrengthen SDF facilities, budgeting four trillion yen for
3,000 locations across the country. I think that the campaign against the plan
inevitably concerns the ongoing struggle to defend Article 9.” (Translated by ToshikazuIzumi)⚫ Worth Budgeting Time away from Rice Farming (By I.Y., Onan A9A, Shimane Pref.)“I came from a provincial farming village. Our group is small and barely maintaining
activities, mostly collecting signatures (for the petition against the Constitutionalchange). Remarks by the participants across the country taught me a lot. I’m going todiscuss what I’ve learned with the members of the group and think what we can do.
“Many groups in the provinces are trying to overcome limitations and looking for actionplans. Groups like mine have serious trouble finding opportunities to come together
and act effectively but this forum motivated me to try just a bit harder and take any
possible action to protect the Constitution. It is even worth rebudgeting my time awayfrom working in my rice fields.” (Translated by Toshikazu Izumi)[END]