January 2022 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 January
2022. It is published by Katsuyuki Nara of the New English Teachers Association (or Shin-Eiken,

http://www.shin-eiken.com/) and Sarah Brock. The translation is on our own．
Uploaded on January 25th, 2022

English version No. 254

New Year’s Resolution: Stop Constitution Revision Now!
The year 2022 has started, and we areconcerned that schemes by pro-constitutionalchange groups entered into a new phase after
the general election late last year.
At the press conference held on January
4th,PMFumio

Kishidastated,“Aconstitutional revision, one of our party lines,
is also a big theme for us this year.” In his

9 Association and other groups have launchedadministrative policy speech at the regularvarious movements across the country.

Diet session, Kishida said, “We heartily hope

Let us take a step forward with a firmthat you legislators will make an active

determination in this new year of 2022. Let us

discussion

revision.”raise our voice to the nation, meanwhile

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party aims at

keeping up preventive measures against thestarting

latest spread of the coronavirus omicron

about

constitutional

deliberations

forconstitutional

amendment during the current regular Dietvariant!

session, and to continue deliberations after theThis A9A Bulletin and News will herald

hoped-for gaining or a two-thirds majority inactivities of A9A groups around the country.

the July Upper House election.

We urge member groups to send the A9A

AgainsttheLDP’s

movetowards

secretariat any activities, no matter if theconstitutional revision, many citizens’ groupsgroupare joining the campaigns nationwide, such asinsignificant!

“NationalSignatureCampaignfeels

theactivity

issmallorOpposing(Trasnlated by Katsuyuki Nara)

Adverse Revision of the Constitution.” Article--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reports from provincial A9A groups.
15th Anniversary of Hiroshima Women’s A9A Group to Prevent Constitutional Change
Women’s Group Hiroshima of A9A in Hiroshima CityOn December 19th, the Women’s Group
Hiroshima of the A9A held a meeting tocelebrate
foundation

thein15thanniversary

Hiroshima,withofits103

participants.
Bureau Chief Megumi Togashi introducedmovement for changing Article 9 as thegreatest crisis Japan has faced post-war. He

the group’s regular activities in her opening

warnedthatthespeech, including 15 years of monthly street

movement

campaigns on the 9th of every month;

constitutional revisionists gained two-thirds

publishing news four times a year; and holdingof the seats in the Diet. He also noted that theannual meetings. The speech was followed byruling parties are holding meetings of thesinger-songwriter Shigenori Yamagami whoCommission on the Constitution, even though

took the stage to sing and talk about themost citizens do not want to change theConstitution.

Constitution. Ishiguchi called on the audience

isconstitutional

gainingchangemomentumsinceLawyer Shun’ichi Ishiguchi gave theto continue the group’s activities, saying,commemoration speech. He framed the recent“Next July’s Upper House election will be an
important one that will change the future ofJapan. Let’s campaign and learn to stop
constitutional change.”
An audience member gave the following
feedback. “I’ve been depressed since thegeneral election, but now I feel uplifted. The
singer’s performance was enjoyable, and thelecture was easy for me to understand.”(Translated by Toshikazu Izumi)

Article 9: a Cheering Song for the GlobeOgi A9A, Saga Prefecture
The Ogi A9A held its 11th generalthat

protecting

theEarthwill

achievemeeting on December 17th, 2021, with 30

humanity’s best security and survival. Whileparticipants. The meeting included a lecture

the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear

on the Constitution by Toshiyuki Honda, aWeapons has come into effect, he criticized thelawyer based in Saga City.

stance of Japan, the only country to have

His lecture, titled “Article 9: the Security
Principle of the Constitution, the Strongest

experienced

atomicbombings,

for

not

participating in the treaty.

and Best Guarantee of Human Rights, ”

Honda also stressed that people need tofocused on renewed understanding of theunderstand the philosophy of the Constitution

significance of Article 9 from a macroof Japan, what it means to have the military,perspective. Honda emphasized that Article 9to consider the country’s security as a personal

will lead to the protection of the Earth.

matter because it is connected to us. He said

Honda framed the Earth as a living
spaceship or organism in space. From theat this time people have to realize theimportance of connecting with others.

viewpoint of Spaceship Earth, how wonderful“Amending Article 9 and allowing theit is to live on Earth. War is the last thing theexistence of the Self-Defense Forces would‘crew’ (human beings)’ should do, especially inmean

the midst of a climate crisis. Honda concluded

military values as the highest public good, andthat

theConstitution

recognizes

that they take precedence over basic humanrights,” Honda warned.
In response, some participants expressed
theiropinions:

campaigns"Spreadingagainstthesignature

constitutional

amendment will lead to spreading dialogue.”“Let's regard the constitutional revision as ourown issue and take action.”Group

Representative

Koreyuki

Fukushima talked about the monthly street
rally on the ninth day of each month andcalled for continuing the effort to both informand appeal to public opinion. He voiced thegroup’s support for a nationwide signature

Article 9

campaign against the constitutional revision.

A cheering song for theHe concluded with the following poem by aRound-shaped earth.

citizen of Ogi, which won a first poetry prize(Translated by Sadao Hiroyama)

from the Reader’s Square column, Senryu
category, in the Saga Shimbun:[END]