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MO N DA Y , N OV EM BE R 7 , 2011

Moving Futenma ... ?

Th

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Fut

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Secretary Leon Panetta came to Japan last month, the first thing he

did was to urge Tokyo to move ahead with the relocation of Futenma

Air Base from overcrowded Ginowan City to Henoko in northern

Okinawa Island. It was an international agreement, he might insist,

so that he would be justi fied to press Tokyo to expedite its early

implementation.

But would he?On what legal and moral basis does he think the U.S.

can demand Futenma's function be moved to Henoko with the

increased functi on and capabili ty the Marines have entertained to

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2/18

realize SINCE the 1960's? Probably, he might answer that the

Henoko relocation is legit imate because it wi ll be carr ied out in line

with the bilateral agreement (the 2006 Roadmap) and that i t is

morally justif ied because the relocation wi ll eliminate a highly

dangerous situati on under which Ginowan cit izens are obliged to live

their daily life.

This argument may sound rational at fi rst glance. However, what one

should never forget i s that Futenma Air Base was originally

constructed on il legally confiscated land during the Batt le of Okinawa

and afterwards. Pri vate lands were encroached upon with impuni ty

while area residents were herded into concentrati on camps. There

were five vil lages there which together wi th two other vil lages

consti tuted Ginowan Vill age (now Ginowan City) wi th a joint

populati on of more than 12,000. The encroachment of land as well as

the constr uction of the base were carr ied out in clear violation of an

international law (Art icle 46 of the Hague Convention) and, above all,

universal moral principles.

The U.S.'s "taken-for-granted" ri ghts to the land where Futenma Air

Base sits is thus like a fence's putative rights to stolen goods.

Certainly, t he U.S. cannot demand Futenma's replacement in

exchange for such stolen goods. Dealing stolen goods is severely

punished by law in any country, Japan or the U.S. The bilateral

agreement i s thus completely void i n th is sense.

Yoshio Shimoj i

Naha, Okinawa

Japan

POSTED BYUS FOR OKINAWAAT8:45 PM 0 COMMENTS

SU N DA Y, O CTO BE R 2 , 2011

A letter to the New York Times... close Futenma!

Close the Futenma Air Station im mediately with no stri ngs

attached

Submitted to Th e New Yor k Ti mes September 16, 20 11; The

Japan Times September 2 0 , 2011; The W ashington Post

September 26 , 2011

Albeit knowing there's a str ong local opposition,

study program in September 2010

US FOR OKINAWA EVENT PHOT OS

US FOR OKINA WA

US FOR OKINAWA

US for OKINAWA is

a new peace action

network based in

Tokyo that was recentl y formed by

U.S., Japanese, Canadian, New

Zealand, Australian, Welsh, Mexican

and other citizens living in Japan

who are concerned about Okinawa. A

deli berate double entendre, US may

be read both as "us" (you, me,

everyone), as well as U.S. (reflecti ng

the proactive stance of Americans in

Japan who support a base-free

Okinawa).

VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE

DUGONG = ENDA NGERED SPECIES

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3/18

W ashington cunnin gly cajoled Tokyo into agreeing to

relocate the Futenma Air Station to H enoko, Nago in

northern Okinawa. I t was a governm ent-to-governm ent

agreement and so Tokyo has every bit of inter national

obligation to carr y out the agreed-upon relocation plan as

soon as possible, insists W ashington.

Less than two months ago, form er D efense M ini ster

Toshim i Ki tazawa and the newly appointed U.S. Defense

M inister Leon Panetta reaffir med that "Tokyo and

W ashington will m ove forw ard with the plan to relocate the

contr oversial Futenm a base wit hin Okinawa."

Last week (September 7), the Noda cabinet's newly-

installed Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba m ade an

inaugural telephone call to U.S. Secretary of State H illar y

Clinton in which he assured her that Japan would "stick to

the accord r eached last year to r elocate" Futenma to

Henoko.

