Above photo: More than 30,000 peace activists demonstrate against the US military base, May, 2015, Naha City, Okinawa, Japan. AFP.
Peace Gathering to oppose the recent passage of Japan’s controversial security legislation.
New York, NY – On September 19, 2015, the upper house of Japan’s Diet passed controversial security legislation, despite widespread opposition. A key feature of the new legislation is an end to a long-standing ban on the right to exercise collective self-defense, or defending the United States and/or allies that come under attack, in cases where Japan faces a “threat to its survival”. Many ordinary citizens in Japan as well as hundreds of legal experts – including former Supreme Court justices, previous directors-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, many constitutional scholars and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations – called on the Abe administration to withdraw the security legislation, saying that it is unconstitutional.
Our coalition supports the commitment of the Japanese people to protect their pacifist constitution. The coalition also urges the United States and its military-industrial complex to stop pressuring Japan to “reinterpret” its pacifist constitution to allow it to break the nation’s no-war pledge. Our coalition’s conviction is that the newly-passed controversial security legislation should be abolished as the possibility of Japanese expatriates overseas becoming the target of terrorism would heighten if Japanese Self-Defense Forces are sent into action abroad to defend the US and/or its allies.
To coincide with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to New York City, and to stand in solidarity with citizens in Japan who continue to oppose the controversial security legislation, a coalition of Japanese citizens as well as peace activists in the United States will gather in front of the venues designated as follows:
1. PEACE YOGA *Please bring your yoga mat or bath towel
WHERE: Union Square South
WHEN: September 27, (Sun) from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 pm
2. PEACE VIGIL
WHERE: Rockefeller Center — Fifth Ave. between 49 & 50 St.
WHEN: September 27, (Sun) from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
*We will stretch our line from 49-50 St. along the sidewalk so that we will not block the sidewalk.
3. PEACE VIGIL
WHERE: Duffy Square — West 47th St. & Broadway, the north end of Times Square
WHEN: September 29, (Tue) from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Inspired by recent peace movements organized by SEALDS, MIDDLEs, and OLDs in Japan, OVERSEAs was formed as an international network of Japanese pacifist groups in overseas, in order to deliver their voices against the security law to Japan from outside, as well as to raise awareness of this issue, in their foreign communities. OVERSEAs members believe that the newly-passed security legislation is not only unconstitutional and counterproductive but also expose themselves to danger of terrorism. OVERSEAs NY is a group of Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals in the Metropolitan New York area, who support this concept and implement their pacifist activism.
Blue Vigil in Solidarity with Okinawa in NYC was formed with US residents, who are proud of the Japanese Pacifist Constitution, which renounces the use of war as a means of international conflict resolution.
Since January 2015, through our monthly vigil to support local citizens who oppose US military base construction at Henoko, Okinawa, we have been urging the Japanese Legislature to immediately cancel the controversial “security legislation” (war law) that was passed in Japanese Diet on September 17, 2015.