6-26-06,9:09am

The Japan Peace Committee held its 56th National Congress on June 17-18 in Gunma Prefecture under the slogan, 'Defend Article 9 of the Constitution; Stop the strengthening of U.S. military base functions and of the Japan-U.S. military alliance.' About 250 members participated in this annual meeting.

Secretary General Chisaka Jun, in proposing basic policies, emphasized that the Japan Peace Committee and its members have played an active role in increasing movements in opposition to the strengthening of functions of U.S. military bases in relevant municipalities throughout Japan.

Chisaka proposed enhancing cooperation to prevent Japan from becoming a 'war-capable nation' by blocking the implementation of the U.S. military realignment plan and the adverse revision of Article 9 of the Constitution. He also stressed the importance of international solidarity in opposition to U.S. military bases throughout the world. The Japan Peace Committee needs to become stronger to build a Japan without the Japan-U.S. military alliance.

Recalling that during the war, such laws as the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, the Imperial Rescript on Education, and the Public Order Maintenance Law had contributed to the 15-year war, Representative Director Hatada Shigeo said he shudders with horror at the present moves to enact the national referendum bill as a means of changing the Constitution, the mal-revision of the Fundamental Law of Education, and the conspiracy crime bill.

Japanese Communist Party House of Councilors member Yoshikawa Haruko gave a speech as a guest.

The Japan Peace Committee is a citizens' peace organization. The committee is active throughout Japan in order to prevent nuclear war, abolish nuclear weapons, support atomic bomb survivors, abrogate the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, remove U.S. military bases from Japan, defend peace provisions of the Japanese Constitution, and prevent Japan from waging a war again. The actual membership is 17,000. - Akahata, June 19, 2006