HEADQUARTERS
SCIENTIFIC WORKERS’ RIGHTS DISCUSSED IN TOKYO AND NAGOYA
On September 2 in Tokyo, the committee for scientific workers’ rights problems, that has asked scientific workers in and outside the Association to provide comments for the to-be-published two documents regarding to scientific workers’ ethical code and declaration, held the 2nd colloquium to fully discuss the documents outside the Association, in which friendly organizations participated. They gave many invaluable comments to polish the documents. On September 30 in Nagoya, the committee organized a regular meeting to process the above documents’ formulation, which was followed by the 15th mini-symposium for fixing the documents. After the committee’s briefing for the documents, they discussed: (1) competitive research fund, (2) Japanese policy for educating young scientific workers, and (3) the government and scientific workers – their social responsibility to be fulfilled as witnesses in the lawsuits of the atom-bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was followed by a synthetic discussion.
THE ACTIVITY OF “THE FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS” REVIEWED
The research committee for foodstuff problems organized a regular meeting entitled “The present situation of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA)” on September 2 in Tokyo, where Prof. Kitahara (Rissho Univ.) analyzed the above JA’s activities on the basis of the agenda written for the 24th national convention of the JA, which was followed by their exchanging views and comments.
“A RETURN OF A MARSHLAND TO NATURAL LIFE” DISCUSSED
A total plan for returning “Kushiro-marshland” to natural life was designed in 2005 in cooperation with scientific workers, local governments and citizens. The research committee of pollution and environmental problems organized a mini-symposium under the theme “A return process of “Kushiro-marshland” to natural life and the future activity”, where there were presentations and comments by Prof. Kanda (vice president of Hokkaido Univ. of Ed.) , Dr. Onishi (vice chair of Kushiro City Nature Preservation Society) and others, which encouraged all the participants.
THE 2ND COUNCIL MEETING OF THE 42ND TERM HELD IN TOKYO
On September 16 and 17, the above meeting was held, where they reviewed the past activity and proposed the coming movements in the last half of the term. During the meeting, Prof. Funaki (Kobe Univ.) gave a seminar on the Fundamental Law of Education that is discussing in the Diet session, where the government intends to reversely revise it. Also, they organized special points for discussion: (1) how to observe the Constitution of Japan and the Fundamental Law of Education, (2) activation of research activity, (3) university problems, (4) how to increase members in the Association, (5) scientific workers’ ethical code and declaration, and (6) the Association’s publications, respectively.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN SEPTEMBER
1. HOKKAIDO BRANCH
The branch held the 40th meeting for thinking of energy and environment on September 2 in Sapporo, where Dr. Watanabe (Hokkaido Univ., ret.) gave a lecture on a nuclear power generation device that might be driven by substituting thorium for uranium, which was a part of the report regarding to the activity of the committee for energy and nuclear power.
2. TOKYO BRANCH
1) The Musashino Telecomm. chapter celebrated the 40th anniversary of its inauguration on September 2 in a Musashino City hall, where Dr. Osada (Tokyo branch’s representative councilor) gave a seminar on information-telecommunication technology and nation’s peaceful life.3. OSAKA BRANCH
1) The Kansai-area’s colloquium for scientific workers in private enterprises was organized on September 3, where Dr. Nishida (Osaka branch) gave a seminar on the asbestos problems that have been actualized especially in Kansai area, where they discussed the present situation and the future for the problems.
2) In a meeting of the study group Contemporary capitalism on September 27, Prof. Iwahashi (Hannan Univ.) lectured on the theme “Money game and stock market”, which was followed an enthusiastic discussion.
4. KYOTO BRANCH
The branch held a meeting for observing the Fundamental Law of Education on September 23 in Kyoto City, where Prof. Ishii (Nagoya Univ.) gave a seminar on an adverse version of the Fundamental Law of Education that is now discussing in the Diet session, which was followed by a report on the present-devastated school situation even under the present Fundamental Law of Education. Also there were reports and discussions on the subject.
5. MIYAZAKI BRANCH
The branch organized a regular meeting on September 25 at Miyazaki University, Miyazaki City, where they exchanged their views on an adverse revision of the Fundamental Law of Education, which will necessarily be accompanied by decreasing educational quality and environment.
WE DON’T RECOGNIZE THE NECESSITY OF A MILITARY ORGANIZATION TURNING BACK INTO THE PAST
The Defense Agency published the 2006 Defense White Paper “Defense of Japan” on August 1, which promotes bills to upgrade the Agency to a ministry and to make overseas operations of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) one of its primary missions, ahead of their enactment. Devoting a chapter to strengthening the Japan-US military alliance, the Paper openly advocates the position to push forward with the US military realignment in Japan in defiance of opposition from local residents as well as citizens across the country. With the aim of enabling the SDF to go to wars abroad with the US forces, the Paper shows no hesitation in going against the will of the people of Japan.
In these five years, the government has eagerly taken such steps to strengthen the SDF and the Japan-US military alliance as: (1) the dispatch of the SDF to the Indian Ocean and Iraq in order to support the US aggression and intervention against Afghanistan and Iraq made in the wake of the September 11 terrorist-attack in 2001, (2) the enactment of Wartime Law, (3) the adoption of the third National Defense Program Outline and the new Mid-term Defense Build-up Program, (4) the agreement with the US to jointly develop the Missile Defense program, and (5) the consultation with the US on the US military realignment in Japan that mobilize Japan for US preemptive wars, respectively. Coupled with the attempt to adversely revise the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan so as to stipulate a “self-defense military” in the Constitution, above series of steps are aimed at turning Japan into a nation able to go wars abroad under the strengthened Japan-US alliance for the purpose of aggression, and turning the SDF into a military able to fight wars together with the US forces. Based on the above steps and final agreement on the realignment of the US forces in Japan reached in the May, the Paper openly takes the position to unconditionally fulfill the pledge to the US in defiance of the opposition of the people of Japan, by stating “We believe the completion of the realignment initiatives is indispensable for making the Japan-US alliance more effective.” Then, the upgrading of the SDF to a ministry is the necessary scheme to make international peace cooperation activities a primary mission of the SDF, which aims at a total remaking of the Defense Agency and the SDF as a military organization that can take on new roles to subject to the above practices.
However, the Paper never mention the fact that the US’s realignment plan is widely opposed by local residents and their governments in Okinawa, Iwakuni, and cities in and around Tokyo. It is obvious that the Paper give far more priority to the interests of the US than that of Japanese citizens. It is inevitable that the dangerous scheme that the US has engineered be rebuffed by the Japanese people who exercise sovereignty by protecting the Constitution of Japan. (S. YUASA)