Table of Contents
International Symposium………………………………………... .1

Special Lecture………………………………………… 2
H.E. Mr. Javier Ponce, Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to Japan
Introductory Reports of the Panelists....................................….5John Lindsey-Poland (USA)
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Hannelore Tölke (Germany)..................................………………..10
German Peace Council / Bonn City Council member
Lee Junkyu (Republic of Korea)..........………………………………..13
Lecturer, Laborers’ Academy for Alternative Society
Corazon Valdez Fabros (Phillippines)........................................... 18
Stop the War Coalition Philippines
International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
Tadaaki Kawata (Japan).............................................................. 24
Executive Board Member, Japan Peace Committee
Special Reports of Japanese Movement………………………….....…… 28
Masahiko Goto (Kanagawa)Co-chair, Yokosuka Citizens against Homeporting of U.S. Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Teruo Onishi (Okinawa)……………………………………………30
Nago Council against the Construction of U.S. On-Sea Heliport
Nago Peace Committee
Report of the International Symposium
Keisuke Fuse, symposium coordinator............................................... 32

2009 Japan Peace Conference
Opening Plenary Session
Keynote Report…………………………………………35
Addresses by Oversea Delegates..........................................................43
John Lindsey-Poland, Hannelore Tölke, Lee Junkyu, Corazon Fabros
Closing Plenary Session
Addresses by Oversea Delegates…………………………………………48
John Lindsey-Poland, Hannelore Tölke, Lee Junkyu, Corazon Fabros
Conference Summary and Action Proposals….....................................................50
Yoshiro Hayasaka
National Campaign Committee for the Abrogation of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty

Program of the 2009 Japan Peace Conference
December 10-11
December 11
December 12
December 13

International Symposium
Opening Plenary Session
Symposia, Workshops & Field Trips
Closing Plenary Session
Rally against U.S. Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Peace ParadeInternational Symposium
December 10-13, 2009
Theme of the Symposium
Our Movement Changes the World-

Growing Trend against Military Bases and Alliance, and toward a Nuclear-Free,
Peaceful World

Common Theme of the Conference
Unite to Create a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful Japan Where the Constitution Shines-

No to SDFs overseas deployment! Defend and Make the Best Use of Article 9!
No to Bringing in of the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier and Nuclear Weapons! No to
the Strengthening of U.S. Bases and Crimes Caused by Their Presence!

-

Cut Military Spending, Eradicate Poverty, and Stop Destruction of Life!

-

50 Years from the Revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty:
Time to Abrogate the Military Alliance and Establish a Peaceful and Equal
Relationship between Japan and the U.S.

!
Special Speaker
H.E. Mr. Javier Ponce, Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to Japan!
Panelists
Mr. John Lindsey-Poland (USA), Fellowship of Reconciliation
Ms. Hannelore Tölke (Germany), German Peace Council / City Council Member of
Bonn
Mr. Lee Junkyu (Republic of Korea), Lecturer, Laborer’s Academy for Alternative
Society
Ms. Corazon Valdez Fabros (Philippines), Stop the War Coalition Philippines /International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
Mr. Tadaaki Kawata (Japan), Japan Peace Committee Executive Board Member
Coordinator
Mr. Keisuke Fuse (Japan)
International Bureau Director, National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)
Special Reports
Mr. Masahiko Goto (Kanagawa)Co-chair, Yokosuka Citizens against Homeporting of U.S. Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Mr. Teruo Onishi (Okinawa)
Nago Council against the Construction of U.S. On-Sea Heliport /Nago Peace Committee

1Special Lecture by Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to Japan(Original: Spanish)

INTERVENCION DEL EMBAJADOR DEL ECUADOR EN JAPON, JAVIER
PONCE, EN LA CONFERENCIA DE LA PAZ 2009.
KANAGAWA
EL 10 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2009
Deseo agradecer a los organizadores de este
encuentro por la invitación que me hanhecho para dirigerles una palabra. Interpretoeste honor como un reconocimiento a lapolítica exterior digna, soberana y
democrática que lleva adelante el gobierno

Ecuador es el único país de Sudamérica
donde no han tenido cabida aventuras delucha armada que han asolado a otros paísesde la región, ni se han producido masivas ysistemáticas
violacionesdederechoshumanos, incluso durante los gobiernos

que dirige el Presidente Rafael Correa en
Ecuador.

militares de los años sesenta y setenta.

En primer lugar deseo destacar laimportancia que en mi país tiene la activa
participación de organizaciones de laLa vitalidad de las asociaciones deciudadanos que se agruparon en defensa dela soberana frente a la injerencia extranjera,
la promoción de los derechos de la mujer, elsociedad como las que convocan el acto que
hoy nos reúne en Kanagawa. Tenemos la
población indígena mejor organizados delcontinente, y su capacidad de movilización
llevo a que, desde la década de los ochenta,
se les reconozca la propiedad de la tierra, asírespeto a la naturaleza y la preservación delos recursos naturales en beneficio de la
población,
permitió
que
la
nueva
Constitución
Política,
aprobadaenreferéndum el año pasado, sea una de lasmás avanzadas del mundo en la protección

como derechos políticos y culturales que es
habíansido
negados
desde
hace
cuatrocientos años.

de los derechos humanos, incluyendo elderecho a la paz. Así, su artículo 15
determina que Ecuador:

La combatividad de los sectores populares ysu acción pacífica pero decidida provocaron

2. Propugna la solución pacífica de lascontroversiasylosconflictos
internacionales y rechaza la amenaza o elel derrocamiento de varios gobiernos que
pretendieron, en la década pasada, imponer
un modelo económico neoliberal similar alque se implantó en otros países de la regióny resultaron en una mayor concentración deriqueza. El hecho de que los sectores

uso de la fuerza para resolverlos.

populares encuentren canales de expresión yparticipación en las calles, es decir, que lademocracia funcione, a pesar de sus
imperfecciones, tal vez explica porquebloqueo económico o militar.

3. Condena la injerencia de los Estados en
los asuntos internos de otros Estados, ycualquier forma de intervención, sea
incursión armada, agresión, ocupación o

4. Promueve la paz”.

2El establecimiento, en 1999, de una basemilitar de los Estados Unidos en la ciudad

nueva Constitución que, en su artículo 15
determina:

de Manta alentó la formación de unconsenso nacional de rechazo a la existencia
de bases militares extranjeras en el Ecuador.
Ese consenso fue recogido por el Plan
Nacional de Política Exterior 2020,
resultado de un amplio proceso de consultas
con todos los sectores políticos, económicos

Se prohíbe el desarrollo, producción,
tenencia, comercialización,
importación, transporte, almacenamiento y
uso de armas químicas,
biológicas y nucleares, …. Así como la
introducción de residuos nucleares yy sociales del país. Los artículos 5 y 416,
num.5 de nuestra Constitución Política
consagran la máxima jerarquía normativa aeste consenso al señalar:desechos tóxicos al territorio nacional”

Art. 5.- El Ecuador es un territorio de paz.

Por su parte, el artículo 416, numeral 4
señala que el Estado: “Promueve…eldesarme universal; condena el desarrollo y
uso de armas de destrucción masiva”

No se permitirá el establecimiento de bases
militares extranjeras ni de instalaciones
extranjeras con propósitos militares. Se
prohíbe ceder bases militares nacionales afuerzasarmadasodeseguridad
extranjeras.,” y; Art 416.5. (Ecuador

La injerencia de las grandes potencias en losasuntos internos de los Estados ha sido una
constante histórica. En el caso de América
Latina los Estados Unidos han sido
recurrente protagonista de dicha injerencia.

La eliminación total de las armas nucleares,
y el libre acceso de todos los países delCon el objetivo de fortalecer su propia
capacidad para hacer frente a las nuevas
amenazas a su seguridad, los paísessudamericanos decidieron, en el marco de la
Unión Sudamericana, creada hace un par deaños que tiene su sede en Quito, establecer

mundo al uso pacífico de la energía nuclear
ha sido un objetivo por el que han trabajado,
desde hace décadas, sucesivos gobiernos en
Ecuador. La dinámica e invariable acción dela diplomacia ecuatoriana en distintos foros
internacionales de desarme, y en especial en

un Consejo de Seguridad y Defensa, que,bajo la presidencia del Ecuador ha acordado
durante la reunión celebrada hace pocos días
importantes avances para crear medidas deconfianza entro los países de la región yvarios procedimientos ymecanismos

el establecimiento de América Latina comola primera región del mundo libre de este
tipo de armas consagrado en el Tratado deTaltelolco, llevaron a que los países de laregión designen a un ecuatoriano comoprimer dirigente de la OPANAL, eltendientes a favorecer el desarme.

organismo encargado de velar por el fiel
cumplimiento de ese compromiso. Los
principios que guiaron tradicionalmente laacción del Ecuador han sido recogidos en su

reunión celebrada hace pocos días en Quito
UNASUR adoptó medidas para disminuir elriesgo de que dichas bases se constituyan en
una amenaza para la región. Los países

condena) la imposición de bases oinstalaciones con propósitos militares deunos Estados en el territorio de otros.

En los últimos meses el Consejo ha
manifestado su preocupación por elestablecimiento de varias bases militares delos Estados Unidos en Colombia. En la

3sudamericanos en reiteradas ocasiones han
sostenido que el conflicto colombiano es unpotencias nucleares sigan pretendiendo la
vigencia sólo las normas que impiden la

asunto interno que debe ser resuelto por los
propios colombianos, y que el problema dela producción, consumo y tráfico de drogas
y delitos conexos como el lavado de dinero
no puede ser resuelto con un enfoque deseguridad que privilegia el uso de medios
militares.
Estamossegurosquelaproliferación, sin avanzar de modo decidido
en las negociaciones a las que secomprometieron con el convenio paraeliminar sus arsenales. Es este un campo
propicio para fortalecer la cooperación entre
los pueblos de Ecuador y Japón. Formulo
votos porque el movimiento pacifista

consolidación de un sistema sudamericano
de defensa disminuir a la vulnerabilidad dela región y propiciará la búsqueda desoluciones a los desafíos de seguridad que
enfrentamos. Adicionalmente este avancecualitativo de la integración sudamericana

japonés, que tiene un liderazgo internacional
ganado por su entereza al oponerse a larepetición de las tragedias de Hiroshima yNagasaki, fortalezca sus lazos con lasociedad civil del Ecuador y los otros países
aquí presentes y se mantengan vigilantes

contribuirá a limitar los riesgos de injerencia
externa en nuestros asuntos internos.

para que sus gobiernos cumplamos con la
obligación que tenemos de impulsar elavance del derecho internacional, deconformidad con la voluntad popular, que demanera clara se pronuncia por laproscripción del uso de la fuerza en las

El próximo año se celebrará la conferencia
de renovación del Tratado de No
Proliferación de armas nucleares. Al igualque en anteriores negociaciones sobre este
instrumento internacional, Ecuador insistiráen que se otorgue prioritaria importancia alobjetivo último del Tratado que es laerradicación completa de las armas
nucleares. No podemos permitir que lasrelaciones internacionales, el respeto a lasoberanía territorial de los Estados y laerradicación definitiva de las armas dedestrucción masiva.
MUCHAS GRACIAS.

(English Translation)
Special Lecture by H.E. Mr. Javier Ponce, Ambassador of Ecuador to Japan

I would like to thank the organizers of thisconference for inviting me to join you in thisgathering. I understand this honor as
recognition of foreign policy of dignity,
sovereignty and democracy carried forward

importance of the participation of socialorganizations in my country, just like theones that are present here in this meeting
today in Kanagawa.
We have theindigenous population best organized in theby the government under the leadership ofPresident Rafael Correa in Ecuador.

continent, and their mobilization capacity
has, since the 1980’s, led to the recognitionof their entitlements to land, as well as theirpolitical and cultural rights that had beenFirst, I would like to underscore the4negated for more than 400 years.

4. Promote peace.”

Combativeness of popular sectors and theirpeaceful but decisive action toppled down
various governments that had sought during
the past decade to impose upon the people aneoliberal economic model, similar to theone introduced in other countries in theregion and ended up in more concentration

The establishment or a military base of theUnited States in 1999 in Manta City helped
to build national consensus on refusal of theexistence of foreign military bases in
Ecuador. This consensus was incorporated
in the National Plan for Foreign Policy 2020,
through a broad process of consultationsof wealth. Popular sectors found means ofexpression and participation in the streets,that is to say, democracy functions despite
its defectiveness. This perhaps explains
the reason why Ecuador is the only country
in South America that has not fallen into thewith all political, economic and social
sectors of the country. In its Article 5 andArticle 416 No. 5, our Political Constitution
grants the highest normative status to thisconsensus, saying:

dangerous armed struggle suffered by othercountries in the region, nor has conductedmassive and systematic human rights
violations
even
under
the
military
governments in the 1960’s and the 1970’s.

“ Article 5: Ecuador is a territory ofpeace. It does not permit the establishmentof foreign military bases, or foreign
installations with military purposes. It
prohibits the cession of national militarybases to foreign armed forces or security

The power of the citizens’ organizations
working for the defense of sovereignty fromforeign interference, for the promotion of
women’s rights, for the respect to the nature,and the preservation of natural resources forthe benefit of the people, made the newforces,” and“Article 416 No. 5: 416. (Ecuador)condemns the imposition of bases or
installations for military purposes of Statesin the territory of others.

Political Constitution approved by thereferendum last year, the most advanced
constitution in the world in terms of theprotection of human rights including theright to peace. Article 15 stipulates that
Ecuador:

The total elimination of nuclear weapons
and free access of all coutires of the world tothe pacific use of nuclear energy have been
the objectives of successive governments ofEcuador since decades ago. Because of the
dynamic and invariable action of Ecuadorian“2. Advocates pacific solution ofinternational controversies and conflicts
and rejects the threat or use of force asmeans of resolving them.
3. Condemns interference by States in

diplomacy in different international forumsondisarmament,
especiallyintheestablisment of Latin America by the
Taltelolco Treaty, as the first region of theworld free of this type of weapons, countriesof this region designated an Ecuadorian asother states’ internal affairs, and any formof intervention, either as armed incursion,
aggression, occupation, or economic or
military blockade.

the first leader of an organization called
OPANAL, which is a monitaring body forthe implementation in good faith of thistreaty.
Ecuador’s long-held guiding
3

principles for action have been incorporated
in the new Constitution in its Article 15,

should be resolved by Colombians, and thatthe problem of prduction, consumption, andwhich determines:

trafficking of drugs, and all related crimes
such as money laundering cannot be settled
from the security perspectives that places
priority to the use of military means. We
are convinced that the consolidation of aSouth American defense system will reducethe vulnebility of the region, and favor the“Development, production, possession,comercialization, import, transpot, stockpile,and use of chemical, biological, and nuclear
weapons, … as well as the introduction of
nuclear and toxic wastes to national

search for solutions to the security
challenges we face.
In addition, thisqualitative advance of the integration ofSouth America will contribute to diminish
the danger of outside interference into ourinternal affairs.

territory.”
For its part, Article 416 No.4 stipulates
that
the
State
“promotes…universal
disarmament; condemns development anduse of weapons of mass destruction.”Interference of big powers into internalaffairs of States has constantly been
repeated in history. In the case of Latin
America, it has always been the UnitedStates that carried out such interference. In
order to strengthen theirs own capacity toWithin a few months, the Non-Nuclear
Proliferation Treaty Review Conference willtake place.
Just like in the previous
negotiations on this international instrument,
Ecuador will maintain that it gives top

confront new threats to their security, theSouth Amerian coutries decided, within theframework of the Union of South American
Nations (UNASUR) created two years ago
with their head office in Quito, to establish a
Security and Defence Council.
In thepriority to the Treaty’s ultimate goal, that is,complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
We cannot allow that nuclear powers only
seek to keep the validity of the norms forpreventing proliferation, without taking
decisive steps forward in the negotiations tomeeting held just a few days ago under the
Ecuadorian presidency, the Council agreed
on the important progress for creating
measure of confidence between countires of
the region, as well as procedures andmechanisms to promote disarmament.

agree on the nuclear weapons convention.
This is the area where peoples of Ecuador
and Japan should strengthen cooperation.
Japanese peace movement has beenrecognized as the intenational leader for its
firm resolve in opposition to the repetition

In these past months, the Council has
expressed its concern over the establiehmentof various US military bases in Colombia.
In the meeting held in Quito a couple ofdays ago, UNASUR adopted measures soof the tragedies of Hiroshima and Okinawa.
I hope that Japan’s peace movement as such
will strengthen its ties with civil society of
Ecuador and that the two countries remain
vigilant so that their governments implement
the obligation to promote international law,that those bases will not pose threat to theregion. South American countries have on
many occasions maintained that the
Colombian conflict is an internal affair thatin accordance with the people’s will, clearly
declaring the ban on the use of force ininternational relations, respect to territorial
sovereignty of States, and the complete
4elimination
destruction.

ofweasponsofmass

Thank you.