Gemba also said at his inaugural news conference that he

would do h is best to per suade Okinawa residents to accept

the bilateral accord. H ow would he do it? By lavishly

bribing H enoko, Nago City residents into consentin g? Or

else, Tokyo would pr obably have to resor t to police force,

invoking state power and thus causing bloodshed and social

turm oil. By coercing Tokyo this way, W ashington is actually

instigating these dir ty tactics, and wou ld r epeat its stock

phrase: "I t's Japan's domestic problem that has nothing to

do with the U.S." A great democracy, indeed.

The meeting in N ew York on W ednesday (September 21)

between Japan's new Prime Minister Toshihiko Noda and

U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the U.N .

Gener al Assembly session was the culm inat ion of an arr ay

of such reassur ance and confirmations. Noda assuredObama that he would do his utmost to implement the 200 6

accord between Tokyo and W ashington.

Futenma was constr ucted toward the end of WW I I with an

aim of attacking mainland Japan by B-29's in order to end

the war quickly. But the war ended before that plan was

actually carr ied out. Futenma should have been retur ned at

that point; in stead, it has continued to be in the firm gri p of

the U.S. mi litar y all these years to this day.

The U.S. militar y seized the land in clear violation of Article

46 of the H ague Convention, which states: "Fami ly honour

(relatives of the Florida manatee)

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and r ights, the lives of persons, and pr ivate proper ty, as

well as religious convictions and pr actice, must be

respected. Pri vate property cannot be confiscated."

There are mor e than 3 thousand so-called "mili tary-land

owners" for the Futenma Air Station. This figur e tells

everythin g about its history, that is, how i t came into being.

Futenm a was constructed, while area residents were still

herded into concentr ation camps dur ing the ongoing Battle

of Okinawa and after in the freely encroached-upon area

where there wer e five idyllic villages with a joint populat ion

of more than 12 thousand.

Other U .S. bases in Ok inawa, 33 in all, have mor e or less a

similar hi story. I n the 1950 's additional land was

requisitioned at bayonet point and by bulldozer to expand

already existing bases. Take I ejim a, for instance. Jon

M itchell wr ites in his recent ar ticle in The Japan Tim es:

"With all of Okinawa under U.S. administration, the

authorities started by tricking the landowners (in I ejima)

into signing voluntar y evacuation paper s... But then, when

some fam ilies refused to leave, 30 0 U .S. soldiers with r ifles

and bulldozers dragged women and children fr om their

beds, tore down their hom es and slaughtered their

goats." ("I ejim a: an island of resistance," M ay 22, 20 11

Japan Tim es)

The illegality and imm orality of Futenma would not

disappear even if it were to be moved to H enoko or

anywhere else in Okinawa just like dirty m oney would not

become clean how m any times it m ight undergo laundering.

Both governm ents, especially W ashington, m ust realize thi s

and search for an alter native solution, that is, to move it

outside of Okinawa, most preferably, to the U.S. mainland.

The M arin es themselves may have known the cri mi nality oftheir base, for they already had a bluepr int for constr ucting

a new base in H enoko in the 1960 's which is str ikingly

similar to today's relocation plan.

I r epeat: Close the Futenma Air Station im mediately with

no str ings attached. M ove it to the U.S. mainland. There's

no obligation for the Japanese taxpayers, Okinawa

residents in parti cular, to foot all the bills for r eclaimi ng

the pr istine coastal waters off H enoko and constructing a

new, advanced base complex includin g milit ary portfacilities for the U.S. M ari nes.

November(1)

Moving Futenma ... ?

October(1)

February (1)

January (1)

2010 (40)




5/18

Yoshio Shimoji

Naha City, Okinawa

Japan


THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 20 11

US for OKINAWA statement on Takae

February 23, 2011

US for OKI NAWA Statement

WWF-Japan and JUCON (Japan-US Citizens for Okinawa Network)

Press Conference:

Halt the Construction of U.S. Military Helicopter Landing Pads that

DestroyBiodiversity and Threaten Local Residents

Needlessto say, as an American citizen, I f ind it ironic that at a time when

the government of my country is urging countries in the Middle East to

respect democracy, it is continuing to collude with the Japanese government

to deny the people of Okinawa their right to the same.

