HEADQUARTERS
"2005/8/15" FORUM ORGANIZED IN TOKYO
In order to think of "60 years after the war's end and Japan's future", the research committee of peace question and other friendly organizations jointly held the above forum on August 15, where Mr. Ueda (vice chair of Japan Communist Party) gave a commemorative lecture entitled "60 years after the war's end, and the Constitution and the Japan-US Security Treaty", and Mr. Takakusaki [general secretary of the Japan Council against A&H Bombs (Japan Gensui-kyo)] delivered a report on the title "The fruits of the 2005 World Conference against A&H Bombs to mark the 60th anniversary of A-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the future movements for absolutely eliminating nuclear arsenals", which was followed by a panel discussion under the theme "Continuous efforts to kill the ongoing movements for adversely revising Article 9 of the Constitution" in the presence of exceptionally eminent scientific workers in charge of the movements against revising the Constitution.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN JULY AND AUGUST
1. TOKYO BRANCH
1) The graduate student chapter of the University of Tokyo held a welcome gathering for new graduate students on July 16 at the University campus, where Profs. Kobayashi (Waseda Univ.) and Kitamura (Political and Economical Inst.) were invited to give seminars on the Japan's task to win Asian confidence.
2) The graduate student chapter of Chuo University also held a welcome meeting for new students at Chuo University on July 23, where they discussed the Yasukuni's historical view. Afterwards Prof. Yoshida (Hitotsu-bashi Univ.) guided them to Shuyu-kan at Yasukuni Shrine, which was to study its historical view in the presence of real documents and display.
3) The women scientists' exchange meeting was held on August 6, where Dr. Koshiba (Tokyo branch) gave a seminar on the simulation for "LDL" transportation in an arterial tube. The participants enjoyed enthusiastic discussions, since her research might solve the mechanism of arterial sclerosis in the cooperative presence of medicine and technology.
4) The Machida study forum for workers' studying economics is held the second Saturday every month. On August 13 in Machida City, Prof. Imamiya (Prof. Emeritus of Chuo Univ.) gave a lecture on the financial reshuffle in the present Japan.
5) The Machida Science forum was organized on August 25 in Machida City, where Prof. Ito (Wako Univ.) gave a talk on the present and future of "peace psychology".
2. HYOGO BRANCH
1) The branch and other friendly organizations jointly organized a symposium entitled "Thinking of social responsibility of enterprises" on July 23 in Kobe City, where they synthetically discussed enterprises' responsibility on the bases of the Amagasaki's JR derailed accident in April, and human rights violation incidents in Shin-nittetsu (Nippon Steal Co.).
2) The branch organized a regular meeting on the title "Let's observe Articles 9 (pacifism) and 24 (democratic rights for individual dignity and the essential equality of the sexes)" on July 30 in Kobe City, where they made enthusiastic discussions in order to observe the related articles in order to establish peaceful and democratic society in the near future of Japan.
3. ISHIKAWA BRANCH
The branch organized a regular meeting on July 28 at Kanazawa University, where Dr. Wakimoto (Nature Res. Inst.) gave a seminar on the mercury contamination in the gold mine in Tanzania, which was followed by a get-together meeting.
4. OSAKA BRANCH
The study group Philosophy organized a regular meeting on July 29, where Prof. Okamoto (Kyoto Univ. of Ed.) gave a report on the title "The 11th International Conference of Sustainable Development held in Helsinki and the present situation of Finnish education".
WE MUST REPLACE THE JAPAN-US SECURITY SYSTEM WITH AN INDEPENDENT JAPAN ENJOYING PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
In order to observe Articles 9 (pacifism) and other democratic phrases in the Constitution, and also to solve the long-standing question of Okinawan and other US bases in this country, it would be important to visit the Potsdam Declaration. The Declaration demanded the emperor-led government of Japan in 1945: (1) to eliminate for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on the world conquest, (2) to give up the foreign territories it invaded, (3) to disarm the Japanese military and punish war criminals, (4) to remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democracy among the Japanese people, (5) to establish freedom of speech, religion and thought, and (6) to establish the fundamental human rights, as well as restrict those industries which would enable Japan to rearm for war. It should also be remembered that the Declaration clearly set out: "The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established in accordance with the freely expressed will of Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible government." The emperor-led government of Japan firstly disregarded the Declaration on the ground that it did not ensure the retention of the national polity with the emperor holding the absolute power. At the end, Japan accepted the Declaration in the wake of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the USSR's entry into the war as a member of the allied forces against Japan.
It was an international obligation that Japan carried out the demand of the Declaration which fundamentally calls for militarism to be eliminated and for democracy to be established. Positive aspects of the Declaration were translated into the Japanese Constitution's principles of peace and democracy in the presence of our duly elected representatives in the National Diet. The principles (of people's sovereignty, renunciation of war, non-possession of war potential, rejection of a right of belligerency, the defense of basic human rights, parliamentary democracy, and local self-government) paved the way for Japan to take a path based on peace and democratic principles. The phrase stipulated in the Constitution's preamble "We, the Japanese people, ---, and resolved that never again shall we be visited with the horrors of war through the action of government, do proclaim that sovereignty power resides with the people and do firmly establish this Constitution." is just in accordance with the phrase (1) of the Declaration as shown above.
However, necessary is to look at the present situation in Japan. If postwar Japan did comprehensively implement the Declaration, the occupation forces could have been swiftly removed from Japan. It is definitely clear that sixty years after the war's end, the US forces are still stationed in Japan, which is completely incompatible with the Declaration. The US forces as the core of the allied occupation forces pushed ahead with the democratization of Japan in the period shortly after their occupation. Later, in a sudden change of its policy, Japan was incorporated into the US global strategy, thus becoming a US subordinate under the Japan-US Security Treaty. It is therefore necessary to cancel the Japan-US Security Treaty according to the international agreement in 1945 and to replace the treaty system with an independent Japan enjoying peace and democracy. (S. YUASA)