June 7, 2026
A peace symposium themed “No War: ‘Nuchi Du Takara’ (life itself is a treasure)” took place on June 6 in Naha City, Okinawa. The event was organized by a group which includes the Okinawa Association for a Peaceful, Democratic, and Progressive Japan (Okinawa Kakushinkon).
Those in attendance agreed to spread the movement nationwide from Okinawa in order to protect the Constitution and secure a third term for anti-U.S. base Governor Tamaki Denny in the September gubernatorial election.
Former House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken of the Japanese Communist Party and Takara Sachika of the parliamentary group “Okinawa Whirlwind” took part in the symposium. The governor and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) sent video messages of support to the symposium.
Tamaki in his message said, “I will do my best to bring about a politics that puts the Constitution fully into practice.”
Brynn Dunn, who serves on the steering committee for the DSA’s international committee, said in his message, “American imperialism oppresses us all, and leftwing organizers and activists everywhere have a duty to oppose it as a necessary condition toward building a better world.”
He continued, “The U.S. military presence in Okinawa is entirely outside Japan’s jurisdiction, giving soldiers stationed there a free hand to do as they like with no repercussions whatsoever. This status quo, in which the Japanese people are subordinated to the U.S. through military supremacy, is untenable and must be replaced with an equal relationship between our two countries based on peace and cooperation.”
He added, “The U.S. is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war, and Japan is the only country to have been bombed with those weapons. This was an abhorrent act that must never again be repeated in human history.” He also expressed his determination to commit to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
At the symposium, JCP Akamine delivered the keynote address. He described the resistance to the construction of another U.S. military base in Henoko (Nago City) as the resolute struggle of the Okinawan people, and expressed his determination to work with them in their anti-U.S. base campaign. He stated that the Japanese government claims that the U.S. will return the USMC Futenma Air Station (Ginowan City) in exchange for the construction of a base in Henoko, and that a new gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party supports the Henoko plan. Akamine argued that concerned Okinawans cannot allow such a person to take control of the Okinawa prefectural government, calling for a victory for Governor Tamaki Denny in the upcoming election.
Takara Sachika of the Okinawa Whirlwind emphasized the importance of defending fundamental human rights and freedoms, such as the right to life, which are recently under threat despite being guaranteed by the Constitution. She urged the audience to harness this human-rights movement as a driving force to stop the Takaichi government’s push for constitutional revision.
Those in attendance agreed to spread the movement nationwide from Okinawa in order to protect the Constitution and secure a third term for anti-U.S. base Governor Tamaki Denny in the September gubernatorial election.
Former House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken of the Japanese Communist Party and Takara Sachika of the parliamentary group “Okinawa Whirlwind” took part in the symposium. The governor and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) sent video messages of support to the symposium.
Tamaki in his message said, “I will do my best to bring about a politics that puts the Constitution fully into practice.”
Brynn Dunn, who serves on the steering committee for the DSA’s international committee, said in his message, “American imperialism oppresses us all, and leftwing organizers and activists everywhere have a duty to oppose it as a necessary condition toward building a better world.”
He continued, “The U.S. military presence in Okinawa is entirely outside Japan’s jurisdiction, giving soldiers stationed there a free hand to do as they like with no repercussions whatsoever. This status quo, in which the Japanese people are subordinated to the U.S. through military supremacy, is untenable and must be replaced with an equal relationship between our two countries based on peace and cooperation.”
He added, “The U.S. is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war, and Japan is the only country to have been bombed with those weapons. This was an abhorrent act that must never again be repeated in human history.” He also expressed his determination to commit to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
At the symposium, JCP Akamine delivered the keynote address. He described the resistance to the construction of another U.S. military base in Henoko (Nago City) as the resolute struggle of the Okinawan people, and expressed his determination to work with them in their anti-U.S. base campaign. He stated that the Japanese government claims that the U.S. will return the USMC Futenma Air Station (Ginowan City) in exchange for the construction of a base in Henoko, and that a new gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party supports the Henoko plan. Akamine argued that concerned Okinawans cannot allow such a person to take control of the Okinawa prefectural government, calling for a victory for Governor Tamaki Denny in the upcoming election.
Takara Sachika of the Okinawa Whirlwind emphasized the importance of defending fundamental human rights and freedoms, such as the right to life, which are recently under threat despite being guaranteed by the Constitution. She urged the audience to harness this human-rights movement as a driving force to stop the Takaichi government’s push for constitutional revision.