Under the cloak of lightening the burden of military bases on Okinawa,

Washington and Tokyo have promised to give back a portion of the land that

has been appropriated from Okinawa in exchange for building a U.S.

megabase in Henoko and 6 more large helicopter landing pads in Takae.Both of these areas have fragile biodiversity found only i n Okinawa that will

inevitably suffer great destruction as a result of these plans.

To us, the promise being made to Okinawa sounds like tell ing a man you

will give him back an arm you have cut off only as long as you can remove

his leg. How can the U.S. administration ask Okinawa to accept this kind of

outrageousdemand, when Americansmyself includedwould never

allow it?How can Tokyo politicians and off icials call for this when they

know people in mainland Japan would reject? Why is the voice of

Okinawans not being reflected in Washington-Tokyo policies?





6/18

Another guise being used in this issue is the threat of North Korea. The U.S.

has more than 800 military bases around the world, a stockpile of nearly

10,000 nuclear weapons, countless conventional weapons, and the largest

navy in the world. American navy battle fleet tonnage greater than that of

the next 13 largest navies alone combined. And yet, we are expected to

believe that we can't face North Koreaan impoverished country smaller

than many U.S. states that doesn't have a single military base outside of its

border--wi thout the construction of yet more helipads in Takae and an

immense base in Henoko.

Clearly, the greatest threat in this matter is not arising from North Korea. On

thecontrary, i t comes from officials in Washington and Tokyo who are

flagrantly violating democracy; who are wil ling to destroy yet more of the

Earth'sbiodiversity at a time when we are starting to keenly realize how

much we need it to survive as a species ourselves; who are generating more

unnecessary military buildup that profi ts a few while the health, education

and other social structures of the rest of us crumble.

As a representative of U.S. and other citizens from around the world, I call

for an end to the irresponsible actions of these American and Japanese

off icials. It's time for them to start carrying out their duty as representatives

in service of democracy, as well as of peace and regional and global

sustainabil ity. Clearly, people worldwide are calling for new changes to old

harmful policies, and the time has come for Washington and Tokyo to begin

li stening. Build peace, not more heli pads in Okinawa.


MO NDA Y, J A NU ARY 3 , 2 0 1 1

Join the action to protect the biodiversity of

Takae

Please Join Action for Takae at US Embassy!

Please Join Us in Our Action for Preserving the Pri stine

Yanbaru For est and People of Takae, Okin awa!




7/18

W e invite you to join us in our protest at the U.S. Embassy

in Tokyo over the r estar t of the U.S. helipads construction

in Takae, H igashi V illage of Okinawa, and the destr uction of

the sit-in tent by a U.S. helicopter, either by sending us your

message/ request to the US Embassy by email by January 8,

or physically joini ng our action on Januar y 10 in Tokyo (see

instr uction at the bottom).

The Yambaru Forest is a habitat for endangered species such as

Yambaru Kuina (Okinawan Rail ) and Noguchi Gera (Okinawan

Woodpecker) . It is known internationally as a region rich in

biodiversit y. Takae, sit uated in Yambaru, i s a small vil lage of about

160 r esidents, including many who moved here for i ts pristi ne nature.

However, the U.S. Marine Corps has been using the Yambaru Forest

for combat t raining. In 1957, th US mi li tary started using the area as

Northern Training Area (Jungle Warfare Training Center), and

currently there are 15 U.S. helicopter takeoff and landing zones

(helipads) in Higashi Vil lage. Residents of Takae have constant ly

suffered from the noise and the r isk of helicopter crashes. To make

matters worse, the Japanese and US governments decided to bui ld 6

new helipads, surrounding the residential neighborhood of Takae.