Introductory Reports of the Panelists
John Lindsay-Poland
Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Dismantling Military Bases:
Constructing Our Own Narrative and Finding a Role for Each of Us
I am deeply grateful to the Japan Peace
Committee for creating this opportunity toItalk with you about movements to close US
military bases around the world, especiallyin Latin America.

think

these

describe

very

well

the

In the subway station near where I live, in
California, I was looking at the billboard

fascinations of my country at this time –how to be healthy in a system that we can’t
afford (and it’s California, so marijuana ispart of this mix), along with images of deathand murder for entertainment, along with agame about a game to “take over.”announcements on the walls. They werearranged in pairs, and it was very striking. In
the first pair, was an ad promoting medical
marijuana, together with an ad for a video
gun game called “Resident Evil”, with apicture of a woman aiming a gun-like

People say that the United States leads theworld in culture and that others follow. If
that’s the case, I hate to think what thesebillboards in my city mean for Article 9 inyours.

instrument at her TV, with a monster egging
her on and the invitation to “Let your darkside come out.” In the second pair, was an ad
promoting shots against the flu with an adfor the film “Left for Dead 2” with a pictureof a ghoulish hand. In the third pair, was an

I will talk about experiences with Latin
America, because that is the area I haveworked on for many years, as well as theUnited States, where I live. And I hopeafterward we can have some dialogue. I havead that said “It takes the courage of a true
warrior to ask for help,” from the Veterans
Administration, for war veterans who needcounseling, together with an ad for the film
“SAW VI” about the violent deaths ofcorporate criminals forced to play sadistic

worked on this through the Fellowship ofReconciliation, a pacifist organization
founded at the beginning of World War One,on the conviction that love and truth canreconcile human conflict without thesuffering caused by war and injustice. In

games. And finally, there was ad that said
“How will you take over?” about abasketball video, together with, again,“Resident Evil”.

Latin America, we have worked with
nonviolent justice and peace movements topromote a demilitarized US policy andcollaborative relationships with similar
5

movements in the United States.

Direct action. A substantially united
population. These produced political will at

After the US invasion of Panama in 1989,
we learned how the US military bases inPanama had been used as a platform for US
intervention in other countries, as well as in
20 interventions in Panama itself, about the
lives lost, about the environmental harms
caused by these military activities. And we

the governmental level (though not of thesame governments that negotiated the basesor their continuation). These conditions
don’t exist yet in Colombia, at least not yet.
But they also did not exist at the beginningof the presence of bases in Ecuador, Puerto
Rico or Panama.

worked together with Panamanian groups toensure the bases closed in accordance with
the Canal Treaties. When they did, we also
worked with the mass movement in Puerto
Rico to close military bases there, and withorganizations in Ecuador to support closure

National opinion on Manta began with amajority in favor of the base, but thatmajority declined until it became thereverse: the national majority wanted the US
soldiers to leave. In Manta itself, there was aof the base in Manta that began to operate in
1999. Latin America has much to teachabout transforming from the presence ofmilitary bases and domination by the UnitedStates to greater regional autonomy from theSuperpower to the north.

progressive increase of public opinión that
rejected the US military presence, from 0%
in 2000, increasing to 18% in 2004, and laterto 30% in 2005 and 2006.
Anotherelement

has

been

that

the

circumstances of establishing the militarypresence were seen as illegitimate. In
Panama, the bases were set up by a treaty
signed in New York just a few days after
independence in 1903, behind the backs ofthe new Panamanian leaders, that delivered

In preparation for this presentation, I
interviewed a number of veteran US
activists working for the closure of foreign
military bases, and for demilitarization anddisarmament generally. What brought about
the closure of foreign military bases incountries
that
havesuccessfully
accomplished this? What combinations offorces and spirit and politics and economy?
Gwyn Kirk of Women for Genuine Security

US sovereignty over the most important realestate on the Panama isthmus. In Puerto
Rico, the bases were established throughconquest in the war with Spain andexpanded through extraordinary legal
powers in World War Two. In Ecuador, theobserves that the successful campaigns – inthe Philippines, Kaho’olawe, Panama,
Vieques, Okinawa, Ecuador - all involved
sustained direct action.

agreement was signed in 1999 by President
Jamil Mahuad, who was overthrown shortly
afterward, and the agreement was neverreviewed by the Ecuadorian Congress.

Let’s look at what have been the conditions

In Puerto Rico, the people’s indignation

for closing the military bases in Panama,
Puerto Rico and Ecuador. These conditions
have included: rejection at a national level(though not at the local level in some cases).

about the elevated levels of cancer in theisland-municipality of Vieques, bombed formore than 60 years, boiled over with thedeath of David Sanes, a civilian guard, by
6

two bombs that fell on the Observation Postin 1999. The US Navy used Vieques to train

the Vieques movement, mostly because thePuerto Rican diaspora living in the United

pilots before going to the Persian Gulf andin this case to the war in Kosovo. The
movement that erupted after David Sanes’
death united Puerto Rico, normallypolitically fractured over its relationship to
the United States.

States was very active, and large, and wasable to access the media, political structure
and courts more easily than most immigrantgroups. The movement used legal strategies,
such as civil lawsuits for health damages
and for an injunction to stop the naval
bombing practice. It used lobbying, bringing

For four years they protested, setting up
camps inside the bombing area. When thebombing was resumed after a year, small
groups went inside the impact area –beginning with a group of women. Morethan 1,500 people were arrested in acts ofhundreds of Puerto Ricans to Washington. It
used culture, with film and music thatcelebrate and documented the resistance in
Vieques. It used dramatic action, such as
when one man hung a Vieques flag and abanner to stop the bombing from the Statue

civil disobedience. In 2003, the Navyannounced the closure of the bombing range
and an end to the bombing as a result of thenonviolent protests carried out by ordinary
Puerto Rican people, people prepared theirfamilies for 30-day prison terms and madeof Liberty in New York. It used education,such as the work of our organization andmany others that distributed written
information and did presentations. It drewon technical experts, who investigated theenvironmental, military, health impacts ofsure their medicines were in order, people
who, by acting, became extraordinary. Or
maybe we should say they already were. Notlong afterward, the Navy closed the large
Roosevelt Roads base that was operationallytied to Vieques, on the big island.

bombing in Vieques. There were discourses
and roles for people of the church acting on
their faith and religious values, for women
acting against the pervasive male violenceof the military, for politicians, for peace
activists who understood the role of Vieques

In Panama, the movement to remove the US
military bases on the banks of the Panama
Canal took hold in the late 1950s, with astrong nationalist student movement. Afterthe “flag riots” in January 1964, the new US

in US wars, for doctors who saw stopping
the bombing as a health measure, for cooks
and videographers, for journalists, for folks
at home when their loved ones went to jail,for people who have money, for fishermen
who brought protesters out to the bombingpresident Lyndon Johnson committed theUnited States to fundamentally restructure
the US-Panama relationship, which led
eventually to the 1977 Treaty that committed
the United States to withdraw all of its
troops by the end of 1999.

range, for businesspeople and urban
planners who foresaw that ending thebombing would increase tourism, for someof you in Japan and Hawai’i and island
cultures who felt a bond with Puerto Ricans
and their situation, and for many of us

In these cases, solidarity in the United States
played a role, though it was never theprotagonistic role. It was most prominent inaround the world who visited and felt
indignant and inspired and went home tofind a way to act in our own contexts, out of
our own gifts.
7

Washington,
titled“Security
without
Empire,” that brought more than 200 people

The movement to stop the bombing in
Vieques was a mass movement, and although
it has not yet accomplished all its goals – forcommunity development and return of thelands and environmental cleanup – it did win
a great victory when the Navy conceded in2003 that “The level of protests, attempted
incursions,andisolatedsuccessful

together and included an intensive lobby day
in Congress.

incursions generally remains high when
Battle Group training occurs on the island”
requiring “extremely aggressive and costly
multi-agency security actions” in order tobomb the island. “Navy’s departure from
Vieques will relieve us from this burden,”but these days, the United States opposes
even the establishment of many suchstandards.) This can be a very dangerous
situation, in which the empire is tempted tocompensate for its deficiencies and satisfy
its subjects’ sense of entitlement through thethe Navy concluded. This achievement by apeople in a colony using nonviolence against
the most powerful military in the history of
the world was all the more impressive,
considering that the Navy considered
Vieques the “crown jewel” of its training

use of violence to enforce unequal terms oftrade. But in such a situation, other nations
have an opportunity to assert their strength –I don’t mean military strength (in which theUnited States still dominates the world), but
strength of culture, of production, of ethics,

facilities and it fought hard against the
movement.

of community.

The United States is clearly an empire in
decline, as measured by production, health,debt, and the ability to set global standards.
(Empires always break international laws,

In Ecuador, the United States did not put up
the same fight. The military had not had amilitary base in Ecuador for as long a time,

There are three things that are shaping thepeace movement and specifically activism in
the United States for the closure of foreign
military bases.

and the activities there were not as
integrated into its operations regionally andglobally as in Vieques. It was a tenant andnot an owner of the base. And a sovereign
elected government had campaigned on theplan to terminate the lease for the base. In

The first is the economic crisis, which
affects people of all classes, although invery different ways. The crisis may reflect
imperialism’s decline, but it has deeply
affected
civilsocietyorganizations,addition, Colombia next door provided afairly simple exit. Like Guam for Okinawa,
Colombia’s problems are exploited by theUnited States even as Ecuador achieves
greater freedom.

including the peace movement. Manyorganizations are barely holding on,
including the national coalition United forPeace and Justice, which has no staff andjust two working groups.

So what is the state of activism in the UnitedStates to close foreign military bases now?
In February of this year, 17 organizationsorganized a national conference in

A second factor is the love of Obama.
“Every time you elect a Democraticpresident,” says Joseph Gerson of American
Friends Service Committee, “for 18 months
8

to 2 years the liberal end of the movement
has fallen in love with the president. You

issued an action appeal about the reductionof US military force in Iraq, about which thehave a trough in that period. We’re in thattrough. As Obama’s numbers decline, you’ll
see it coming back.” Joseph says this periodbegan last year when people started to get
serious about the election, and an enormous
amount of money and energy went into thecampaign.

Obama administration has given mixed
messages. “Ladies,” they said, “is this awithdrawal method that you trust?”
For military bases, it is also important toframe the bases as part of the large and deepissues that concern us. At the moment, amajority in the United States opposes anescalation of the US war in Afghanistan,which is being fought from bases in
Afghanistan and Qatar and Germany andother nations. Some messages focus on how
overseas military bases cost the United

A third factor is the increasing digitalizationof life, of media, and of activism. People
spend a lot of time looking at screens thatare connected to the Internet, text messages,
and the phone, not as much time with print
or face-to-face, which are more expensive
than email blasts or web pages, especiallyfor international activism. In one sense, thisis an asset for international work at a time
when the availability of jet fuel is peaking.
But it also means that many people’s

States more than $100 billion (after you
subtract what nations like Japan are paying
for them), which could be used to make theUnited States more healthy, productive andself-sufficient.

connection to others’ experience of war andinjustice is thin and abstract.

There is a good deal going on: research byacademics such as the books on Diego
Garcia by David Vine and global bases by
Catherine Lutz; educational events such as
what Grannies for Peace organized in New
York last month; campaigns to stop theWhat this has added up to is that peace
activism is drawing from the solid core ofactivists, many of whom are middle aged
and older.
So what is it that moves people to action?
There is some kind of emotional pinch,
something that grabs you and you say, “I’mgoing to do this.” “Urgency works on you

production of drones (Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles used to attack Afghanistan andPakistan) in towns where people are being
hired to make them; the gathering of womenin Guam in September that celebrated thefragile reconstruction of Chamorro culture.

when you’re in place when you can makesome choices, and when basics of life aretaken care of,” says Gwyn Kirk. “It doesn’t
have the same impact when your sense ofurgency is how you’re going to put food on
the table.”

The successful campaign against missile‘defense’ radars in the Czech Republic waswell supported by Global Network and theCampaign for Peace and Democracy. Our
own work to make visible and oppose the
new US bases in Colombia has foundresonance with many people in the UnitedStates and beyond.

Humor also helps. Some of you know
CODEPINK,
thewomen’s
peaceorganization in the United States. They

The work to close US military bases finds
9

strength and energy in the relationships bornof people-to-people connections, in visits

In all of this, we can draw up from our core,and speaking tours and events like this one,when we engage the emotions we feel about
the lives of Amer-asian children andOkinawans living in such a militarizedisland and the dugongs and the painful
history the two countries share, about wars
in Iraq and elsewhere and cruelty infrom the knowledge that there is no reason
to harm, that none of us carry “resident evil”
or need be “left for dead” as the movies say,that we are creating another narrative. Call it
love. It is our own narrative, it has force,
and whatever happens in the world, it iswhat gives our lives meaning and beauty. In

California or Tokyo, and we also engage ourminds to understand why and how thesethings happen and what is effective to do in
response. We also find energy in what we dophysically, with our bodies, where we place
ourselves in critical moments, with whom

this swift life, we will keep finding ways towalk together, to work together, and hear –really hear - each other’s voices acrossocean and city and table. This is our faith;
this is our peace.

we stand.

Thank you for listening.

Hannelore Tölke
German Peace Council / Bonn City Council Member
NATO – a security risk
In the last 20 years since the end of
bipolarities NATO changed it strategies andarea of operation. I would like to speak

involvement civil actors and international
aid organisations in the so called
deployment of stabilisation. Military andabout these changes and I will speak about
concepts of security that could guarantee
security in the 21st century and which could
be an option for Europe.

civil actors will work hand in hand so in this
CIMIC (Civil-Military Co-operation) civil
actors will become part of the military
deployment of NATO.

The NATO summit that took place in April

The Afghanistan strategy is an enlargement

2009 decided to work on a new strategic
concept for a new long-lasting strategy for
NATO in the 21st century. The decision
about this new strategic concept will bemade assembly on the next NATO Summit
2010 in Portugal.

of troops in Afghanistan. The aim which wasannounced this week is to bring 100.000
soldiers to Afghanistan.
Another point of new NATO strategies is thechange of he for communication structuresand decisions. It proposed to renounce on
decision making by consensus, member who
will not bee part of NATO-wars will to partin decisions but NATO member have to pay

One important point in this concept of the
new NATO Strategy is the so called
Comprehensive Approach which means an
10

for all deployment coast, not only those whotake part in the action. Experts are in thepolitical debate. The question discussed withgreat passion not only by politicians but also

opinion that this will change the proportionsof power completely. It will give theadventure to bigger countries and will
significant enlarged the ability of warfare
for NATO.

among people in Western Germany was thefollowing: would Germany have the right fora special way of neutrality or would
integration in the western systems be thebest way?

Despite NATO declares just the opposite it isStalin tried to prevent the remilitarisation of

in confrontation with Russia. NATO andespecially the USA want that Georgia andUkraine will become NATO members. In
future NATO will work closely with
Non-NATO-Democracies such like Australia,
Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

Western Germany and its integration in theNATO by proposing limited military forcesin whole Germany, reunifying Germany, freeelections and a neutral Germany. In
connection with a non-allied Yugoslavia, aneutral Austria, Sweden and Finland aThis change NATO will be a competitor
organization to UNO. The aim is to avoid
the Russian and Chinese veto right against
military deployment in the UNO. Thisremoulding of NATO has the aim to be readyfor new war around the world.

so-called cordon sanitaire between both
blocks in Europe would be possible in thiscase.
In May 1955 the Allied High Commission,
which included USA, Great Britain andFrance in Western Germany, signed the
proclamation for the removal of the
Occupation Statute of Germany and theAllied-High- Commission law that forbade
an army in Germany was suspended inWestern Germany. In June 1955 the German

NATO an organisation for warfare up
from the beginning
A retrospection to the past shows, up fromthe beginning NATO was military alliancenot for warfare and not for defence.

army “Bundeswehr” was founded
Germany became a member of NATO.

