Japan Peace Committee convention resolves to foil implementing war laws

The Japan Peace Committee held its 53rd national convention on June 21 and 22 in Tokyo and resolved to take the lead in the struggle against a bill to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq.

In the annual meeting, participants exchanged their experiences of struggle against the three contingency laws and the Iraq War. Active discussion took place on how to foil implementation of the war laws and the special measures bill to dispatch SDF units to Iraq.

An activist from Nerima Ward (population 650,000) in Tokyo reported that the Nerima Ward Peace Committee as part of the liaison council against the contingency legislation has collected about 26,000 signatures in opposition to the bills. The committee took part in 25 street actions, three times participated in "relay speeches" together with other citizens' groups, and held seven rallies.

Secretary General Chisaka Jun in his keynote report denounced the Koizumi Cabinet for having railroaded the war bills through the Diet. He proposed to the convention that they organize a campaign to "declare 'No' to war laws" in workshops, districts and universities.

Referring to increasing criticism of U.S. unilateral/preemptive strike strategy as well as growing calls for an international peace order centering on the United Nations, Chisaka stressed the urgent need for Japan's peace forces to block the Iraq 'assistance' bill.

Ogata Yasuo, House of Councilors member and International Bureau director of the Japanese Communist Party who has just returned from a JCP team's Iraq visit, gave an address. He cited remarks of U.N. officials and ambassadors as well as NGO members in Iraq as saying that, "There's nothing for the SDF to do in Iraq. The troops will only incur ill will from the Iraqi people."

The convention elected Iwasaki Chikatsugu, Sato Mitsuo, and others as representative directors. (end)