September 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 September 20th, 2023

English version No. 273

Oppose let us make two meeting below success!
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated publicly that he will accomplish a constitutional reform
during his term as LDP president, with a timetable aiming for September 2024.

Let us two meetings
Events will kick off with the October 5th Anti-Constitutional Revision Rally Opposing
Government Massive Military Buildup. The Rally is hosted by Tokyo Metro A9A groups,
supported by General Struggle for Action (GSA) and Civic Alliance (CA).
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October 5th Rally
Date:

October 5 (Thursday)

Start: 10:00
Venue:Nakano Zero Momijiyama Culture Center, Big Hall

Host:

Oct. 5th Rally Organizing Committee

Support: General Struggle for Action and the Civic Alliance Organizing Committees
Program: Speeches: Yuko Tanaka, Koichi Nakano, others

Pre-October 5th Rally Assembly
Date: September 1 (Friday)
Time: 18:30 through 20:30
Venue: Bunkyo Kumin Center, Conference Room 2A
Host: Organizing Committee of October 5th Rally
Program: Speeches: Ken Takada, Ryuichi Ozawa

Provincial reports of A9A Groups
Activity Exchange Meeting in Hiroshima, Following A9A’s Nationwide Meeting
Fuchu Town A9A, Hiroshima Pref..
By Masahiko Yagi, Administrative Staff
A9A’s Nationwide Activity Meeting on May 28 was a treasure trove of ideas about how toimprove our activities. While at the meeting I met the general secretary of the Hiroshima
Prefecture A9A, lawyer Shin’ichi Ishiguchi.

While talking with Shin’ichi me and fellow Fuchu Town A9A members came up with theidea that we could ask this lawyer and activist to do the keynote speech for our annual
meeting in July. He agreed to come, but suggested that instead of doing the usual format ofa keynote speech followed by a general meeting, “Now is the time to hold a larger scale
activity exchange meeting centering on Hiroshima.”
Back home, we discussed Ishiguchi’s suggestion and our executive committee recentered
our July agenda. We switched the first half of our general meeting with its usual keynote
speech for an activity exchange meeting, featuring neighboring A9A groups. We sent
invitations mentioning the change of agenda to group members and contacted neighboring
A9A groups inviting them to participate in the exchange meeting.
At the meeting, along with the usual programs and handouts, we gave people Kishu Kyujo

Sembei. These are the brilliant idea of the Wakayama Prefectural Citizens A9A: the ricecrackers are impressed with a brand—that’s common, but these special sembei arebranded with Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution!
Ishiguchi opened the exchange meeting with a speech after all, followed with my report on
the May national meeting. Ishiguchi concluded opening remarks by talking about otherlocal A9A groups within Hiroshima prefecture. He said that Hiroshima Prefecture A9A isplanning a prefecture-wide activity exchange meeting this fall.
This time, four local groups shared detailed activities.
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Hiroshima Media A9A continues efforts to publish its
newsletter and talked about other news of recent actions toprotect the Constitution.

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Kannon School District A9A in Hiroshima City’s Nishi Wardmentioned the ongoing campaign to set up local A9A groups
in all 19 school districts of Nishi Ward.

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Kaita Town A9A mentioned their work to keep up with theirstreet campaign in front of Kaita Railway Station on the 19th of every month.

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Kure City A9A spoke about carrying on the peace movement against thereinforcement of Maritime Self-Defense Force and US Navy bases in Kure City. They
beefed up their work there, rechanneling energy from events shut down by thecoronavirus pandemic such as their annual music and lecture gathering.

After our guests left and we finished our general meeting, we called participants on thephone and told them how much we appreciated their cooperation. Many people cheerfully
replied, saying: “When talking among just with our own members, we tended to think
about the lack of young people in the group. That exchange meeting lifted my spirits.” “TheCovid pandemic made our movement lose strength. However, the meeting encouraged us
in our activities.” “I’m looking forward to meeting you soon at the peace march for anuclear free world in August in Hiroshima.”
19 participants from six organizations managed to come, and 13 people came to thefollowing general meeting. Donations were far above what we expected. I strongly felt theimportance of my commitment to practicing what I learned at the National Meeting inMay about being open to new activities and liaising and interacting more with othergroups.
The 19th Day Action: Members Appeal against Japan’s Massive Military Buildup
Koryo Town A9A, Nara Prefecture
By Toshiyuki Shimomura, Administrative Staff
19th Day Action is a nationwide monthly campaign by local A9A groups aiming to foster
public opinion demanding the repeal of Japan’s war legislation. This legislation wasenacted in September 2015, and has been severely criticized as being a violation of theConstitution, which is currently interpreted as forbidding the government exercising theright of collective self-defense.
Eleven members of Koryo Town A9A did a 19th Day Action in an open shopping mall inKure on July 19. In the mall’s second floor passage, members took turns speaking topassersby through a bullhorn, asking for signatures on two petitions: one against revising
the Peace Constitution of Japan, and one against the government’s policy of massive
military buildup and related financial burdens on citizens.
Other members called on people to participate in a dot-voting for or against the Kishida
Administration’s military expansion policy and handed out flyers. Two high-school girls
approached and listened to speakers and put stickers on the dot-voting board against thegovernment policy. I was greatly encouraged to see young adults concerned about peaceissues and expressing opinions like this.
(Translated by Toshikazu Izumi)
END