Even the foundation of NATO in April 1949
is only understandable in connection withthe confrontation of USA and Soviet Union
that starts 1945 and expressed the increasingandAfter Western Germany became NATO
Member the Warsaw Treaty was founded anda further level of system confrontation was

system confrontation between two politicalsystems.

reached.

Germany’s accession to NATO was amilestone of warfare. Germany became
NATO Member in 1955. For this German

A process of rapprochement started not until
20 year in 1975 with the Conference for
Security and Cooperation“.

Bundeswehr was founded in the west part ofGermany.
Theremilitarisation
wasaccompanied by a bitter struggle in theWestern German society and a broad

During the KSCE Summit in Paris from 19th
to 21st November 1990 16 NATO States and
6 Warsaw-Treaty states executed a common
11declaration in which they defined them self
not as rivals but as partners.

in Eastern Europe and! A possible treat coming from theMiddle East and the Mediterranean
Sea

The Charta of Paris was the last point of thisprocess. The idea of the Paris Charta was tocreate a regional system of mutual collective
security. A mutual and collective security
should be guaranteed by OSCE, theWith this scenario Eastern Europe,
especially Russia, and the Middle East was
identified as a possible treat, theresponsibility of NATO was enlarged from

Organisation for Security and Cooperationin Europe. Europe was regarded as ageographical Europe form the Atlantic to the
Ural in which Russia without any question
was a member. The OSCE declared that it
want a Europe from which comes peace,

the North Atlantic area to Middle East. The
Security of this alliance has to be regarded
in global framework.
In April 1999 in the Summit in Washington
NATO changed it strategies to a worldwide

which is open for dialogs and cooperation
with other countries und ready for sharing
experiences and for searching common
security. If this principles and aims would
be transformed, a change in the history ofworld could be possible. Europe could be an

acting military instrument. Just one monthafter the NATO-war against Yugoslavia
started.
Just in the same moment when the NATOtreaty was reinterpreted the Treaty on

independent and peace orientated force, inwhich the former European member states ofNATO and Warsaw Treaty would find aplace in a common house Europe.

Conventional Armed Forces in Europe CFE
was put on hold. The chance to build a
European Security System was given up andEurope subordinate to the hegemony
interests of the USA.

But in the same time the 2 plus 4 agreement
destroy the idea for a common house Europe,
2 plus 4 agreement 2 Germany states, andthe 4 allies in the word war II USA, GreatBritain, France and Russia which ispractically the peace treaty. In the 2+4

Divergences between Europe and USA
But a conflict of interests and divergenceswere existing and they are existing even now.
These divergences are caused by different
safety needs.

agreement GDR joints FRG as a part ofNATO area, even a few months after the
Warsaw Treaty were dissolved. NATO states
decided in November 1991 on the NATO
Summit in Rome a new strategic concept.
They confirmed the NATO politics ofSince 1990 especially the US are carryingout an enlargement to the east. The
accession of Georgia and Ukraine is one
important point of divergences. This
accession means that not only in Baltic, but

determent and the option of the first strike
for the use nuclear weapons. To justify toongoing the existence of NATO the summit
detected a number of threats.
! The instability of Eastern Europe,! A possible treat of nuclear weapons

also in the south NATO will approach to theRussian frontiers. Nowhere else arenowadays the divergences between US andWestern Europe so obvious than in the12conflict about Georgia and in the gas clash
with Ukraine. It is important the notice, that

Aserbaidshan via Tbilisi in Georgia overRussian territories to the Balkan and fromsince 1992 and 2001 the UN Security
Council mandated Russia as a stabilisation
force in the Caucasus. Russia is regarding
this region as its region of interest. Despite
the European resistance USA is making
pressure and is claiming for a membershipof Georgia and Ukraine in NATO.

there to the North. The Nacucco leads aswell from Baku-Tbilisi to Turkey via Balkan
to Vienna and Prague.
The control over the petrol-bottleneck
Georgia completes the picture that also incase US tries to control the energy transport
to Europe.

Another divergence of Interests was visible
in the coalition of the willing during the Iraq
war in March 2003, when the axes
Berlin-Paris refused the fellowship to the
US. Also in the relationship to Iran are

Nowadays Europe has two Options.
! The first is to follow NATO and USA
leaded military actions in order to beallowed to take part in decisions.

significant differences
behaviour are visible.

ofinterests

andThis is what EU states are doing in
the Operation Enduring Freedom andActiveEndeavour
intheMediterranean Sea.

Also a very hot topic of competition is theengagement Africa. An very important in
Africa to have resources such like Oil and! The second option could be to create

Gas, Water and mineral resources, undercontrol. The UN mandated EU-Militaryintervention in Tschad is only one spotlightto this. USA and Europe are also
competitors to in Congo and Darfur.

an own cooperation with Russia, justwhat
Europedidinthe
Ukrainian-Russian gas-clash, Iranand Georgia.
A clear political line is until now not

Rivalries do not only exist concerning
resources but also because to control
pipelines. This is visible in the latest crisis
about Georgia. This country The RussianSouthstream
leads
from
Baku
in

visible. But a combination of alt strategies
and the will for global military interventions
will provoke a heavy security problem andwill continue the division of Europe.

Lee Junkyu
Lecturer, Laborers’ Academy for Alternative Society
Challenges for 2010
-A South Korean Perspective –My name is Lee Junkyu from South Korea.
Thank you for inviting me to this Japan

Peace Conference.

13

What I want to tell you today is about theso-called “North Korean Nuclear Issue” andseen whether the direct dialogue engaged
between North Korea and the U.S. will

the alliance between South Korea and U.S.
and the alliance between Japan and U.S. The
former is represented by U.S. forces inSouth Korea and the latter by the U.S. forces
in Japan. These two alliances may seem tobe two separate problems if you look at themin certain way, but in my view, these two

produce any tangible result and whether itwill facilitate the resumption of multilateral
consultations including the Six Party Talks
which would in turn set the process ofsolving the North Korean Issue again inmotion.

issues are closely linked to each other.

There are voices questioning whether North
Korea is serious about abandoning its
nuclear programs. I was asked similar
questions quite often when I was staying inJapan for a year since last summer for fieldresearch. I think that it is a wrong way to

As the representatives of North Korea andthe U.S. are going to meet, there is a
growing expectation that it will create abreakthrough in the stalemate over the
Korean Peninsula. It can be said that the“North Korean Nuclear Issue” is now at aturning point.

look at the question. I believe that what wemust ask ourselves at this moment instead is“ what we should do to make North Korea
give up its nuclear program”.

There have been many twists and turns until
today. The response of the Japanese

In addition, posing the question “does North

government of Aso and the South Korean
government of Lee Myung-bak to the North
Korean satellite testing conducted on April 5
this year led eventually to a declaration of
the U.N. Security Council Chairman
condemning North Korea, to which North

Korea really intend to renounce its nuclear
weapons” may well lead to a preconception
or a prejudice about a country like the
DPRK. Preconception and prejudice will
narrow the options for the policy to be
implemented towards North Korea and it

Korea responded by conducting nuclear
testing in May for the second time. In
addition, since its inauguration, the new Lee
government has tried to precede to an
overall revision the policies of the previous
government, putting the North-South

would thus make the solution more difficult.
Moreover, they would have negative effectfor the establishment of a peaceful order in
East Asia.

relationship on the Korean Peninsula in a
deadlock. In this context, people place hopein the serious dialogue between North Korea
and the U.S. that commenced aroundsummer this year.

the question of Kim Jong–Il’s successor in
North Korea, which was one of the favorite
topics for South-Korean, Japanese and U.S.
media from last autumn till spring this year.
In fact, when the U.S. State Secretary Hilary
Clinton toured in Asia in February this year,

However, it is an undeniable reality that theprospect for the settlement of the “North
Korean Nuclear Issue” remains as opaqueand uncertain as before. It remains to be

she referred to the question of successor
which irritated North Korea. The New YorkTimes commented that her statement “brokethe diplomatic taboo”.

I would like to take up, as example of this,14

In March this year, South Korean and theIt goes without saying that the current stageof the “North Korean Nuclear Issue”

U.S. armed forces conducted a joint military
exercise. It was then pointed out that thatexercise was actually for “operational plan5029” that supposes an “emergency situationin North Korea” and the subsequentintervention of U.S. troops stationed inSouth Korea as well as South Korean troops

consists of creation of a breakthroughallowing the concerned parties to get out of
the current stalemate to advance towards
dialogue. If we look at the issue in a wider
perspective, we will see that upheavals aretaking place in East Asia and the world.
The advent of Obama Administration in theand ROK-U.S. allied troops. It was naturalthat North Korea strongly reacted to such a
military exercise. Walter Sharp, thecommander of U.S. armed forces in South
Korea, first in April and then in October,stressed the need for measures to cope with

U.S. has important implications. It is also
important that the new government ofHatoyama that replaced the successive LDP
governments refers to the possibility ofresuming dialogue with North Korea. This inturn means that if the current South Korean

an emergency happening in North Korea.
I believe that this can explain partly if notcompletely why the U.S. accepted thehardliner policy or sanction against North
Korea proposed by Japan and South Korea
in the first half of this year. In my view, it

government does not change its policy
towards North Korea, it will be isolated in
the course of future developments or may
even be treated as a nuisance.

can be described without exaggeration as“North Korean demise” theory or “Obama
Model North Korean regime change” theory.
A sudden change in or collapse of North
Korea is something that South Korea would

the Korean Peninsula over the North Korean
Nuclear Issue swings between deadlock andprogress, the phenomenon or measures orideas that run counter to peace in Asia or to
the establishment of a non-nuclear andpeaceful world will gain strength. The firsthate even to imagine. However if it happens,
it is common sense to seek for a solution
with peaceful means whatever the nature of
the event is. With ROK and U.S. boasting
their alliance to be 100% ready for any eventthat will occur, the imaginable future of East

to gain strength is the logic “nuclear
deterrence” and then the obsession foralliance that is underlying the nuclear
deterrence logic. I used the word obsession,
because I find it abnormal from political
psychology perspective to rely heavily on

Asia seems to be chaotic for us. I cannot but
wonder if the scenario with an emergency
situation happening in North Korea followed
by a military intervention by ROK-US joint
troops, backed up by Japanese self-defense
troops, or a “chaos in East Asia” that will

alliance with other countries.

lead to Chinese and Russian responses andinterventions really corresponds to the“spirit of alliance” they used to stress.

umbrella and its extreme form is going
nuclear. I say “extreme” but I find it rather
natural for a country believing in nuclear
deterrence logic to eventually conclude that

We can easily tell that while the situation on

Nuclear deterrence supposes that a nuclear
attack is inevitably responded with nuclear
attack. For Japan and South Korea, nuclear
deterrence is provided by the US nuclear15

it must have nuclear weapons to makedeterrence most effective.

the “START” process. Some warned that theplan of MD deployment in Eastern Europe
would provoke Russian reaction and would
initiate a new arms race between the U.S.
and Russia. For all these reasons, Obama’s
recent declaration must be welcomed.

In the two North Korean nuclear tests in2006 and 2009, the governments of Japanand South Korea moved to make sure thatthe nuclear umbrella provided by the U.S.
would work. South Korean Lee Myong-bak
government is boasting itself that at the

However, this new wind has not yet reached
East Asia. The MD continues to be promoted

summit meeting with the U.S. held in June
this year, it succeeded in including the“provision of nuclear umbrella – extended
deterrence-“ in the joint declaration as themost significant outcome. We can see here
the obsession of the government thatin the region, officially, for coping with
North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles,
but the result is the resurgence of Cold War
confrontation between “U.S., Japan, South
Korea versus China, Russia, North Korea”.
The deployment of defense missile system

underlies the nuclear deterrence logic.
There is something more. The operational
deployment of the missile defense and its
acceleration are going on in the reality,
sometimes on the pretext of “the North

whose efficiency is questioned is throwing
the foundation for a new arms race in theregion. Moreover, the U.S.-led MD
deployment, whatever the form it takes,
once it is completed, is likely to induce
negative reaction from China that is the

Korean threat” and sometimes on the pretextof “Chinese threat”. It is well known thatprotagonists of Japanese missile defense
officially invoke the threat of North Korea
going nuclear and increasing the number ofmissiles, but at the same time, they makestrengthening of its nuclear projection
capabilities. Such a scenario is contrary to
our desire for “a world without nuclear
weapons” and we must call into question
those who are trying to make this scenario a
reality while praising the alliance and theoften reference to the strengthening of
nuclear capabilities as well as projection
capabilities of China. In case of South Korea,
it promotes a South Korean -type MD”
despite its official policy of not taking partin the U.S.-led missile defense system.

spirit of alliance.

Within the country, people wonder if it does
notactuallymean
South
Korea’s
participation in the East Asia Missile
Defense.

actually a turning point for the entire East
Asia. Seen from South Korean perspective,
the North Korean Nuclear Issue has neverbeen the question of North Korea alone but a
Korean question in East Asia.

At the beginning of my talk, I said that theNorth Korean Nuclear Issue has come to aturning
point.
However,adeeperconsideration makes us realize that it is

President Obama declared in September thisyear that the U.S. would drop the MD planfor Eastern Europe. As you know, the MD
promoted by Bush administration scrapped
the Anti-Balistic Missile Treaty and stopped

We learned lessons from our 20-year
movement on North Korean nuclear issue: A
hope of resolution was opened only when
this issue was linked with building up a16

peace framework of the Korean Peninsula
and East Asia and North Korea attended

Korean Question. Japan has a duty to answer
the Question that arises from the history ofnegotiations
seriously.
Conversely,aprospect for the resolution got gloomy whenthe “acquisition of nuclear weapons” wasseparated from the “North Korean nuclear
issue” and the strengthening of security of
eachcountry
wasprioritizedthancooperation of those parties concerned.

colonization,
division,war
andconfrontation of the Korean Peninsula. The
normalization of relations between North
Korea and Japan will be one answer. Next
year marks the centenary of Japan’s
annexation of South Korea. I hope thatJapan will not miss the chance to contributeto peace of the Peninsula.

From the strategic viewpoint, now is thethird turning point in East Asia. As
conclusion, I want to propose concrete tasks
to tackle in this turning point.

Third, Japan should break away frommilitary alliance. I already spoke about“nuclear umbrella” and “missile defense”.
As is made clear, the decline of US

First is to promote negotiations on peaceagreement without delay. The provision 4of the September 19 Joint Statement, agreed
in 2005, states that those parties concerned
discuss a permanent peace setup in the
Korean Peninsula in an appropriate place.

hegemony has caused an increase of burdens
on its allies. It is clear that safety of allies
cannot be ensured by the US. It is a “myth”.
Ongoing realignment of US forces stationed
in South Korea and Japan clearly shows that
it is true. Actually, allies have been dragged

But the negotiations have not yet started.
Since this year, North Korea has demanded
the resolution of military issues with the US.
I believe that the peace agreement will help
develop multinational negotiations such as
six-party ones for the resolution of North

into US wars such as Iraqi War and Afghan
War. Those bases maintained at the sacrificeof local people are getting to be threat to thepeople’s right to live in peace in South
Korea and Japan.

Korean nuclear issue.
Second, together with the peace agreement,
we need to proceed normalization ofrelations between North Korea and the US
and North Korea and Japan. South Korea,

In addition, “obsession with alliance ”, apolitical state of mind, is permeating not
only into the diplomacy and security elites
and politicians but also ordinary citizens intheir daily life. As a result, general public in
South Korea and Japan now accepts theJapan and the US have fear that if they agreewith those talks, they may be caught in a
trap of North Korea. However, the peaceagreement and the normalization are thetasks we cannot get around not only for the
resolution of North Korean nuclear issue but

reality of bilateralism created by ROK-US
alliance and the Japan-US Alliance without
being aware of the danger of militarytension and war it generates. Rather, they
think that getting out of the security
umbrella provided by the US would increasefor peace of the Korean Peninsula and East
Asia.

future uncertainties.
What is essential is that South Korean andJapanese citizens, and more generally

In particular, Japan is responsible for17

citizens of East Asia, share the lessons ofhistory and mobilize their imagination to use

logic and in this process create and share a“multinational and multilateral” vision that

more efficiently the existing space ofpossibilities. The first step in this direction
is to free our minds from the alliance policy

will enable us to achieve “common security
and peace”.

