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JAPAN TAKES UP ARMS Wednesday, July 3, 2002 Susan V. Thompson, ed. Read online or subscribe at: http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3 CONTENTS Introduction: Land of the Rising Gun? One Link: Rumbles from a Distant War Japan and World War II Japan's Peace Constitution Re-Militarization Japan, the US, and Afghanistan The Japanese Peace Movement Get Involved About the Bulletin INTRODUCTION: LAND OF THE RISING GUN? After World War II ended, Japan enacted a unique constitution. In part, it stated, "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." The Peace Constitution, as it is known, was crafted by the United States. Now, in an ironic twist, Japan has joined the US in its military actions in Afghanistan, and many military analysts suggest that the US is pressuring Japan to arm itself again. The campaign in Afghanistan marks the first time that Japanese troops have participated in an overseas military action since World War II, and it has been accompanied by an increase in Japanese military spending. Meanwhile, the regional tensions that originated in World War II and the Cold War linger on. China and Korea are still waiting for Japan to apologize for wartime atrocities, including the infamous massacre at Nanjing, a war crime which Japanese politicians still occasionally deny. There are those within the West who fear that a remilitarized Japan would be a considerable threat to international security. And even the terminology that has been attached to the WTC attacks in some ways echoes these former grievances. The term "Ground Zero" was the original term for Hiroshima and Nagasaki after they were destroyed by American atomic bombs, and the attacks of Sept. 11 have also been frequently referred to as "another Pearl Harbor." In some sense, these comparisons may seem appropriate to Americans, but it must be remembered that for Japan, Pearl Harbor was in many ways a symbol of triumphant militarism, a militarism which inevitably led to the horrific and crushing defeat at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those two cities have in turn become symbols of the horrors of war and a motivating factor for many people within Japan who have committed themselves to peace. Sept. 11 is thus not only in some sense a reminder of these opposing currents of militarism and pacifism within the Japanese national identity, it is also the litmus test that has exposed exactly which of these qualities will triumph in today's Japan. We can only hope that Japan's strong peace community will turn back the ominous march into endless war. Next week: Inside the G6B Summit. ONE LINK: RUMBLES FROM A DISTANT WAR This excellent article compassionately examines the lives and experiences of some of those who lived through the attacks on Japan during World War II, and how they view Japan's re-militarization, which has gained considerable momentum since Sept. 11. There have even been suggestions that Japan should become a nuclear power, despite the fact that the country experienced the horrific effects of nuclear weapons firsthand in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The article summarizes almost all of the issues covered in more depth in the rest of the bulletin, providing valuable background and perspective on Japan's military history. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=51 JAPAN AND WORLD WAR II This is an excellent summary of Japan's history, which includes information on early peoples, the rise and fall of the warrior class of samurais, the events that led to Japan's involvement in World War II and subsequent defeat, and Japan's economic rise since then. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=52 On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, killing about 2,400 Americans. The attack was used to justify America's entrance into World War II. This is a fairly good overview of the tensions leading to the attack and the events of that day. http://members.aol.com/azmemph/phdec7.htm There are some who believe that the US government knew about the Pearl Harbor attacks before they happened and allowed them to occur in order to gain support for a war effort (sound familiar?). This argument also generally includes the assertion that the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were meant more to demonstrate America's military might to Russia than to revenge Pearl Harbor or end the war quickly. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=53 Others simply believe that Pearl Harbor was an intelligence failure, albeit a massive one. This article is an account of the attacks written from this perspective. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=54 Before and during World War II, Japan and China were locked in war. The Japanese military committed many atrocious acts of aggression against China which the people of China still remember as testaments to Japan's former militarism. In 1937 Nanjing fell to the Japanese Imperial Army. Over the next six weeks over 300,000 Chinese civilians and POWs were slaughtered and 20,000 women raped. http://www.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/NanjingMassacre/NM.html Japan has never apologized, and as of 2001, Japanese textbooks downplayed Japan's actions during World War II. Out of eight textbooks approved by the Japanese Education Ministry, five made no mention of the Nanjing massacre, a fact which resulted in strained relations with China and South Korea. http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/11/p1s2.htm Widely accepted evidence indicates that the Japanese used germ warfare against China, including such activities as dropping plague-infected fleas from planes. Many people in countries that were affected by Japanese operations in World War II would like to see Japan acknowledge its role as an aggressor rather than just a victim. http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/jp-germ4.htm The Japanese Biological Warfare Unit 731 is infamous for using humans as subjects for vivisection (dissection while still alive) and intentionally releasing the bubonic plague in China. It also appears that the US was aware of many of these activities, and ultimately made deals in order to acquire the results of the research conducted by Unit 731. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=55 In 1945, the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an action which killed around 270,000 people and led to the surrender of Japan. This valuable site provides a brief overview of the atomic attacks (just scroll down the main page), as well as other resources such as pictures, the stories of survivors, and peace activities. http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/ This article from the above site explains the effects of the bombs, which included fatal winds, heat, and radiation. http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/data.html JAPAN'S PEACE CONSTITUTION After World War II, the occupying US forces under General MacArthur wrote and instituted a "peace constitution" for Japan which banned the country from having an army. Article 9 of the constitution states that, "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." This is the full text of Japan's "Peace Constitution." http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=56 REMILITARIZATION? The Peace Constitution prohibits Japan from having an army. So, instead of an army, Japan has a Self-Defense Force (SDF). The SDF was created while Japan was under US occupation after World War II. It was called an "emasculated" military force since it was forbidden to resort to military action unless attacked. In the past decade, the SDF has expanded its powers and has rapidly assumed the role of a full-fledged army. