Another reservation concerned MRAG's relationship with the members of the local police who in many ways are now highly supportive of our campaign. Perhaps a realistic apprehension the Japanese had was the belief that activists in their country would lose jobs if arrested. I considered two responses to this. Firstly, I wondered if this was indeed the case. I know that in Australia many people had similar concerns before forest actions in 1989.
Committed actions tend to draw respect.
A second response was that the strength of nonviolent action does not necessarily depend on arrest. The power of the action is also reflected in the level of conflict that the action generates. In Japan, if perhaps arrestable actions require such a high level of risk, there are still many other nonviolent actions people and groups can do that show similar commitment and integrity in the face of injustice and repression. It is important for activists to remember that nonviolent action has a rich and diverse history through varied cultures. By the time I gave my third talk in Japan I began to emphasise that it was not the specific tactics of MRAG that I was offering the people I spoke with but some processes that they could use, universal processes such as nonviolence, openness and respect that relate to resolving conflicts, developing human relationships and searching out the truth.