Corazon Valdez Fabros
Stop the War Coalition Philippines
International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
U.S. Military Presence and Intervention and the Unfinished Struggle
for a Peaceful and Bases Free Philippines 1
A snapshot of US Military presence in thePhilippines and our continuing struggle for apeaceful, sovereign and bases freePhilippines is one that can enrage as well as
inspire. It is a story of a nation and its
people aspiring to free itself from the most

exercises with Filipino troops. An increasing
number of such exercises have been held
year-round in venues throughout the country
from Batanes (North) to Tawi-Tawi (South).
Since 2002, a unit of US Special Operations
Forces has been stationed continuously andvisible symbol of our colonial legacy and theCold War in the Philippines. After almost a
century of occupation, the United States had
to leave their bases in the Philippines in
November 24, 1992 brought about by thehistoric Senate vote to reject the new

indefinitely in various camps throughout
Mindanao. An increasing number of US
warships have been entering and visiting
various ports throughout the country. It has
become clear that the Philippines now hosts
a new, more sophisticated form of US basing.
(See Philippine map) 2

Military Bases Agreement in September
1991 and decades of people’s resistance.

These exercises are part of the continuing,
expanding, and deepening US militarypresence and intervention in the Philippines.
Though less visible than the large bases that
the US used to maintain in the Philippines
until 1991, this basing’s impact is no less

It did not take long before the US andPhilippine governments forged a new
agreement – which is now euphemistically
named Visiting Forces Agreement. This
indicated that our work has not been finisheddirect, its implications on peace and people’s
security no less threatening. And yet, muchof the US military's actions in thePhilippines have been concealed from thepublic, with both the US and Philippine
governments deliberately attempting toand remains as a major issue if not the mostimportant one in the peace and justice
movement in the Philippines today.
Since 2001, a steady stream of U.S. troops
have been coming to the Philippines to takepart in the annual Balikatan joint military

package and project US military presence inways that directly contradict available
18

information. Eight years since the first
deployment of troops to Mindanao,•

The US has established militarybasing in the Philippines

unanswered questions about their intentions
and their actual conduct, as well as their
alleged involvement in direct combat actions
and their construction of permanent military
structures, have been mounting.

•

The US is involved in actual combat
operations in the country•

The US military has, in complicity
withthePhilippine
military,
committed human rights violationsin the Philippines

Concerned about these developments, social•

The US is conducting operations
outside the control of the Philippine
government and military

•

The
US
military’s
so-calledhumanitarian projects are mere
cover for military operations that do
not benefit the local population•

US basing and intervention in the
country is contributing to insecurity
and leading to an escalation in
conflict.

movements and civil society organizations
and networks as well as academics and local
government officials, many of them part of
STOP the War Coalition Philippines came
together to form the Citizens' Peace Watch.
An independent initiative of concerned
citizens brought together to continuously
report on US military presence andintervention in the country.
The Citizens’ Peace Watch has embarked on
important and timely fact-finding missions,

In light of the clear violation of theconsistent monitoring efforts, research,
reporting,lobbying
and
information
campaigns to contribute to the public
discussion on the issue of US militarypresence and intervention.

Philippine Constitution and actual danger tolives and human rights, the Citizens’ Peace
Watch challenged elected representatives totake the initiative to demand and conduct
Congressional and Senate inquiries on theissue of US military operations andOne of Citizens’ Peace Watch’s major
activity was a fact-finding mission to
Zamboanga City and Sulu in Southern
Philippines last year. Zamboanga City is
known to host the headquarters of the US
Special Forces unit that has been deployedinterventions
especiallyinSouthern
Philippines. We also issued an urgent
demand for the suspension of US military
deployment to the Philippines, specificallythe stationing of the Joint Special Operations
Task Force-Philippines as well as theto the Philippines since 2002; some membersof this unit have been sent in small groups toSulu -- site of ongoing military offensives
ostensibly targeting the Abu Sayyaf Group(listed by the US as a terrorist organization).

military exercises, pending fair andindependent review of and investigations on
their presence and intervention.

The Citizens’ Peace Watch fact-finding
mission to Zamboanga City and Sulu lastyear confirmed and found proof reinforcing
concerns thatin the Philippines as well as arecommendation to review the Visiting
Forces Agreement. Lately, the Philippine
Senate issued a resolution directing theThis led to a series of Senate investigationand inquiry into the activities of US troops

19

Executive to review and renegotiate theagreement with the United States and in case

execute.

the US refuse to a process of review, that theagreement be abrogated. In the wake of thevisit of State Secretary Hilary Clinton to thePhilippines recently, the Philippine President
declared (as expected) its continued support
and cooperation to the US war on terror.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is
acting on intelligence gathered by the US
military, and therefore, US military
personnel are directly engaging in combat
operations through the provision of
intelligence support and information.
Clearly providing technical intelligence toSubsequent investigations and Fact Finding
Missions to Mindanao conducted by various
citizens groups including the Senate
Legislative Oversight on the Visiting Forces
Agreement indicate very critical updates
most notably the findings of US Troops Out

the AFP combat maneuvers, the American
operatives used satellite discs, laptop
computers, scanners and an unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV), spy planes (US P-3 Orion)
providing intelligence for assaults on
civilian population suspected as insurgents.

Now
Coalitioncategorically claims:a) Involvement of US military personnel
in combat operations

Dynacorp (defense contractor) helicopter
carrying supplies for US troops have also
been reported seen in areas of Moro Islamic
Liberation camps and offensive sites against
Abu Sayyaf.

Over the past 8 years, the United States
military and/or its personnel has played arole in actual combat related activities.
While US and RP military officials continue
to state in media reports that US soldiers are
not engaged in “combat operations,” it is

US military personnel also provide combat
assistancebytransporting
woundedPhilippine soldiers. These kinds of roles aredefined in military terminology as “combat
support,” or “combat service support.” USsoldiers are carrying out this work inclear that the US military has played acrucial role in the execution of direct combat
missions by the Armed Forces of thePhilippines. Documented incidents involved
US military personnel gathering criticalintelligence for use in AFP operations. The

conflict zones, and integrating with AFP
personnel engaged in direct combat. The
common explanation by authorities is that
US military personnel were present in anarea because of infrastructure projects,
medical missions, and other humanitarian

Philippine Information Agency reported thata high-ranking official of the Philippine
Army admitted that US troops have been
providing technical support in operations
against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
He said that the US provides maps and aerial

assistance. Such activities“civil-military operations”.

Mindanao

which

fall

under

b) Evidence of infrastructure within
Philippine territory for the sole use of the
US military.

pictures to the Philippine military for use in
their operations. Intelligence is an essential
part of any combat operation and without it,
any operation would be impossible to

The following data regarding the existenceof US military infrastructure in thePhilippines has been culled from both20

primary and secondary sources:•

training bases.” It “manages theplanning, design, and construction
and provides public works support
for US Naval shore installations
around the world,” as quoted fromtheir website.

Camp Navarro, Upper Calarian,
Zamboanga City - Headquarters of
the JSOTF-P, which is for the soleand exclusive use of US military
personnel under the JSOTF-P;
Philippine military personnel areprohibited from entering, unless by

The Philippine Constitution prohibits thepresence of foreign military personnel, bases,

invitation. The area is enclosed bywalls, concertina wire, and sandbags.
Satellite dishes, antenna, and othercommunications
equipmentarevisible from the outside.
•and facilities on Philippine soil except where
authorized by a treaty. Findings indicate that
despite constitutional restrictions on foreign
military infrastructure, the US military has
established certain areas as off limits toPhilippine
military
personnel,
andCamp Malagutay, Gate 2, Upper
Calarian, Zamboanga City - Pier andcommunications tower as well asbuilding which reportedly serves as acommunications outpost. Regional
Special Action Forces serve as
security for the area. The pier andconstructed intelligence infrastructure suchas communications equipment. The UnitedStates Military itself considers its facilities
on Jolo as “Advanced Operating Base 920,” counter to claims that the UnitedStates no longer has military bases in thetower were reportedly constructed by
the US military for their exclusive
use.
•

•

•

Philippines. While we are holding fast to thetechnicalities of our agreements with theUnited States, in practice, the US operates
out of its own bases on Philippine soil.

Jolo, Sulu - Forward Operating Base
11 (According to research conductedby Herbert Docena)c) Human Rights Violations and other

Jolo, Sulu - Advanced Operating
Base 920 (US Overseas Basing
Commission Stars and Stripes (online
US military publication)

incidents affecting civilians involving US
military personnel.
Human rights violations being committed
are the following:

Jolo,
Tawi-Tawi,
Maguindanao
Provinces - On June 6, 2007, US
Naval
Facilities
Engineering
Command (NAVFAC) awarded a
six-month, $14.4-million contract to“Global Contingency Services LLC”
of Irving, Texas, for “operations
support” for the Joint Special
Operations Task Force-Philippines(JSOTFP).
The NAVFAC is theunit responsible for providing the US
Navy with “operating, support and•Involvement in the assault operationsof the Philippine Navy and Army thatkilled eight civilians, including apregnant woman and two children.

•

Vehicular accidents involving US
soldiers carrying high powered
weapons, intimidating victims andsimply leaving a calling card of the
Joint Special Operations Task Force– Philippines.

21

•during wargames
exercises

Ordering staff of a municipal
hospital to shut down operations
after sundown, threatening to shootthem if they did not follow hisorders.

••A picture of Ustadz Yahiya ‘Tuan
Yang’ Sarahadil Abulla of Sulu, anofficial of the Ulama Council for
Peace
and
Development,
wasmilitary

Other incidents that disturb the day
to day peaceful lives of people where
US soldiers undertake their militarytraining and exercises.

Article VI of the Visiting Forces Agreement
provides for the waiver of any and all claims

included in the US-prepared booklet‘Rewards for Justice Handbook’identifying supposed leaders of the
Abu Sayyaf and Jemayah Islamiya.
•

and50-year old Bizmah Juhan was
wounded by shrapnel of an M203

for damage, death or injury, loss ordestruction of property arising from
activities to which the agreement applies.
The VFA’s treatment of damages, loss,
personal injury or death caused by acts oromission of US personnel undermines thebomb which was accidentally shotout of range by a US soldier while
training Filipino troops. Bu Bizma
was in her house washing clothes
when the incident happened. She wasmade to sign a waver by the US

rights of victims to pursue justice as theychose. By allowing the US to merely pay
compensation to the victims, the incidents
are swept under the rug and are forgotten
about, while larger related issues of publichealth and safety remain unresolved.

soldiers.
••

53-year old Saldia Abu Calderon
died of an aggravated heart ailment
due to fright over the arrival of 2 US
military helicopters in the area. The
landing of the planes also caused

A declaration made by a U.S. Pentagon
official during a February 21, 2003
interview with CNN on US military

damage to corn crops and fear among
other residents who thought a war
was starting again.

exercise,” were indicative of the nature andextent of Activities of US military personnel
in the country, particularly the integration
with Philippine military personnel in combat
operations against the MILF, MNLF, and
NPA. This is consistent with the claim of the

deployment in the Philippines “This will bea no holds-barred effort. This is not an

Accidental shooting of Arshad
Baharun during a marksmanshiptraining between US and RP troops.
Victim is said to have waived is rightto pursue damages against the
US.and RP troops.

•

Indiscriminate shooting on civilians
during heavy drinking spree.

•Rape and sexual abuse of women andchildren (I will explain this in detailat the women’s symposium)•

afore-cited anonymous Pentagon official.
Evidence suggesting the establishment of
permanent, or long-term use facilities of US
military personnel that are recognized evenby the Overseas Basing Commission as
operating bases of the US military, further
indicates that US military presence in the
country is not short-term and not for thesake of simple training exercises. Further,
the existence of the Joint Special Operations

Damage to property and environment
with the use of live ammunitions
22

Task Force – Philippines, a unit under theUnited States Pacific Command and based insocial movements, the communities, etc.)with priorities on the student and young

Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City since
2002 to date are clearly grounds for serious
investigation by the Philippine government
as it is a clear departure from the frameworkof the VFA which only provides for the“time to time” visits of US military
personnel. While we believe that the VFA isgeneration who will continue the struggle in
the future.

in contradiction with the Constitution, it isalso clear that the VFA itself is being
violated through the continuous presence ofUS military personnel in the country. As the
VFA continues to be invoked as thejustification and basis for US military

be practiced on a day to day basis. Learningfrom our experiences during some painful
and difficult periods in our history, we willcontinue to be inspired by the experience ofousting a dictatorship, closing the bases,
resisting the operation of nuclear powerintervention in the Philippines without the
governing terms of reference, we havecontinuously and strongly called for theimmediate abrogation of this one sided
agreement.

facility, ousting a corrupt and inept president
thru the power of the people. We continue tobe inspired by the continuing and dedicatedstruggles and victories of friends in Okinawa,
Vieques, Italy No Dal Molin, Prague,
Manta/Ecuador and in other parts of the

Our work continues in different fronts
integrating our local as well as our regional
work to contribute the global movement for
the abolition of foreign military bases.
International solidarity, consistent andsustained campaign initiatives and media

world where people continue to organize andunite for peace, justice and freedom.

work and more importantly the work to
expand our constituency to build a criticalmassofcommitted
anddedicated
campaigners in many fronts (in the academe,
the government, business, the churches,

the victory and success that we all long forand realize someday a world that is just,peaceful, nuclear free and bases free.
Gambari Mashio!

We continue to take a stand on international
issues by linking them to gut (bread andbutter) issues and local concerns believingthat civic life and social involvement should

I hope that this conference will strengthen
our lifetime commitment and give us thecourage and inspiration that will lead us to

1. Presented to the 2009 Japan Peace Conference, December 10-13, 2009 in Yokohama City, Japan by
Corazon Valdez Fabros, Co-Convenor, STOP the War Coalition Philippines and member of theCoordinating Committee of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases (NOBASES Network)
2. For more details, see Focus on the Global South, At the Door of All the East: The Philippines inUnited States Military Strategy (Quezon City, 2007),
http://www.focusweb.org/docman/at-the-door-of-all-theeast/download.html?Itemid=99999999

23

Tadaaki Kawata
Executive Board Member, Japan Peace Committee
Roles of Movements and Public Opinion for Building up Peace in Asia
Under the theme of the symposium, I will
speak about the roles of Japanese citizens’
movements and opinions in Asia.

the US.

The relocation of US Marines Corps
Futenma Air Station in Okinawa is getting to
be a political focus. Look at Map 1. A
number of elementary and junior highschools, kindergartens and hospitals aremarked. They are located near the base. You

following the decision of the Ecuador
government that refused the extension of thebase lease agreement. There is no sign that
this has intensified tension in their bilateralrelations. Now the US is not able to do as it
likes by force even in Latin America where

will see that the base stays in the center ofthe people’s daily life. On Aug. 13, 2004, a
big helicopter for transportation, which
belonged to Futenma base, crashed into
Okinawa International University and went
up in flames. Fortunately, no citizens were

was once called its “backyard”. A serious
question is rather the US attempt to build a
new base in neighboring Colombia. It is not
the removal of bases but the construction ofa new base that creates tension.

injured. But if it had crashed into a more
crowded place, it could have been a disaster.

Public Opposition to US Bases Works –US strategic documents

The US bases stationed in Japan isthreatening the people’s safety and lives. If
the government says that security means

It is extraordinary that the US has a networkof over 1000 military bases in about 40
countries. At the same time, there is a

protecting the people, shouldn’t it remove
the “threat” immediately as a politicalresponsibility? Based on the Constitutionthat proclaims the “right to live in peace,
free from fear and want”, I demand theclosure and removal of Futenma base as thegrowing current of taking an independent
position without relying on US bases andmilitary alliances with the US, which has
raisedanawarenessoftheUS
administration that the era of holding bases
on its allies and using them at its disposal is

execution of the right.

coming to an end.

The Japanese government pays muchattention not to undermine the Japan-US
alliance. Many commercial mass media arereporting that US is irritated and trust

The Bush administration was faced withworldwide criticism for its war on Iraq and
Afghanistan. It was forced to respond withpriority to the “political conditions of the

between the two countries is wavering.
However, look at the world. No countries
have been suffered from the closure of US
bases and the deterioration of relations with

US allies”: Use of the bases and transit ofairspace and territory of allies were getting
restricted by the development of public
opposition.

