HEADQUARTERS
2ND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING IN THE 41ST TERM HELD IN TOKYO
The above meeting was held on June 25 and 26, where they discussed the coming activity to be realized: (1) 40th anniversary events including the 3rd international symposium "The international symposium on exchange and cooperation of science and technology in Asia (ECSTA)" held in December, (2) peace question, (3) membership, and (4) other problems to urgently be solved. All the council members attended enthusiastically discussed the Association of tomorrow and decided a program of the movement in the 41st term.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN JUNE
1. OSAKA BRANCH
1) In the study group Contemporary capitalism held on June 16, Prof. Suzuki (St. Andrews Univ.) gave a lecture entitled "Japanese enterprises: Verifying what they have done for 60 years after the war".
2) The study group Energy problems organized a research meeting on June 25, where Dr. Omi (Osaka branch) lectured on how to teach the contents of electricity and energy in high school curriculum, which is necessary for developing their environmental discussion in school.
3) The study group Philosophy held a meeting on June 28, where Dr. Honjo (Osaka branch) gave a lecture on the environment and energy policy on the basis of to-be-recycled energy and de novo energy, which was enthusiastically discussed by the participants.
2. TOKYO BRANCH
1) The chapter of Tokyo patent office organized the 38th mini-symposium on the intellectual property rights in Tokyo on June 18, which was supported by the headquarters' committee of science and technological policy. They discussed: (1) enterprises' trials for the newly adopted system regarding to all the invention in enterprises, (2) new draft for revising the Trademarks Act, and (3) recent movements related to the intellectual property rights.
2) The chapter of Hitotsu-bashi University held a welcome meeting for the new graduate students on June 19 at the University campus, where Prof. Hamatani (Hitotsu-bashi Univ.) gave a seminar on his social investigation results on Hibakusha (victims suffered from a-bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki) for 38 years, which extremely encouraged all the participants for their constructing the anti-nuke movements in the near future.
3) The peace seminar was held on June 24, where Prof. Kaneko (Rissho Univ.) gave a comprehensive analysis of the draft for constitutional revision that is written by The Lower House's Research Commission on the Constitution. He especially touched upon (1) security question, (2) international cooperation, and (3) Article 9.
3. HYOGO BRANCH
1) The 17th Hachi-oji science forum wad organized on February 9, where Dr. Yano (Natl. Tokyo Col.) gave a seminar on an inside story concerning "giving a name to chemical element".
2) The 18th peace lecture meeting was organized on February 24, where Prof. Kaneko (Rissho Univ.) discussed the LDP's "new Constitution", where he analyzed the problematic points especially on the Diet, Cabinet and Judicature.
Premier Koizumi, don't go to Yasukuni Shrine!
Glorifying Japan's war of aggression, Primer Koizumi goes to Yasukuni Shrine every year, as if Japan's war was in accord with the international law, although the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Tribunal) held May 1946 ? November 1948, judged 24 Class-A war criminals, including ex-primer Hideki Tojo who commenced the Pacific war, as guilty of planning, preparing, and exercising the war of aggression, who were responsible for committing crimes against peace and humanity. However, Yasukuni Shrine, denouncing the Tokyo Tribunal as a unilateral embodiment of the allies' aim to retaliate against Japan, enshrines the Class-A war criminals as heroes who devoted their lives for the sake of the Emperor Showa. Basically Mr. Koizumi is siding with Yasukuni's campaign to glorify the war. First of all, he must recall the governmental archives, in which described is what Japan internationally promised as a condition for Japan's return to the international community. It is as follows. The 1945 Potsdam Declaration, which Japan accepted, urges Japan to punish war criminals. Also, under Article 11 of the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan promised to accept the judgments of the Tokyo Tribunal, and to carry out the sentences imposed thereby upon Japanese nationals imprisoned in Japan.
Yasukuni Shrine states its view of history which glorifies Japan's past wars as follows. Japan tried to avoid being colonized by the Western powers and to develop national power equal to theirs. Japan exercised extreme patience against pressure from the US and others that began to treat Japan as a nuisance, as well as against China's fierce anti-Japanese campaigns. Japan sincerely wanted the US to recognize its right to invade and dominate China and ensure that Japan can receive oil and other military supplies that are necessary for prosecuting war. However, the US demanded that Japan stop the invasion and withdraw from China. This outrageous demand was made with a view to compelling Japan to start a war. But never could we accept the US's hard-line demands aimed at suffocating the Japanese nation. Furthermore, the US President Roosevelt sought to compel Japan to declare war in his hopes to get out the great US depression as well as to overcome the anti-war sentiments in the US public that had hampered the US going to the war with Germany in cooperation with other countries. Therefore, we were not without means to avoid the war. For instance, we could have given up all vested interests, and returned to the Japan of before the Sino-Japanese War (1894 - 1895). But it would have meant losing the war without fighting. So Japan, a small country in the Far East, stood up against the great powers and entered the Greater East Asia War (term which were used by the Japanese military government to misrepresent the reality of the war of aggression, normally called Pacific War). With the survival of the country and nation at stake, our 100 million people fought with heroic resolve. This was a war for survival and self-defense. Namely, the US was the main culprit, the one that started the Pacific War and caused a great scourge to Asia and the Pacific region, saying that Japan was no responsible for it. Therefore, Yasukuni Shrine regards the war dead in this avoidable war as heroes who dedicated their lives to a just and righteous war and honors their brilliant achievements in war, among which the Class-A war criminals are especially treated for glorifying the war.
Its view on wars is in contravention to the verdict given by the international community to the Japanese wars. This shrine, which is playing a special role that goes beyond being a mere religious institution, declares that their mission is to propagate its view on wars among the Japanese public. Although Primer Koizumi is trying to justify his visit to Yasukuni Shrine by repeating his remarks that he has no intention to do anything other than to mourn the war dead, the Shrine glorifies the past wars of aggression as its very mission. Should he show his wards of remorse over the past colonial rule and aggression, he must immediately stop going to the Shrine! (S. YUASA)