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=57 According to the Center for Defense Information, as of 2000, Japan had the world's second largest military budget. Japan spent $46 billion in 2000. This one page summary shows what the budget supported. http://www.cdi.org/issues/Asia/japanmil.html Immediately after World War II, the US focused on restructuring Japanese politics and economics "so as to prevent either a return to militarism or a turn toward socialism." However, this course was soon reversed because of the Cold War. It was thought that if Japan became militarized some time in the future, it could assist American efforts in countering international Communism. http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/TR_Christensen.htm The US and Japan have maintained a close strategic alliance since the 60s, when both countries signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. American troops remain stationed in Japan, and are charged with helping defend the country. The US has also helped Japan develop weaponry, especially since 1994, when the alliance between the two countries was strengthened. http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eap/japan/security.html The US has sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Japan since the 60s, and provides intelligence to the country. This article includes a chart of arms sales to Japan during the Clinton years. http://www.motherjones.com/arms/japan.html However, in recent years there has been a sense (especially in America) that Japan is declining. Within Japan there are fears that the U.S.-Japan relationship is becoming weaker, while China is gaining power and influence and thus becoming a threat. This article explains how this situation came about by examining the economic factors at play in the region, and predicts that a dramatic remilitarization of Japan is unlikely -- although a gradual remilitarization of Japan is inevitable. http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/pubs/ib49.html 2002 is the thirtieth anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and Japan. The two countries have always had a troubled relationship, and despite efforts to make the relationship between the two powers more positive, issues such as North Korean refugees flooding into China still divide them. http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0517/p06s02-woap.htm This compelling speech on the "Search for Japan's New Identity" describes the opposing currents of pacifism and militarism within Japan and discusses what sort of future Japan may have. There are still many in Japan who want to maintain the commitment to peace enshrined in the constitution. http://www.9-11peace.org/r2.php3?r=58 JAPAN, THE US AND AFGHANISTAN According to Foreign Policy in Focus, ever since Japan refused to participate in the Gulf War, the US has been pressuring the country to enact legislation that would ensure Japan's participation in the event of another war. The War on Terrorism demonstrated that the US has been at least partly successful, since Japan quickly rushed to its aid, and has increased defense spending This is a readable, understandable and very informative article that a very reasonable and plausible explanation of recent Japanese foreign policy. http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0202japan_body.html After Sept. 11, new Japanese legislation was passed that gave Japanese military forces permission to support US efforts in the War on Terrorism. This Antiterrorism Special Measures Law has enabled Japanese troops to participate in overseas military action for the first time since World War II, and has ignited fears among the country's neighbours that the Japanese government is using the American-led war as an opportunity to reposition Japan as an internationally significant military force. http://www.island.net/~pcdsres/58.html Under the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law, Japan sent several naval vessels to the Indian Ocean to refuel U.S. and British ships. In November it deployed Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to the Indian Ocean. The duration of the SDF dispatch was set from Nov. 20 to May 19. U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has since asked Japan to dispatch an Aegis destroyer and P-3C antisubmarine surveillance aircraft. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/020501/kyodo/d7j822ho0.html Japanese constitutional scholars object to the Terrorism Control Support Bill since it is in clear violation of Article 9 of Japan's Peace Constitution. http://www.jca.apc.org/~kenpoweb/appeal_eng.html JAPANESE PEACE ACTIVISM The Japan Peace Committee is working against the remilitarization of Japan, including sending troops overseas, military bases, and the new agreement with the United States to develop plutonium. http://prop1.org/prop1/jconst.htm National Campaign Committee for the Abrogation of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty objects to Japan's participation in the war in Afghanistan, saying, "This is the first time that Japan has cooperated in war since World War II, in outright defiance and violation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution which renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation." http://www.afsc.org/nero/ct/okinawa.htm Kazuo Soda, a living reminder of the 460,000 people who survived the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and who to this day suffers from the long term effects of the bombings, won the international Aachen Peace Prize in 2001. He wants as many people as possible to sign the Appeal of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the abolishment of all nuclear weapons. 200,000 have signed so far. He is also a representative of the HIBAKUSHA movement founded by survivors of the atomic bombings. http://www.aachener-friedenspreis.de/Kazuo_Soda_english.htm The Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs http://www.gensuikin.org/english/whatis.html "The LaborNet Japan wishes to establish workers' rights and to strengthen solidarity among them in the period of 'globalization'." Created in February of this year, LaborNet is an independent source for current news around progressive union activism in Japan, especially against the war, with an excellent list of Japanese labor links at the bottom of the page. The All Japan Dockworkers Union seems especially active in issuing denunciations of the brutality of war and the impact it will have on the Japanese workforce. http://www.labornetjp.org/fj The Anti-War Network, established as a "temporary anti-war zone" on the net in Japan, promises not to be so temporary in the context of an endless war. Based around autonomous-style activism, rooted in the global anarchist community. http://flag.blackened.net/apfj/anti_war/en/about.html Although this site does not have current information on activities around the increased militarization of Japanese society, the Japan Congress of Journalists is clearly a progressive force seeking to end aggression. From their website: "Japan Congress of Journalists (JCJ) is a professional organization that journalists join individually and voluntarily under the slogan, 'Never carry a pen, a camera or a microphone for the sake of war'." 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