The US forces, deployed to Manta base in
Ecuador, withdrew in September this year,24situation restricts basing, overflight or US
presence. He picks up Japan, Saudi Arabia,

For instance, the US military strategy,
announced after 9/11 terrorist attack saysthat the reorientation of the posture abroad
should be reviewed, taking account of newchallenges, particularly anti-access andarea-denial threats. While putting forward
strengthening US posture abroad, adocument“Strengthening
US
GlobalGreece, South Korea and Italy as examplesof reduced foreign tolerance for basing of
US forces in their countries. It is not too
much to say that the list reflects the advanceof our movement.

Defense Posture”, submitted to the Congressby the Bush administration in 2004,
emphasizes that the heavy footprint that
abrades on regional sensitivities should be
avoided. (The heavy footprint includes
damage and economic loss caused by the

US bases has brought about a change inbasing arrangements”, Mr. Anita Dancs,
Foreign Policy in Focus, concludes thatthose in the core of the US strategy havebeen unable to ignore critical opinion of thepeople about US bases.

Saying that “hostility in countries that hostbases.)
There is a thesis of a US Marine that
expresses such concern more frankly. Its
author Lieutenant Colonel Dale Houck says,“Consequently, we must be concerned that

Thus, the US thinks that public opposition
will bring about no access to the bases. The
US bases and training sites in Ecuador, thePhilippines, Puerto Rico and Italy wereclosed. Turkey, at the time of Iraqi war, andallies and friends will not grant the US
rights to access its territory when needed.”And he gives the following reason that
“More and more often our interests do notseem to match those of our friends and allies.
Many of our allies are now less dependent

Greece, at the time of bombing to former
Yugoslavia, refused US access to theirairspace and territories. Of course, the US
has always found other options and it will
never give up the bases. But our movement
and public opinion has work effectively, so

on us for security…As a result, there seems
tobeadramatic
increaseinanti-Americanism, antiglobalization, andanti-US presence throughout the world andparticularly in the third world”.

that the US is worried that public opposition
may lead to the removal of bases. If the US
tries to do anything to deal with the worry,
we will counter them.
For an Asia without nuclear weapons and

The “dramatic increase in anti-Americanism,
antiglobalization and anti-US presence” canbe put in another way the “evolution of
public opinion and movement against US
bases”.

without foreign military bases – Roles ofcivil society
Japan’s public opinion and movement forpeace and against US bases has played a partin the growing current for peace in Asia.

Moreover, a document, released by the
Department of Defense in 2005, expresses
concern that many countries may feel unable
to hold out particularly when the political

The Association of South East Asian Nations(ASEAN) aims at establishing an ASEAN
community in 2015. According to its Charter,25

the community is characterized by “peace,safety, stability and a nuclear free zone”,

history of Asia. For example, the US
planned to use nuclear weapons in Asiaand has the principles of “independence,sovereignty
andequality”,
the“renouncement of aggression, threat and useof force”, “peaceful settlement of disputes”
and a “ban on foreign military bases”.

several times, but the plan was aborted bystrong opinion against nuclear weapons.

What should be taken note of is that

In November 1950, General Douglas
MacArthur proposed to make nuclear attack
on Chinese mainland in order to achieve a
breakthrough in the Korean War. Against theimportance is attached to the participation ofcivil society including NGOs in establishing
the community. The article 1 of the ASEAN
Charterproclaims,“topromoteapeople-oriented ASEAN in which all sectorsof society are encouraged to participate in,backdrop that US President Truman, whoordered atomic bombing of Hiroshima andNagasaki, gave up the attack this time, there
was “irresistible force” represented by asurge of the signature campaign in supportof the Stockholm Appeal. This was referredand benefit from” (Provision 13). Since theCharter entered into force at the end of lastyear,adialogueforum
betweenrepresentatives of governments and citizens
was held twice with the participation of thesecretary general of ASEAN and ministers

by Henry Kissinger.

of each government. In the second forum
held in October, the representatives of civilsociety and governments discussed thedemands of the citizens such as disarmament,
no use of force and ban on nuclear weaponsand other weapons of mass destruction.

weapons in order to support the French
Army in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. It was
public opinion that prevented the attackfrom happening.

Some years later, the US again planned touse nuclear weapons. In 1954, then Vice
President Nixon proposed to President
Eisenhower to attack Vietnam with nuclear

In his note of April 7, 1954, Secretary ofState John Foster Dulles insisted that 3
atomic bombs could put an end of the life ofViet Minh. The Department of State,
however, gave up the attack, by reason thatthe use of atomic bombs might cause serious
effects on public opinion in Asia andCooperation between governments andcitizens has just started. It is a fact that there
are discords between them, but it issignificant that the establishment of thecommunity is being promoted, involving
civil society. This shows that theestablishment of a new international order ofpeace needs effort of not only governments
but also of the peoples of the world.

response of allies to the US. (Note of theState Department of May 11, 1954)
Without doubt, the US bore Japan in mind.
Because at that time, there was a surge ofnationwide movement against A and H

Vital role of anti-nuclear opinion forBombs which was triggered by Japan’s
exposure to the US Bikini H-bomb test in
March, 1954. The signature campaign
against A and H Bombs spread across Japan,

peace of Asia
Public opinion and movements in favor ofpeace has played an important role in the26which led to the holding of the 1st World
Conference against A and H Bombs.

We have to overcome the “myth” and build
up a national opinion seeking new relations
with the US. It is significant for Japan tojoin the current of peace in Asia.

I want to add that a surge of anti-Vietnam
war movement became a turning point to thedevelopment of the current of peace in Asia.
In November 1971, the ASEAN special
foreign ministerial conference, held in
November 1971, declared a “zone of peace,

Mr. Suchit Bunbongkarn, one of drafters of
the constitution of Thailand, mentions about
relations between Japan and ASEAN:

freedom and neutrality” with an aim ofestablishing a peace community. Behind
ASEAN went through a change from ananti-communist and closed body, there was asurge of international anti-war movement inJapan and the rest of Asia. In 1976, next

“ASEAN
hesitatesinstrengthening
cooperation with Japan positively because
Japan is dependent on the US in defense andsecurity.” “Unless Japan breaks away fromdependence on US, it would be hard for us
to cooperate with her in the field ofyear of the end of the War, the Treaty ofAmity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia
(TAC) was concluded. With the USA and EU
as signatories, it has developed into aframework that covers 68% of the world
population and puts forward a peace

security”.

platform.

break away from the stance of regarding themilitary alliance as axis and is needed tocreate a nonmilitary relations with the US
based on equality. With this relationship, I
believe that both countries will make morevaluable contribution to the global issues

As US troop strength and strategy show,
Japan cannot be equal with US within theframework of military alliance. Naturally,
the US policy is prioritized. Japan must

With confidence of the role of public
opinion and movement in Asia, we areneeded to develop our movement further.

such as global warming and the abolition of
nuclear weapons. Therefore, the Futenma
base issue is a touchstone to measure
whether Japan can proceed to the new
relations with the US.

For a new Japan-US relations and theestablishment of an international order ofpeace
What public opinion is Japan’s movement
required to build up?
On the Futenma base issue, Japanese
government is thrown into confusion, whichstems from its stand of regarding Japan-US
military alliance as axis. There is a tendency
that many politicians and commercial mass

If the new bilateral relations based onequality and friendship is established, it will
have positive influence on the whole of Asia.
The security environment of Asia willchange fundamentally. It will also be a great
contribution to putting an end to the world

media in the two countries regard enormous
US presence and the Japan-US military
alliance as fixed, saying that they work as“deterrence “ to the threat of North Korea.

order of wealth and power and therealization of cooperation of all nations forpeace and equality. Next year marks the 50th
year from the revision of Japan-US Security
27

Treaty. We have to promote dialogue withthe people and build up public opinion inmypresentation,
expressing
mydetermination to make utmost effort for thisfavor of the establishment of the new
constructive relations with the US and theabrogation of the Security Treaty. I conclude

cause.

Special Reports of Japanese Movement
Masahiko GOTO
Co-Chair, Yokosuka Citizens against Homeporting of U.S. Nuclear Aircraft
Carrier
Kanagawa Prefecture
Dangers caused by homeporting of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier G.
Washington at Yokosuka and movements against it
The U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base is astronghold for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, anda transport ship loaded with radioactive
wastes generated from the maintenance work

accordingly has served as a homeport for
many U.S. vessels. On September 25 lastyear, amid strong opposition from many
citizens and their concerns about possible
nuclear reactor accidents, the USS George
Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft

left Yokosuka to the United States.

carrier, was deployed and Yokosuka wasmade its homeport.

contaminatedwithradioactivity,
andtherefore the work was very dangerous, withpotential radiation exposure of workers,
problems of generating radioactive wastes
and their storage, and a possible radiation
leakage to surrounding environment. The

These facts revealed that the maintenancework of the reactors on the George
Washington included replacement of the
primary coolant water, filters, and parts

For four months from January this year,
works for maintenance of nuclear reactors
on the George Washington took place in the
Yokosuka base. The U.S. Navy admitted in
response to an Asahi Shimbun inquiry thatsuch works involved handling of radioactive
materials. During a hearing held on March
19 by the U.S. House of Representatives,
Commander Timothy J. Keating of the U.S.

maintenance work proved to pose serious
threat to the health and livelihoods of local
people.

Pacific Command testified that the U.S.
Navy had already constructed a controlledindustrial facility on the Yokosuka base.
At the end of March, according to the Navy,people live. If a reactor accident occurs on
the aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, radioactive
fallouts could shower down also on Tokyoand Yokohama, and experts estimate that

Yokosuka is located at the entrance to theTokyo metropolitan area where 30 million

28depending on conditions, more than one
million people will be killed in the accident.

where the George Washington is now
berthed at, dredging work is now on the way
to start.

In addition, what contributes to an increase
in dangers of a nuclear accident is the factthat there is no system to monitor or inspect
the reactors on the U.S. vessels. As forreactors of nuclear power stations in Japan,
theJapanesegovernment
discloses

For more than a decade, we have conductedactivities in opposition to the homeportingof Yokosuka for U.S. nuclear warships.
Through our various activities, including
two initiatives for referendum on pros andinformation, conducts on-site inspections,checks the safety of plants, including giving
orders to shutdown their operations, andimplements a system to supervise andmonitor all the plants based on related laws.
But the Japanese government does not havecons of the use of Yokosuka as the U.S.
Navy homeport, many people have becomeaware of the dangers from the deployment of
a nuclear aircraft carrier and of the need todecide the future course of our city on ourown. The deployment of the George

access to information on the reactors of U.S.
nuclear vessels and has no authority toinspect or order their suspension ofoperation to secure the safety. This isnothing but sacrificing the safety of theJapanese people to the United States.

Washington to Yokosuka last year was not
the end of our movements, but marked thestart of a new campaign to defend our safety
from dangers of increasing number ofnuclear accidents.
In the Yokosuka City mayoral election inJune this year, I myself as a candidate formayor appealed to voters on my opposition
to the planned homeporting. I could not win
in the election but a young mayor was bornafter defeating the incumbent candidate who

The more the maintenance system in
Yokosuka for U.S. nuclear warships isimproved, the more nuclear ships come to
Yokosuka, using the port as an importantstrongpoint of the U.S. Navy.

had allowed U.S. forces to use Yokosuka.
On August 24 this year, another U.S.
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Nimitz
made a port-call at Yokosuka. Although
Yokosuka Port is designated as the homeportof the USS George Washington, the Nimitz

As a result of the August general elections,the long-standing conservative governmentthat had accepted homeporting of U.S.
vessels at Yokosuka was replaced by a newcame there. This has never happened before.
On the following day after the Nimitz left
Yokosuka on August 28, the former strategic
nuclear submarine SSGN Ohio entered
Yokosuka Port, and the day after the Ohioleft the port on September 2, the George

coalition government. We will call on the
new government to make a shift from theconventional attitude the past governments
had taken towards U.S. nuclear-powered
aircraft carriers.

Washington came back to the port.

Any information of U.S. nuclear carriers is
military secrets. To place the homeport ofsuch a vessel in a foreign country and carryout its repair works there is an inconsistentIn order to enable a large nuclear submarine
to be anchored at Berth 13 next to Berth 1229

choice for the United States. The Japaneseand the Yokosuka City governments should

increasing public awareness, filing of alawsuit for suspension of homeporting and

not unconditionally cooperate with the U.S.
scheme and should demand that all
information be disclosed to the public, carryout safety inspections, prevent the U.S.
forces from conducting any more dangerous
practices, and appropriately check thefunding related to the Yokosuka base. All

campaigning for holding a referendum.
From 1 p.m. of December 13, a citizens'
parade calling for a Yokosuka free of foreign
military vessels will take place in the city.

these measures will shed light on further
inconsistencies and bring about a newsituation leading to the cancellation of theuse of Yokosuka as the U.S. military
homeport.

government, the U.S. Congress, and peopleof the world to be aware of the dangers
caused by hosting a homeport of the U.S.
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in themetropolitan area of Japan, where 30 million
people live. We will make our utmost effort

We will strengthen our movements morethan before, calling for the withdrawal of the
U.S. decision to use Yokosuka as its military
homeport, through a variety of activities,

to free Yokosuka from being a homeport of
the U.S. Navy without further delay. I ask allof you present here today for strong support
to our movements. Thank you.

At the same time, we will also call on theinternational
community,
the
U.S.

Teruo Ohnishi
Representative member, No to Heliport Base Council
Nago Peace Committee, Okinawa Prefecture
Close Futenma Base, No to New Base in Henoko
We do not want US base anywhere in JapanThe question of closing of Futenma Baseand the construction of a new base on the
coast of Henoko has become a burning issue
that is shaking the governments of both

Democratic Party of Japan, intimidated by
the US Defense Secretary Gates’ blackmailmessage on one hand and flattered by
Obama’s statements in its favor on the otherJapan and the U.S. Following the very
successful rally organized by Okinawa
people on November 11, U.S. Marines
camped out at Camp Schwab during
President Obama’s visit to Japan, as if toback up the president. President Obama

hand, is now subserviently committed to
rapidly
implement
theJapan-U.S.
agreement.

acknowledged for the cheers by saying that
he was “proud of U.S. soldiers” three times.

connivance for relocating Futenma Base
nowhere but Henoko. Our position on thisissue is clear and invariable: “We de notwant any U.S. base. We do not want it either

The

coalition

government

led

by

The courageous Henoko tent village
continues to challenge the Japanese and U.S.

the30

in Ginowan Bay or Nago or anywhere in
Japan. We demand its closure, the return of

And above all, the courage of that young girland her parents that is still moving thethe occupied land and not its relocation”.
We reject either “relocation” as the media
say or “lightening of the burden” as the
Osaka governor claims.

history that seemed running into at thedead-end.
Dear friends, can we win the battle andhow?

During the thirteen years of struggle in
Henoko with 2,063 days of sit-in, we had

Today the government and the media aregood times and bad times. It is a precious
history of struggle whose gains we would
like to share with you.

trying to sell the “plan of a new base with
V-shaped runway” (the so-called road map)as the “plan” on the table. This plan is a key
for the reorganization of U.S. forces and isbeing implemented, bound by the obligation
to be completed by 2014. The Heiwa-maru

We succeeded in getting the plan of a sea
base rejected through a referendum, anddefeated the plan of military-civilian airport
through non-violent means and by thestrength of public opinion. We maintain the
obstacle to the construction of V-shaped
runway required for the reorganization of
U.S.
forcesbychallenging
theFoundation is working in many ways:
organizing protest action against the
preliminary study, illegal environment
assessment surveillance, study of corals,
learning activities on boat etc.

environmental assessment report. We are
now building prospects for the third victory.
Let me briefly look into the factors that havecontributed in winning these victories withpeople’s power.

The governmental plan was delayed by 8months due to 400 public comments on theassessment result. We have submitted
opinions and proposals to the Assessment
Examining Committee. In this effort wehave given importance to building close

One of the major factors is systematic
sharing of information, learning, andbuilding of public opinion by using means of
non-violence.

cooperation with researchers and scholars,
and in our comment published in the
Okinawa Times on December 31, 2007, wevalued the work of researchers and scholars
stating that the Committee is conscientious –the governor denied the Committee’sThesecondimportantfactoristhecooperation with groups and individuals
working for culture of peace andbiodiversity, and conscientious international
networking.
The

third

factoristheopinion”.
We submitted about 5,000 letters to the
preparatory document and the Committee
eventually recommended the governor thatthe assessment should be conducted again.

persistence,steadfastness, refusal to obey and bend,
giving priority to friendship, dialogue andnegotiation.