Construction of new helipads wil l not only fur ther endanger the

liveli hood and lives themselves of Takae residents, but also fur ther

destroy the precious environment wi th it s wealth of species, forest

and rivers. New military facilities also pave the way to the possibility

of a new war. Residents of Takae have protested against the helipads

construction for the above reasons. In 2006, we passed a resolut ion

against the new helipads, and demanded of the relevant authori ti es

that they review the construction plan. Takae residents and their

supporters from across Japan and fr om around the world have

continued to sit- in, monitoring the site and trying to persuade the

government against t he construction.

The Japanese and US governments, however, have not l istened to t hevoices of opposit ion by the residents, and have not provided sincere

explanation or proper opportunit ies for public hearing. The Japanese

government even decided, all of a sudden, to prosecute some of the

local protesters for obstructing t raffic.

Just before dawn on December 22, 2010, at 6:30 AM, some 100

members of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, ignor ing the ongoing court

proceedings, barged into the site without warning to restart the

helipad construction. On the next ni ght, December 23rd, a US

helicopter hovered only 15 meters above the sit -i n tent, causing thetent to blow down. Such mil itary exercise over a public road threaten

the safety of local residents. The Japanese and US governments




8/18

are harming the people of Takae by forcing through the construction

work wi thout suffi cient explanation or consent by local residents.

Such an approach by the two governments is unacceptable.

Residents of the Henoko distri ct in Nago Cit y, where the Japanese

and US governments plan to bui ld a replacement base for MCAS

Futenma, have also been sit ti ng-in for over 2,400 days, in order to

preserve their li fe and the beauti ful ocean. We urge you also to say

NO to the new base plan in Henoko.

Following our protest to the Ministr y of Defense on December 22 and

the December 26 demonstration in Shinjuku, Save Takae/ Okinawa

an urgent appeal and demonstration against construction of

helipads, we wil l go to the US Embassy in Tokyo and the Japanese

Ministr y of Defense on January 10 (M on.), 2011, to protest. We would

like to collect as many requests/ demands as possible and deliver

them to the US government. We accept both i ndividual and

organizational messages. Just one sentence message, such as We do

not need US helipads in the pri stine forest wil l suffice, or a longer

message is welcome too. The Takae and Henoko issues are not just

about war and mi li tary bases, but they are also about environmental

preservation, biological diversity, and an alternative, slow-li fe

li festyle. Please express your message in your own words. Please

foll ow the below i nstruction and send your message by January 8,

2011.

With our voices and wi th our actions, let us stop the helipad

construction in Takae, and the base constr uction in H enoko. Let us

bring a peaceful and fulfi ll ing li fe to Takae and Henoko!

(The original document in Japanese is at: http:/ / takae.ti-

da.net/ e3296164.html. Translated by Norimatsu Satoko and Gavan

McCormack)

Email your message/ request to:

[email protected]

Please include in your em ail the following information:

*** Nam e (for an individual) or name of your organization

** * Your m essage/ r equest (length is up to you)

Both Japanese and English messages wi ll be accepted.

Deadline: January 8 (Sat.), 20 11

I f you can physically join our action at th e US Embassy,

please meet us in fr ont of Toranomon JT building, at 3 PM




9/18

on January 10 , 20 11. (Take Exit 3 of Subway Ginza Line

Toranomon station. W alk four m inutes straight on

Sotobori Street, towar ds Tameike Sanno). W e particular ly

appreciate par ticipation of people from U S!

Address: Toranomon JT Building, 2-1, 2 chome, Toranomon, M inato-

ku, Tokyo see MAP here.Address in Japanese: 2011 1 10

15 3

4

Organizer: Okinawa o fumini ji runa (Do not trample on Okinawa!)

