2013: Save Japan's Peace Constitution

Die Verfassung Japan's

Sign this petition - Save Japan’s Peace Constitution

July 2013

The Petition

To:
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan 

We, concerned global citizens who wish for peace,
- Express our support for Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and oppose the push to amend it;
- Urge you to nurture Japan as a peaceful nation rather than choose the path of militarism;
- And exhort you to listen to the growing international movement that recognizes the value of Japan’s peace clause as a peace mechanism, as an ideal to which people aspire and as a model to follow.
Save Japan’s Peace Constitution!
Sincerely,
[Your name]

This petition will be delivered to:
Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: Save Japan's Peace Constitution

In der pdf-Fassung stehen am
Ende dieses Aufrufs die Links zur
Petition und zur Unterschrift.

Today, Japan’s peace constitution is – probably more than ever – in danger.
Japan will hold elections of the Upper House of the Diet on July 21 and several parties, notably Prime Minister Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, have made constitutional revision a priority. If they obtain a majority – and they are in a good posture to get it – they will push for amendment of war-renouncing Article 9 and seek to allow Japan to exercise collective military action.            
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution:

“ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. (2) To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”

Japan’s Peace Pledge     
Japan adopted its war-renouncing constitution following World War II. Article 9 is a pledge to Japan itself and to the world, particularly neighboring countries that suffered under Japanese invasions and colonial rule, to never repeat its mistakes.

Despite constitutional restrictions, Japan has developed and gradually expanded its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to become one of the world’s top military spenders and one of the most advanced militaries in Asia. Yet, the existence of Article 9 – and the Japanese people's support for its principles – have forced the government to maintain peace policies, including non-export of arms, a non-nuclear policy, and not deploying the SDF for active combat.

Global Impact of Article 9             
Article 9 is not just a provision of the Japanese law. It also acts as an international peace mechanism towards reducing military spending, supporting conflict prevention, promoting nuclear-weapon-free zones, recognizing the human right to peace, and more.
Risks for Regional/International Peace and Stability        

At the regional level, Article 9 has served as “the foundation for collective security for the entire Asia Pacific region."

In today’s context of regional tensions involving Japan, China, and the Koreas, the debate over amending Article 9 – coupled with revisionist remarks by high-ranking politicians (notably regarding ‘comfort women’ forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s Imperial Army during WWII as being “necessary” and questioning that Japan’s wartime actions should be considered as “aggression”) – threaten to destabilize the fragile peace in Northeast Asia, triggering an arms race and escalating into a regional – if not global – conflict.

Global Article 9 Campaign            
Launched in 2005 by a coalition of civil society organizations in Japan, the Global Article 9 Campaign seeks not only to locally protect Article 9; it also acts to educate people around the world about existing international peace mechanisms such as Japan’s Constitution and encourage governments to work towards disarmament, demilitarization and a culture of peace.  
Call for support
Japanese civil society is mobilizing and seeking your urgent support – for Japan’s peace constitution and against the Japanese government’s trend of nationalism, historical revisionism and its path to militarism that would have grave consequences for Japan, the regional context and international peace.  

Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Peaceboat, Japan
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Zur Unterzeichnung gehe zur pdf-Datei: petition peace constitution

 

 

 

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