My letter was 105 pages’ long. Okinawa
Peace Committee and the Heiwa-maru
Foundation presented letters of opinion to31

the Assessment Examination Committee
regarding military and environmental

The true aim of the governments of the two

problems (we find the opinion letter ofOhkubo excellent).

countries is to remove the deadline of“completion by 2014”. The Japanese
government and media are using the rhetoricof “relocation” or “reducing the burden on
Okinawans,” in desperate attempt to hide thereal issue. A new base will be a “fortress ofdevil” in the Asia-Pacific region. We go

The blog diary “Takarano Umi (sea oftreasure)” is updated every day (since
September 2004) to disseminate information
about Henoko, and more and more blogs
about Henoko have been created.

back to the starting point of our struggle.
This year will mark a major change inhistory, a change brought about by the forces
for the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security
Treaty.

Taking advantage of the confrontation ofdifferent opinions over the assessment, theDemocratic Party of Japan succeeded in
attracting popular support with a proposal
for “relocation to outside Okinawa or
outside Japan”. But once convinced of its
victory in the general election, the DPJ
toned down the demand to call for “revisionof the U.S. forces reorganization,” and now
being in power, it shamefully stresses the

The year 2010 starts with the mayoral
election in Nago City. It took a courageous
struggle of the citizens to be united insupport of the candidate who is against the
new base. Let us work to achieve a Nago
City that refuses any military bases. We areneed for Japan to honor the previous
Japan-U.S. agreement, serving the interestsof the U.S.

looking forward to having a vast support
from our friends around the country.

Report of the International Symposium
Keisuke FUSE (Symposium Coordinator)
Director of International Bureau
National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)
The International Symposium of 2009 Japan
Peace Conference in Kanagawa was held in
Yokohama on December 10 and 11 with 140
participants, around the theme “Our
Movement Changes the World”. At theco-directoroftheFellowshipof
Reconciliation from the U.S., Mr. Lee
Junkyu from Republic of Korea, lecturer atLaborer’s Academy for Alternative, Ms.
Hannelore Tölke from Germany, National

opening of the symposium, H.E. Javier
Ponce, Ambassador of Ecuador to Japan,
gave a special lecture. On the panel were Mr.
John Lindsay-Poland from the US,

Council member of the German PeaceCouncil and a Bonn City Council member,
Ms. Corazon Valdez Fabros representing theStop the War Coalition Philippines and the32International Network for the Abolition of
Foreign Military Bases, and Mr. Kawata

Ponce spoke in detail about Ecuador’s
experience of successfully removing the U.S.

Tadaaki, Japan Peace Committee Executive
Board member. Fuse Keisuke, Director ofInternational
Bureau,National
Confederation of Trade Unions acted ascoordinator. The symposium heard special
reports from Mr. Goto Masahiko, lawyer
from Kanagawa, and Mr. Ohnishi Teruo

military base and enacting a progressive
constitution by people’s movement. He also
explained the role Ecuador played in theregional effort for solving disputes
peacefully and for establishing a nuclear
weapon-free zone in Latin America. It wasparticularly meaningful for us to learn fromfrom Okinawa.
This International Symposium took place ata time when the movement against foreign
military bases and military alliances is
growing internationally, and when the world

the lessons of Ecuador, as we are struggling
for the removal and reduction of U.S.
military bases in Japan. The lecture also
gave us a valuable opportunity forincreasing exchanges and cooperation withgovernments that pursue a common goal.

is moving forward toward a world without
nuclear weapons. In Japan, people opened a
new page of history by throwing out the
LDP-Komei coalition government in generalelection last August. With the relocation of
the Futenma Base becoming the focal issue

Mr. Poland reported on the solidarity
between anti-US base struggles in Latin
America and the movement within the U.S.,
as well as on the challenges facing the peace
movement. Mr. Lee pointed out that we were

under the new coalition government,
symposium
participants
sharedtheimportance of developing the struggle
against the base relocation in solidarity withpeople all over Japan and around the world.
It is of great significance that we had thisat a turning point in making the Korean
peninsula and East Asia nuclear free and in
breaking away from the military alliance. He
called for sharing of lessons of history andovercoming of the military alliance identity.
Ms. Tölke referred to the history of NATO,symposium as an opportunity to exchange
the experiences of movements in Japan andother parts of the world here in Kanagawa,where citizens are tenaciously carrying on
the movement against the homeporting of
US nuclear aircraft carrier and crimes

which marks the 60th anniversary this year,
and explained the role of NATO in making
the war possible. Ms. Fabros reported theactual situation of her country, where theU.S. military had returned under theframework of the Visiting Forces Agreement

committed by US military personnel.
It is the first time for the Japan Peace
Conference to hold an international
symposium with attendance of a government
representative to give a special lecture. By

after the closure of their bases to conduct
exercises and operations as if they owned
the land. She also spoke of the movement
against such moves. Mr. Kawata, referring to
the Futenma Base issue, pointed out thatstrong public opinion and movement against

the decision of President Rafael Correa notto renew the lease of the Manta Air Base to
the U.S., the U.S. military had to withdraw
from Ecuador last September. Ambassador

U.S. bases have influenced the world andthat the civil society was playing animportant role in making a peaceful Asian
community. He stressed the need for33

developing strong public opinion demanding
a new relationship between Japan and the

network of military bases it maintains
throughout the world, as steppingstones for

U.S. as equals and abrogation of theJapan-U.S. security treaty.
After the floor was opened for discussion,
participants actively spoke of theirrespective experiences, showing the struggle
and cooperation are developing in different

dominating and intervening in all parts of
the world. Our struggle aims at ending theCold War Era’s world order of rule bywealth and power, to realize peacefulcoexistence of equal nations, as envisaged in
the U.N. Charter. The coming year of 2010is the year of the 50th anniversary of thecountries and across Japan to remove
military bases, to abrogate military alliances
and to achieve a nuclear-free, peacefulworld. Many participants emphasized theimportance of proposing alternatives for thedevelopment of local economy after therevised Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, and of
the NPT Review Conference. It will be ayear for us to gear up our movement, whichhas proved to be a driving force forchanging the world, to accomplish our goal.
Let us open a new horizon to achieve a

closure of the bases. They also stressed theneed for connecting the anti-base struggle
with individual demands and interests, suchas poverty and social gap, environment andbiodiversity as a way to expose the very
nature of the military alliance. There were

foreign bases-free and peaceful world andAsia by developing solidarity between
grass-roots movements around the world.

many reports on the grassroots efforts to cast
off the yoke of violence and military
alliance identity and to bring the principles
of peace enshrined in Article 9 of theJapanese Constitution into full play. It was
noteworthy that many referred to theevery opportunity to learn about the realities
of military presence and struggles indifferent places both in Japan and abroad,and bring all the things we have learned here
back to our communities, workplace andschools. It is my sincere hope that all of you

importance of reaching out to younger
generation. In this regard, continued effort
for sharing of information and goodpractices is called for.
that

here learn the outcome of the International
Symposium where struggles and experiencesof different countries were exchanged, havebetter understanding of it through listening
to others, discussions and exchanges during
the Conference, and make the best use of it

benefits only a handful of people while
increasing poverty and social gap, the U.S.
has been making use of the unchallenged

in your campaigns and activities. With this, I
conclude my report of the International
Symposium.

Under

the

ongoing

globalization

Those of us who are participating in the2009 Japan Peace Conference should take34

2009 Japan Peace Conference in Kanagawa
Opening Plenary
Dec. 11 Kannai Hall
Keynote Report to the 2009 Japan Peace Conference
For the Abrogation of the US-Japan Military Alliance andRemoval of Military Bases
Jun Chisaka
Secretary General, Japan Peace Committee
Organizing Committee of the 2009 Japan Peace Conference

circumstances, I propose that we shall move

Introduction

forward to further strengthen our efforts forpeace towards 2010, the year marking the50th anniversary of the revision of theJapan-U.S. Security Treaty.

The Japan Peace Conference has been held
since 1986 with the aim of establishing apeaceful Japan and world, especially of
reducing or removing U.S. military bases
from Japan and eventually breaking away

1. Time has come for public opinion

from the Japan-U.S. military alliance. Our
movement has now become a major driving
force of real politics. It has also played apart in handing down a popular verdict thatsucceeded in replacing the Liberal
Democratic Party-Komei government in thecalling for peace to influence politics

August general election. During the election
campaign, we expressed our opposition to
the plan to build a new U.S. base in Okinawa,
called for cuts in the so-called “sympathy
budget” for the stationing of U.S. forces inJapan, and took up the issue of Japan-U.S.

During the period of the previous
LDP-Komei government in subservience tothe United States, we have conductedcampaigns against its attempts to support the
Iraq War, to dispatch Japan’s Self-Defense
Forces abroad, to revise the Constitution for

secret agreements on bringing-in of U.S.
nuclear weapons to Japan. All thesequestions we raised during the campaign
have become major focal points in politics.
As a result of our struggle, a possibility tomaterialize our demands for peace isthe worse, and to realign and reinforce U.S.
forces in Japan. Our efforts are opening up a
totally new phase in the situation.

emerging.

tenacious resistance of Okinawan people

Under

such

(1) Situation largely changed -- popular
power and demand put an end to the
LDP-Komei government

In the struggle to oppose the strengthening
and realignment of U.S. forces in Japan,

budding35

against the new base has prevented for 13
years the construction works from taking

throughout Japan, and the public opinion infavor of preserving Article 9 is now

place. In June 2009, the Okinawa Prefectural
Assembly with the previous opposition
becoming the majority bloc adopted aresolution opposing the plan to construct a
new base. What is more, all the candidates
promoting the new base construction backed
by the LDP and Komei were defeated in thewidespread thanks to the struggle carried onby the Joint Action Center against Adverse
Revision of the Constitution. Before the law
on national referendum enters into effectnext year, allowing amendments of theConstitution through national referendum,
these struggles prevent the Constitution

House of Representatives election lastAugust. In the Takae district in Okinawa,
residents opposing the construction of a U.S.
helipad have carried on monitoring andprotest actions on a daily basis for more than
two years and succeeded in halting the

Review Boards of the Diet from being
activated. Regarding the overseas dispatchof the SDF troops, we won a Nagoya High
Court ruling, saying that it is violation of
Article 9 of the Constitution for the Air SDF
to carry U.S. troops or multinational forces

construction work. In Yokosuka, Kanagawa
Prefecture, citizens’ united efforts to oppose
the deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier to Yokosuka have also
developed and the incumbent mayor lost in
the election for he had broke his public

participating in the illegal Iraq War. Our
struggle also helped contribute to a cessationof refueling activities of the Maritime SDF
in the Indian Ocean for foreign vessels
participating in the Afghan war.

promise and accepted the deployment. In
Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, theresidents through the referendum rejected
the relocation of U.S. carrier-borne aircraft.
Even after the anti-base candidate lost the
mayoral election though by a narrow margin

The joint efforts of people calling for peaceand severely criticizing the neo-liberal
structural reform policy that undermines
their living conditions while giving priority
to the interests of large corporations,
resulted in a severe verdict on the previous

due to dirty tricks such as terminating thesubsidy to construct a new city hall, people’s
cooperation is expanding through the
movement to oppose the construction plan of
housing complex for U.S. military personnel,
through the lawsuit over noise pollution

regime in the August general election anddrove the LDP and the Komei Party out frompower. This clearly shows that people’s
action and choice are the greatest power tochange politics. The time has come forpublic opinion aspiring to peace tocaused by U.S. military aircraft, and throughthe movement against the strengthening of
the U.S. Yokosuka Air Base. In Fukuoka,
calls for opposition from residents andsurrounding municipalities have prevented
the extension work of a runway of the Tsuiki

determinebase located in Fukuoka. As for the
movement to preserve the Constitution,
Article 9 in particular, about 7,000 “Article
9 Associations” have been created so far

Against the backdrop of popular “No!” to
the LDP-Komei government, the new
government was born. Some of its promisesreflect people’s demand.
In the Policy(2) Policy based on ‘Japan-U.S. alliance’
increasingly contradicts people’s demandfor peace36

Agreement upon the Establishment of a
Coalition Government, it says, “[F]rom thewhat kind of course or what kind of relations
with the U.S. Japan should pursue. Now isperspective of reducing the burden placed on
the residents of Okinawa prefecture, we willpropose a revision of the Japan Status ofForces Agreement, and move in the directionof re-examining the realignment of U.S.
forces and the role of U.S. bases in Japan.”
Whether or not to keep this promise is being

the time for us to hold dialogue with as
many people as possible, increase ourconcerted efforts, and intensify our activities
to make full use of Article 9 for establishinga Japan without U.S. bases, military alliance,or nuclear weapons and bringing about
peace in Asia and the rest of the world.

tested before the public. The DPJ-led new
government
has
also
launched
theinvestigation into the Japan-U.S. secretagreement on nuclear weapons; anotherexample of a change that would never takeplace under the previous regime. At the(3) The world current towards peace istaking our movement forward
The major change in the world and thegrowing trend towards peace are bothsame time, the new government maintains a
policy based on the Japan-U.S. alliance. At
the Japan-U.S. summit meeting, Prime
Minister Hatoyama Yukio said that theJapan-U.S. alliance is “the foundation of all
Japan’s diplomacy,” and agreed on

encouraging our movement. The reckless
war against Iraq shows that unilateralism of
the previous U.S. administration led by
George W. Bush collapsed and international
criticism against it brought Barack Obama to
power. The new U.S. administration tried, to“deepening” of the Japan-U.S. relationship.
However, this stance basically conflicts withpeople’s aspiration for peace. In fact,
regarding the issue of the construction ofanother U.S. base in Okinawa, the new
government is wavering between the U.S.

a certain extent, to make a shift from theprevious unilateral policy that ignored theUnited Nations. Along with the world
majority calling for the abolition of nuclear
weapons, U.S. President Obama also
proclaimed that the pursuit of a “world

military requirements and its initial promise
to remove the U.S. Marines’ Futenma air
base out of Okinawa or even out of Japan.
Such a swinging attitude of the government
is severely criticized by the people of
Okinawa and Japan.

without nuclear weapons” would be hiscountry’s goal. The fact that, for the firsttime, the U.N. Security Council in its special
summit meeting in September adopted aresolution announcing its “determination tocreate conditions for a world without
nuclear weapons” constitutes a significant
change.

This situation is offering the people apolitical experience that public opinion, andour movement and grassroots actions canchange the course of history. At the sametime, it helps people to understand that the

The Obama administration, in its attempt to“settle” the Afghan war by intensifying its
sweeping operations, announced that the U.S.

root-cause that prevents the realization of
our various demands regarding peace is theJapan-U.S. military alliance. Meanwhile, awide range of people are discussing about

would substantially increase its troops in
Afghanistan. This will only cause morecasualties and invite a vicious circle of war
and terrorist retaliations. What is needed is37

to end the war and move forward towards
solving the issue peacefully by political

Republic also failed because of the
opposition of 70 percent of Czech people.

means. Anti-Afghan war opinion calling forwithdrawal of foreign troops fromAfghanistan has become a majority force not
only in the United States but also in member
NATO countries. It is to be noted that on theoccasion of NATO’s 60th anniversary in
April, demonstrations took place throughout

There is an increasing trend around theworld to remove existing U.S. military bases
and to refuse the deployment of foreign
troops and bases.

Europe against NATO and against Afghan
War. The Afghan War quagmire becomesapparent in the recent U.S. move: whileplanning to increase U.S. troops, President
Obama had to express his intention to begin
the withdrawal from Afghanistan in July

Constitution – achieve a Japan without
U.S. bases and military alliance

2011.

(1) Struggle for reduction and removal of
U.S. bases – Say “No” to theconstruction of a new U.S. base in
Okinawa

2. Act now for a nuclear-free and peaceful
Japan which will stand on the

Let us strengthen our actions now to realize
the following demands:

The number of countries belonging to NATOand other military alliances was 52 half acentury ago, accounting for 67 percent of theworld population. As a result of dissolution

Let us look at the facts about U.S. militaryof cessation of functioning of military
alliances one after another, there are only
four alliances that are still functioning in theworld, all of which are under U.S. militaryleadership - Japan-U.S., South Korea-U.S.,
Australia-U.S., and NATO. They embrace 31

bases in Japan. 1) While the U.S. bases
stationed in other countries have been
drastically reduced since the collapse of theSoviet Union, the area of U.S. facilities inJapan, with the area of co-use bases with theJapan’s SDFs included, has more thancountries and account for only 16 percent of
the world population. In sharp contrast with
this, regional communities such as the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN), the Treaty of Amity andCooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), thedoubled. 2) With the presence of the U.S.
Marine Expeditionary Forces and the Carrier
Strike Group, U.S. bases in Japan constitutea stronghold for its aggression abroad
serving as the sortie bases for attacks against
Iraq and Afghanistan; their activities have

European Union (EU), and the SouthAmerican Community of Nations (CSN),
calling for international order of peace basedon the U.N. Charter are developing.
In addition, Ecuador adopted a Constitution

nothing to do with Japan’s defense. 3) With
the U.S. forces given extraterritorial rights
by the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces
Agreement and a bilateral secret agreement
on jurisdiction, many accidents and crimes
by U.S. servicemen are taking place causingthat prohibits hosting of foreign militarybases and thus succeeded in removing a U.S.
base from its territory. The plan to construct
a U.S. “missile defense” base in the Czech

tremendous damages to residents. 4) Japanranks first in the world in terms of theamount of money it spends for bearing thestationing cost of U.S. forces in the name of38

“sympathy budget.” All these show thatJapan’s situation regarding U.S. bases has

Japan under the thumbs of the U.S.
government. It should not permit theno parallel in the world. We are required torectify the current abnormal situation andachieve the reduction and removal of U.S.
bases in Japan. Being impatient of such
extraordinary burden of hosting the U.S.
bases, even conservative mayors of local
governments started to speak out together

relocation of the base within Okinawa.
Instead it should fundamentally review thecurrent abnormal situation involving U.S.
bases and should negotiate with the U.S.
government, standing on the side of thepeople. Let us raise our voices with
Okinawa people and achieve the reduction

with local people against the U.S. military
realignment plan, saying that they will not
tolerate further reinforcement of U.S. bases
and any more damage caused by the U.S.
military presence.

and removal of U.S. bases.

The new government pledged to review therealignment of U.S. bases and the stationingof U.S. troops in Japan. Its position isgreatly wavering due to the strong pressure
from the U.S. Above all, concerning theconstruction of a new base in Okinawa, thereactors on board is underway. These
problems are critical, endangering the livesof 30 million people living in the capitalarea. Let us increase our voices calling for
the withdrawal of the nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier from Yokosuka, halt to thegovernment broke the promise of relocating
the Futenma base abroad or other areas ofJapan. It is highly likely that the government
may conclude the issue by relocating thebase within Okinawa. However, Okinawans’
voice is clear. They held a nonpartisan rally

reinforcement of U.S. bases in Iwakuni,
Zama, Sagamihara and Yokota, stopping ofJapan’s payment for the construction of U.S.
military facilities in Guam and the“sympathy budget” for the U.S. forces
stationed in Japan, and the revision of thewith the slogan of “Remove the Futenmabase, No to relocation of the base within
Okinawa and No to the construction of a
new base”. 21,000 people took part in therally. A recent opinion poll shows that
more than 70 percent of local people are

Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

against the relocation of the base within
Okinawa and that 83.5 percent demand the
reduction and removal of U.S. bases in
Okinawa. The 13-year-long struggle of
Okinawa people has shown that the only
way to solve this issue is the unconditional

Toward the NPT Review Conference, a newopportunity is opened up to realize theabolition of nuclear weapons. At the United
Nations, Prime Minister Hatoyama pledged
to take the lead in the abolition of nuclear
weapons and to observe the Three

withdrawal of the U.S. base.

Non-nuclear Principles. Now is the time forJapan to take initiative appropriate for the
only A-bombed country in the world. It
should frontally propose the commencement

A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was
deployed in Yokosuka. And U.S. atomic
powered submarines are making port calls
constantly. The maintenance of atomic(2) Let us create a nuclear-free Japan andmake it take the lead in effort for anuclear weapon-free world.

The new coalition government should not
accept the realignment of U.S. bases in39

of negotiations for an international treaty
totally banning and eliminating nuclear

The former government of Japan, led by theweapons, and should take initiatives toovercome “nuclear deterrence” theory as
obstruction to the abolition of nuclear
weapons.
However, in its resolution to the U.N., theHatoyama government failed to call for the

Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, hadrepeatedly violated the Constitution by
supporting the Iraqi war and Afghan war andsending the SDF troops to help the wars.
The dispatch of Maritime, Air and GroundSDF units to the sea off Somalia iscontinuing, and there is a possibility forconclusion of the international treaty,
carrying on its predecessor’s position that
the U.S. nuclear umbrella under the Japan-U.S. military alliance is necessary.
Regarding its investigation and verificationof the Japan-U.S. secret agreement onthem to use force. Placing overseas activity
as central mission of the SDFs, the former
government had promoted arms buildup.
In order to meet the requirement of overseas
dispatch of troops, the former government
had placed overseas activity as SDFs’

bringing-in of nuclear weapons, thegovernment has not declared so far that it
will reject U.S. aircraft and warships
carrying nuclear weapons to enter or pass
Japan’s territory. As long as it holds on tosuch an attitude, the government cannot

central mission and had promoted arms
buildup, including training of the GroundSDF Central Readiness Force and other units,
holding of close-quarters combat drills andpurchasing of mid-air refuel aircraft andother large transport aircraft as well as

fulfill appropriate role for the government of
the only A-bombed nation in the world.
We need to break away from the U.S.
nuclear umbrella, disclose and abrogate thesecret agreement on bringing-in of nuclear

helicopter-carrier destroyers. Aiming to geteverything ready for the U.S. forces and the
SDF to jointly fight wars on a global scale,the government is trying to push forward the“realignment” of the U.S. forces in Japan.
It is thus going ahead with the integration of

weapons, and adhere to the Three
Non-nuclear Principles. Japan should also
reject the port-calls by U.S. nuclear-powered
submarines capable of carrying Tomahawk
cruise missiles at Yokosuka, Sasebo, andOkinawa’s White Beach.

Army commands in Zama and Sagamiharabases, the establishment of the Bilateral andJoint Operations Coordination Center inYokota base and the integration of Air force
commands. The attempt to adversely revise
Article 9 is part of the plan and therefore weshould block all these moves from theConstitutional perspective.

Toward the NPT Review Conference, let us
widely develop the signature campaign “Fora nuclear weapons-free world” and enhance
the public call for a nuclear weapon-free
Japan.

The U.S. Obama Administration is trying tosend more troops to Afghanistan. Japan’s
new government has decided to invest 5
billion dollars (about 450 billion yen) to
support the Afghan war. What Japan should
do is not to support the war but to takeinitiatives for ending the war and forging(3) Stop SDF dispatch overseas, promote
peaceful diplomacy based on theConstitution40

peace.

opinion poll showed that only 16.7 percentofthe
respondents
supportedtheThe DPJ intends to prohibit bureaucrats
from answering in Diet discussions. We
must be cautious about the real aim of thisdangerous attempt – to change thegovernment’s Constitutional interpretationin their favor and open the way for the
SDFs’ use of force abroad. Let us develop

maintenance of the security treaty; 42
percent said that the treaty should bechanged to a peace and friendship treaty;
10.5 percent supported the abrogation of thetreaty; and 15.5 percent said that it should
be converted into a multilateral security
treaty including the U.S. This result

joint effort for defending Article 9 andpromote peace diplomacy.

indicates what course we should pursue.
Now is the time for us to have dialogues
with a wide range of the people, strengthen
cooperation, and enhance public opinion infavor of abrogation of the Japan-U.S.
military alliance and the creation of peaceful(4) Toward the 50th anniversary of therevision of the Japan-U.S. Security
Treaty – Abrogate the Japan-US

and friendly relations with the U.S.

military alliance and build peacefuland friendly relations with the U.S.

Connect with effort to realize a peacefulNortheast Asia

Amid deepening contradiction between thepeople’s demands and Japan-U.S. allianceOn the occasion of the 50th anniversary ofContradictions
betweenthepeople’sdemands for peace and the Japan-U.S.
military alliance are more visible than ever,
over the issue of reduction and removal of
U.S. bases as well as the issue of defending
Japan’s Constitution and realizing a

the revision of the Japan-U.S. Security
Treaty, those who want to strengthen thebilateral military alliance intend to run acampaign advocating that the Security
Treaty is essential for defending Japan, andthat it underpins the foundation for peace

nuclear-free Japan. Even on the people’s
living conditions, it has become clear that
one of the major causes of deterioration of
employment, agriculture, businesses, andsocial welfare is the Japanese government’s
subservience to the U.S. in its economic

and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. In
reality, however, the very fact that the U.S.,
the nuclear superpower and Japan withworld-class arms capabilities are military
allies has been the cause of a vicious circleof arms race and tension in East Asia.

policies. Against this background, people ofdifferent thought and positions have begun
to talk about what the Japan-US relations
should be. Here lies a new condition for us
for developing public opinion.

Disarmament and easing of tension are
called for. What is required now is not thestrengthening of military alliance, butefforts for ending hostility and easing
tension to build peaceful relations, as seenin the Six-Party Talks. Japan should do its

In Okinawa, where contradictions with theJapan-U.S. alliance are most visible becauseof the heavy U.S. military presence theprefecture has endured, a recent publicutmost to forge such relations with its
neighboring countries, based on theConstitution.
The world is heading in the direction of41

abolishing nuclear weapons, removing U.S.
bases, abrogating military alliances, and-Bring the SDF units back from thedeveloping peaceful relations based on the
U.N. Charter. With conviction that thepeople’s power can bring about politicalchanges, let us build solidarity among
peace-loving peoples around the world andtake action to achieve a peaceful Japan freeof nuclear weapons, U.S. bases and military

Indian Ocean and the sea off Somalia.
Oppose SDFs’ overseas dispatch anddevelop cooperation in the effort todefeat the attempts to revise theConstitution in whatever form. Standagainst the arms buildup to enable the
SDFs dispatch abroad and strengthen thealliance.

movement to reduce military spending
calling for redirecting budget resources
to the betterment of people’s livelihood.

<< Immediate priorities >>- Develop nationwide solidarity with thestruggle of Okinawa to stop the--construction of a new base and toachieve unconditional closure of theFutenma base. Make a success of Tokyo
solidarity rally to be held on December
17 in support of the Nago City mayoral
election campaign. Work for a victory ofsignatures from more than 10 percent of
the Japanese population by the NPT
Review Conference in May next year.
Urge the government to abrogate thesecret agreement with the U.S. allowing
the bringing-in of nuclear weapons anda candidate ready to work for the benefitof the people in Okinawa’s gubernatorial
election next year.

tostrictlyobserve
the
Three
Non-Nuclear Principles. Demand thegovernment that it reject the entrance ofU.S. nuclear-powered submarines into
Japanese ports.

Put an end to the use of Yokosuka as the
homeport of a U.S. nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier. Call for a halt to nuclear
reactors’ maintenance works and for aremoval of related facilities. Strengthensolidarity with the struggles of Iwakuni,
Zama, Sagamihara, and Yokota against
the realignment of the U.S. forces.

-

Enhance public support for the abolitionof nuclear weapons by collecting-

Toward June 23 next year, which marks
the 50th anniversary of the revision of
the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, develop
grassroots activities to enhance public
support for the abrogation of the treaty
by organizing study meetings andpromoting dialogues. Make a success ofa rally planned for early June and amonth-long campaign for the abrogationof the treaty in June.

Urge the government to abolish the“sympathy budget” for the U.S. militaryand revise the humiliating Japan-U.S.
Status of Forces Agreement.

42Addresses by Oversea DelegatesJohn Lindsey-Poland(USA)

A year ago, all over the world our peoples

the Obama government to abrogate theawaited with great anticipation the departureof George W. Bush and the entrance ofBarack Obama as the first non-white
president of the United States who
campaigned on change.

agreement. Why is it difficult? Because themilitary bases are tightly wedged into thetwo countries’ close relationship, into ourvery identities. It is difficult to change thisunless a new identity is proposed, developed,
and lived. The militarists say: the only path

Today, the U.S. military budget is greaterin eastern Asia is war or submission. They
insist you can be a warrior or submissive,
nothing else. But there is another way: theway of nonviolent conflict. This is the waythat people in Henoko are showing us, thepeople in Ecuador, and even in Iraq where
public pressure led to a government

than at any time in history, and there are as
many U.S. military troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan combined as before President
Obama took office.
But the United States is a superpower withwaning influence, and the future of ourcountries is never in the hands of the U.S.
government. It is in our hands, once we havedecided to be the protagonists of our own
story, to act on that decision, and tocommunicate this strategically throughout

requirement for foreign troops to leave by
2011, a promise we will work to ensure isfulfilled.

the world. There are many places across theplanet where people besieged by the wrongsof U.S. military bases have done this – inPanama; in the Philippines; in Kaho’olawe,
Hawai’i; in Vieques, Puerto Rico; inGreenham Common in England; the Czech

Marine base in Futenma into some othercountry, but to abolish the mission of theFutenma base, to abolish expeditionary war.
To dismantle the Futenma base and send theMarines back to the United States, so thatthey take all that energy and learn to be solar

Republic; Henoko, Okinawa; in my town of
San Francisco, California; in Ecuador; inVicenza, Italy. When we become theprimary actors in the story of liberation frommilitarism, the hearts of people around theworld respond.

panel workers, teachers, health workers, andgardeners. To dismantle all the bases, andreshape our alliance based on what we reallywant.

So let us issue a challenge to ourselves andto our leaders: Not to relocate the US

It will take persistence, and creativity, andsolidarity, and sacrifice. But we know if we
don’t imagine it, it will never happen. So
let’s begin.

It is very difficult for the Japanese
government to abrogate the US-Japan
Security Agreement. It is also difficult for

Hannelore Tölke (Germany)
43

aid organisations in the so called
deployment of stabilisation.
The Afghanistan strategy is an enlargementof troops in Afghanistan. The aim which wasannounced this week is to bring 130.000
soldiers to Afghanistan.

Dear friends
First of all I would lit to bring warmest
greetings from German peace movement.
Your struggle against military bases and forpeaceful and equal relations without military
alliances really encouraged us.

Another point of new NATO strategies is thechange of he for communication structuresand decisions. Experts are in the opinion
that this will change the proportions of
power completely It will give the adventure
to bigger countries and will significant
enlarged the ability of warfare for NATO.

We are claiming the same things and we arestruggling for the same aims.
Germany also has a huge number of US
military bases. People around these bases
are suffering in noise and environmental
destruction caused by this bases. From thisbases as well as from NATO bases comeswar, they are important hubs for the war in
Afghanistan and Iraq. Without this bases the
US leaded NATO war in Afghanistan and
Iraq would not be possible.

NATO is in confrontation with Russia
because NATO and especially the USA wantthat Georgia and Ukraine will become
NATO members
NATO has become competitor organization
to UNO. The aim is to avoid the Russian andChinese veto right against military
deployment in the UNO. This remoulding ofNATO has the aim to be ready for new war
around the world.

German peace movement wants the
shutdown of these bases. We demand
therefore from German government tocancel all agreements that allows US baseson German soil.

Nowadays Europe has two Options.
! The first is to follow NATO and USA
leaded military actions in order to beallowed to take part in decisions.
! The second option could be to create
an own cooperation in whole Europe
including Russia

We are demanding to dissolve NATO. Just
from the beginning when ist was
founded in April 1949 up to now NATO wasan organization of war fare.
In April 2009 NATO had its 60 years
anniversary. The NATO summit which took
place in April 2009 decided to work on a
new strategic concept for a new long-lasting
strategy for NATO in the 21st century. The
decision about this new strategic concept
will be made assembly on the next NATO
Summit 2010 in Portugal.

The continuation of NATO strategies and thewill for global military interventions will
provoke a heavy security problem for theworld.
Europe has to take the chance to create aregional system of mutual collective security
system in whole Europe and a peacefulcooperation around the world. A mutualcollective system could bring a big impact

One important point in this concept of the
new NATO Strategy is the so called
Comprehensive Approach which means an
involvement civil actors and international
44

for a peaceful world. War is not a option andwar is not a solution.

Therefore is our appeal is NO TO NATO –NO TO WAR

Lee Junkyu (Republic of Korea)
My name is Lee Junkyu from South Korea.
Thank you for inviting me to the Japan
Peace Conference.
This is the first time for me to attend theJapan Peace Conference. However, as I have

There have been many twists and turns until
today: North Korea conducted a satellite
testing on April 5 this year; and in response
to it, the governments of South Korea, Japanand the US worked to increase sanction
against North Korea; and North Korea

taken part in the World Conference against A
and H Bombs and other Japanese events,
some people here may have met me before.
To me, the theme of this Conference, namely,
military alliance with the US is verysignificant.

waged the second nuclear test in May. The
nearly 20-year history of twists and turns
shows some problems which have direct
relevance to the theme of the Conference.
We have to take note of them as “result ofclinging to military alliance”.

As you may know, a dark shadow of military
alliance with the US is cast on South Korea
and the Korean Peninsula. The shadow may
be darker than that on Japan. You will makesense of what I am saying if you look at theAfter the second North Korean nuclear test,
Japanese and ROK governments haveworked to make sure US “nuclear umbrella”
on them. As most important achievement of
the ROK-US summit talks held in June, thesituation of the Korean Peninsula over North
Korean nuclear issue.
As the representatives of North Korea andthe U.S. are going to meet, there is a
growing expectation that it will create a

ROK Lee Myung-bak government isboasting of successfully putting the“provision of nuclear umbrella” in its jointstatement. This move totally runs counter tothe trend of the world to move toward a
nuclearweapon-freeworld.
The

breakthrough in the stalemate over the
Korean Peninsula. I know that at the sametime, there is a suspicion on what outcome
the direct dialogue between the twocountries can produce; and on whether it canlead to the resumption of multilateral talks,establishment of the US-Japan-ROK missile
defense (MD) network is being promoted on
the pretext of “coping with the threat ofNorth Korea”. But on the contrary, it has adanger of reviving a confronting structure of“US-Japan-South
Korea
versusincluding the six-party ones, and reopeningof the process for the settlement of the North
Korean nuclear issue. How it goes will
depend on the effort of those concerned andthe international environment.

China-Russia-North Korea”.
The ongoing “realignment” of the US basesin South Korea has intensified the offensive
nature of the military alliance as seen in the
Operation Plan 5029. The Plan assumes a45

military intervention by the ROK troops or
ROK-US joint ones in case of an emergency

and Japan, as tasks to be pursed in parallel.

of North Korea. I don’t want even to
imagine such an emergency would happen.
However, it is obvious that even if such an
emergency takes place, it should be settled
by peaceful means. But what is going onunder the military alliance is totally the
opposite and may lead to chaos of East Asia.

Finally, we have to break away from politics
clinging to military alliance. It is important
for the people of South Korea and Japan todisplay their imagination to make use of
possibilities arising from the reality. The
first step is to get out of clinging to military
alliance, which will lead to creating a“multilateral” vision which not only
contributes to the security of one country but
ensures common safety and peace.

If we conceive it differently, East Asia may
have had a chance now. In order for the
chance to be fully used, the “North Korean
nuclear issue” must be grasped from theviewpoint of the “Korean Question in East

The year 2010 marks the 50th year from therevision of the Japan-US Security Treaty andAsia”. That is why the process of resolving
North Korean nuclear issue requires theconclusion of a peace agreement and thenormalization of DPRK relations with US

the centenary of Japan’s annexation of ROK.
Let us take a big step forward to make theyear 2010 a full of advances.

Corazon Fabros (Philippines)
Warm solidarity greetings from the STOP
the War Coalition Philippines and theInternational Network for the Abolition of
Foreign Military Bases.

In my long years in the movement, I realizethat gatherings such as this provide us with
opportunities to share our stories. There is

I wish to thank Japan Peace Committee forthe privilege of joining you this year
especially at this time of great change anddevelopment. At no time in the recent pasthas the US-Japan security relations been

always something meaningful in listening topeople's stories. These stories have shaped
our lives in the movement for peace andjustice. Everyone morning when I wake up I
listen to these stories in my mind and in myheart.

challenged and put to a test than today.
These are indeed moments that present uswith opportunities to push for eventual
closure of the foreign military bases
especially in Okinawa and Kanagawa thathave seen the impacts of such facilities in

We are grateful to the countless men, womenand children who often had to bear the bruntof the social costs of foreign militarypresence and intervention, but who often
have also shown more courage than thethe lives of people and the environment.
Let us renew our commitment and work hardfor peace and the abolition of foreign
military bases

pliant armed men in uniform and the public
officials and leaders who have theresponsibility to implement laws andpolicies for the preservation of life and46

environment. We thank them for sharing
their experiences: their pain as well as their

U.S. bases continue to dominate and define
the quality of life of the Okinawan people.

joy, their despair as well as their hope, theircourage that inspire us all. We can neverreally feel the depth of their loss but we cantake them as own - mentors as they are in
our search for directions and alternatives topeace, freedom and justice.

I wish to thank you all for the many
meaningful experiences with the peace
movement here in Japan and Okinawa,
especially now that we are all facing
tremendous challenges in our countries aswell as in our region. And as we face thoseIn most cases, they are invisible. Victims
and survivors they are - of what local andforeign militarists whose minds are imbibedwith the creed and greed of "anti-terrorism","national security" and "national interest"
referred to as "collateral damage".

challenges, we are strengthened by our
coming together. That as we share our own
situations and campaigns, we try to findsolutions, strategies and alternatives. And at
this juncture, our call continues to be forpeace, justice and freedom. We ask for

We are at an important juncture of ourregions history. Okinawa is important not
only for the people of Okinawa and Japan,
but for all of us in the Asia and Pacificregion. It will define the future of our peace

genuine friendship with the United States.
Friendship that rejects the presence of
nuclear weapons and military bases in our
midst, in our lives, in our environment. We
find meaning in people to people solidarity
so that we can consolidate our action

and security. I find meaning in Mr. Shii
Kazuo's challenge to Japan’s Prime Minister
Hatoyama that "it's time for government toend subservience to the United States". I
know it is a political call crying for concreteand committed response. There is no

towards pro-active grassroots activism oninternational issues. There is so much that
we can do together and which we can neverdo alone. There are alternatives. We canconvert the military facilities to peacefuland development uses. The Philippine

alternative to the question about Futenma
except to recognize and honor the long time
dream and aspiration of the Okinawan
people's desire for a bases free Okinawa.
There will never be real and genuine
development for the people as long as the

economy did not collapse after the bases
were closed. THERE IS LIFE AFTER THE
BASES. Let us continue to be hopeful andcourageous. Gambari mashio!

47

Closing Plenary
Dec. 13 Yokosuka Cultural Hall

Addresses by Oversea Guests
John Lindsey-Poland (USA)
Listening to the amazing work you are doingin Iwakuni, in Kanagawa, Yokosuka, in
Okinawa, in Sasebo and Misawa and Tokyoand the many other communities represented

children and others on the ground to beassaulted by the deafening noise of military
jets. We need to hear about Article 9, about
your hopes and doubts for the newhere, to close military bases and challenge
the nuclear umbrella and dismantle theJapan-US security agreement, I am very
excited about the visit of more than athousand Japanese activists – including
many of you in this hall - to the United

government, about your opposition to thewars in Afghanistan and Iraq, about yourpeaceful responses to North Korean fears.
And we need to hear your proposals forchange, for how to dismantle the militarybases and war-crazy policies that harmStates in May for the NPT conference, andto visit many towns and cities besides New
York. We need to hear the testimonies ofpeople like Jane-san and Mr. Yamasaki, tohear about the resistance of Japanese people
to nuclear homeporting and to relocation ofcommunities from here to Afghanistan. We
need our legislators and our activists and ourjournalists to get to know you. We need toget angry together and laugh together. And
we need to act. Because together, we will
succeed. Gambare masho!

the Futenma base, about what it means for

Hannelore Tölke
Dear friends,

in Germany.

I would like to say “thank you” for inviting
me to your conference and for sharing
experiences with me.
It is a great honor for me to be invited toThat will strengthen our worldwide
networks against military bases as well as
our network against military alliances.
Military bases are a precondition for the
warfare of military alliances. From this

your conference. Here I got a large numberof new information. It was interesting for me
to learn about your struggle against militarybases. The reports from Okinawa, from
Iwakuni and from Kanagawa encouraged me.
I will bring your experiences to the activists

bases come death and destruction, we do notbelieve in the fairy tail of so called
humanitarian interventions. The aim ofNATO is a world wide warfare leaded by theUSA. For this NATO also in future wants thefirst strike option to use nuclear weapons.
48

It is good to know that you are also working
for a nuclear weapon free world.

In Germany we issued last year a campaign
with view to the NPT-conference with themotto “Germany with out nuclear weapons
until 2010” We are demanding thewithdrawal of 20 nuclear warheads which
are until now stored in the NATO-base
Buechel in the west of Germany.

Our common work for a peaceful world will
strengthen our movement.
Thank you once again for hosting me sofriendly here in Japan and good luck foryour peace activities in 2010.

Lee Junkyu (Republic of Korea)
I learned a lot and got great encouragementfrom you. I would like to extend solidarity

remind me of a wording, “A crisis can be achance.” By changing a way of thinking andto your struggle for liberating East Asia
from the rule of military alliances between
Japan and South Korea and the US, and for
creating an East Asia based on a new order.

getting more far-sighted, you can find apossibility to turn the crisis into a chance.

As you may know, the dark shadow of

I am so excited even to imagine the citizensof South Korea and Japan, who are regarded
as subordinates to the US, walking hand in

military alliance with the US is cast on
South Korea and the Korean Peninsula, as it
is on Japan. Perhaps, it might be darker thanthat on Japan. These two military alliances
and the US forces stationed in the twocountries are closely linked. That is why I

hand in the center of New York next year.
Next year, the NPT Review Conference isheld. It also marks the 50th year of theJapan-US Security Treaty and the centenaryof Japan’s annexation of South Korea. Let us
devote ourselves to turn 2010 into the firstwant to emphasize that solidarity between
the citizens of the two countries is essential.

year in which we can achieve the abolitionof nuclear weapons and establish a neworder of East Asia based on common
security and peace by breaking away frompolitics of military alliance. Thank you.

The current situation of East Asia over
“North Korea’s nuclear issue” and historicalmoves for a nuclear weapon-free world

Corazon Fabros (Philippines)
As we bring to a close this year's Peace
Conference, and as we prepare to go back to

May we be strong knowing that in otherparts of the world we have friends, brothers

our own communities where the real workand continuing challenge to our commitment
confront us daily, may we be hopeful andsteadfast knowing that we are not alone.

and sisters, comrades they are in our
struggle who stand in solidarity in our quest
for a world that is peaceful, bases free,nuclear free - - in all the continents of the49

world, especially here in Asia and thePacific region where we witness thedomination.

continuing escalation of militarization, we
find solidarity in this work for the abolitionof foreign military bases.

Let us continue to inform, educate,conscienticize and organize in ourcommunities so that we can build a criticalmass of constituency that believes in theneed for urgent removal of foreign militarybases and troops in our communities.

And always, we must remember that foreign
military bases perpetuate and support the US
Empire. Without foreign military bases,
wars would be more difficult to wage;
nuclear weapons would be impossible tostockpile; men and women trained for war
would be difficult to forward deploy.
Foreign military bases are used to secure the

Okinawa and Guam is important work for allof us now and in the immediate future in thisregion. Let us continue our solidarity
knowing that the struggle of our friends in
Okinawa and Guam is not theirs alone but
one that is also our own. I take to heart theinterests of a few at the cost of democracy,
justice, sovereignty and self-determination.
They are reasons for the destruction of ourenvironment, the confiscation of ourfarmlands, the abuse of our women andchildren, the violation of our human rights,

Okinawan saying "LIFE IS PRECIOUS".
Let us carry that in our mind and in hearts
and uphold it every day as we continue to do
our share in this long and meaningfulstruggle.
And because the strategy of the
Empire is global - so must our response.

the repression our local struggles, thecontrol our resources, and undermining ourfreedom and independence in our own
country.
They are instruments andinfrastructures for military and economic

Bases out of Okinawa and Japan! No torelocation to Guam! No to Bases!
We shall overcome!

Conference Summary and Action Proposals for 2010

Yoshiro Hayasaka
Japan Peace Conference Organizing Committee
National Campaign Committee for the Abrogation of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty

I thank all of you for your participation inand contribution to the 2010 Japan Peace
Conference. On behalf of the Organizing
Committee, I will present a conference
summary and action proposals for 2010.

1. Participation
The Conference has been successful, with a
total of 3,600 people participating in the50

events held in the last four days, startingfrom the International Symposium, which

Democratic Party, which had stayed in
power ever since the end of WWII, was

was followed by the opening plenary,symposiums and workshops, field trips,
youth forum/peace shout and this closing
plenary. I want to thank you all who havecome all the way to this conference fromdifferent places of Japan, and from abroad,for your cooperation.

swept away from office as the result of thegeneral election last summer.
Sticking to the position to place theJapan-U.S. alliance at the center of all policy,
the Hatoyama Cabinet has been waveringover the Futenma Base issue, trying to findan alternative to relocate it. This situation issomething we could hardly imagine tohappen; this tells us that people’s movement
and opinion are influencing real politics.
What is important now is that we strongly
urge the Hatoyama Cabinet to respect the

Let me cite some of the comments fromparticipants. A woman from Osaka said,“This is my first time attending the Japan
Peace Conference. I’ve learned a lot, deeply
and broadly. I’ve heard so many impressive
words that I will never forget.” A man from
Kanagawa said, “I was reminded of theimportance of focusing on the issue ofabrogating the Security Treaty next year, on
the occasion of the 50 anniversary of therevision of the Treaty.” Many people have

Okinawa people’s will and go all out tonegotiate with the U.S. government on the“unconditional removal of the Futenma
Base,” instead of looking for an alternative
site.

expressed their resolve to work hard as they
were asked for their impressions of theConference. Yesterday, each of us took partin different symposiums and workshops andlearned a great deal about the connection
between the question of “U.S. military bases

The 2010 Japan Peace Conference
participants have now confirmed that wewill be all united with the Okinawa peoplein our hearts, wherever we are, and carry on
the struggle calling on the “unconditional
and immediate return of the Futenma Baseand military alliance” and “war and peace”
from different aspects. Let us confirm that
the Japan Peace Conference has been a great
success, inspiring and encouraging theparticipants to carry on their struggles, withparticular emphasis on taking actions towardand the withdrawal of the plan to construct a
new base in Henoko.” From this Conference,a powerful message has been sent out
nationwide.

the 50’s anniversary of the revised Security
Treaty next year.

new situation has emerged concerning theJapan-U.S. security regime. The current
Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which came into
effect in 1960, will mark its fiftiethanniversary next year, 2010. Being
described as “drifting alliance,” the present

2. Characteristics
Discussions

andOutcome

Secondly, the Conference affirmed that aofFirst, the 2010 Japan Peace Conference was
the first one held since the inauguration of
the Hatoyama government led by the
Democratic Party of Japan after the Liberal

Japan-U.S.
security
regimeisnotfunctioning as the Japanese and U.S.
governments want it to be. This is precisely
the result of the persistent struggle carried
51

out by broad sections of people in different
municipalities
including
Okinawa,

we will be able to give a big blow to therealignment plan, and to open up prospects

Kanagawa, and Iwakuni in opposition to theplan to realign and reinforce U.S. militarybases in Japan.

even for changing the paradigm of theJapan-U.S. security regime being all about
the “Japan-U.S. military alliance”.

The discussions during the Conference havegiven us the opportunity to look into, fromdifferent angles, the realities and problems

Thirdly, the Conference has highlighted thefact that moves toward “cooperation forpeace” are dramatically growing worldwide.

related with the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.
It has been made clear that if we effectively
organize the struggle in 2010, the fiftiethyear of the revision of the Security Treaty,

In the International Symposium, friends
from the U.S., Germany, Republic of Korea
and the Philippines reported on the _Organizing Committee of Japan Peace Conference
C/o Japan Peace Committee
1-4-9, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3451-6377 Fax 03-3451-6277
E-mail: info@j-peace.org

52