Urgent Action Commi ttee; Yuntaku Takae; Okinawa One-tsubo Anti -

war Landowners Association Kanto Bloc (URLs below)

http:/ / d.hatena.ne.jp/ hansentoteikounofesta09/

http:/ / helipad-verybad.org/

http:/ / www.jca.apc.org/ HH K/

There wi ll be another action on the same day at the

M inistry of Defense. We will m eet in fr ont of the M oD at

6:30 PM . The organizer of this action is Comm ittee for N ot

Allowing Base Construction in H enoko. See Map of M oD

here: http:/ / www .mod.go.jp/e/ access/ index.html

In Japaneese, 1 10 18

ttp:/ / www.jca.apc.org/ HH K/ NoNewBases/ NNBJ.html

For the background inf orm ation in English about the

Takae issue, go to:

Voices of Takae (English version)

http:/ / nohelipadtakae.org/ fi les/ VOT-english2010Oct14.pdf

Postcardfrom Takae, by Jon Mit chell

http:/ / www.fpif.org/ arti cles/ postcard_fromtakae

See a YouTube video of the Okinawan media reports on the

December 23 i ncident of a US heli copter hovering above the Takaeprotest tent, whi ch caused damage to the tent and some items in the

tent.




10/18

http:/ / www.youtube.com/ watch?

v=j8DgIANejUA&feature=player_ embedded


FRI D A Y, N OV EM BE R 26 , 2010

USfor OKINAWA featured in the JAPAN TIMES

http:/ / search.japantimes.co.jp/ cgi-bin/ fl20101127a1.html

Expat peace group studies

embattled Okinawa ecologyU S F O R O K I N A W A T O U R C O V E R SH A R M F U L I M P A C T O F U . S . B A S E S ,

B O T H E X I S T I N G A N D PL A N N E D

By JON MITCHELLSpecial to The Japan Times

At first glance, the group of 15 young Japanese and

foreigners gathered together in the arrival lounge at Naha

airport look like just another package tour for a week of

fun on Okinawa's tropical beaches.

Draw

ing

closeenou

gh to





11/18

Participants in a tour organized by US for Okinawa carry the group's

banner on a hill overlooking the Oura Bay in northern Okinawa Island.

over

hear

their

talk

of

nerv

egas,

land

mine

s

and

unex

plod

ed bombs, however, it becomes clear that instead of

working on their tans, they are more concerned about

world peace.

These English teachers, interior designers and university

students are taking part in a study trip organized by the

group US for Okinawa to teach people about the

environmental impact of American military bases on the

islands.

"The name US for Okinawa has two meanings," explains

Emilie McGlone, the group's cofounder and international

coordinator for the nongovernmental organization Peace

Boat.

"On one hand, it reflects the support of American citizens

living in Japan for a base-free Okinawa. On the other

hand, it shows that 'all of us' are dedicated to raising

awareness about the dangers caused by the bases.

"We believe the best way to achieve that is to come here

and talk firsthand to local residents about the problems

they face."

Over the next four days, the participants will meet with a

diverse range of Okinawan people each with a

different environmental horror story to share. In Ginowan,they will listen to a resident recount the 2004 crash of a

U.S. Marine Corps helicopter and the subsequent

scramble by the authorities to recover radioactive

strontium-90 from sensors attached to the rotor blades.

Farther north, they will learn about the military mishap

that strafed 1,500 depleted uranium shells across tiny

Torishima Island rendering its once bountiful fish

stocks inedible for human consumption.

One of the most affecting encounters will occur in the

village of Takae, where soft-spoken Ikuko Isa will

describe her fellow residents' three-year campaign to




12/18

block the construction of six new military helipads in the

area.

As she discusses the daily stress of living next to the

world's largest jungle warfare training center, she doesn't

raise her voice in anger. Even when she describes recent

revelations that, in the 1960s, the military likely tested the

defoliant Agent Orange near rivers that supply the rest of

the island with more than half of its drinking water, she

remains calm.

"We're just ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives."

Belying the myths of a politically apathetic younger

generation, the tour's participants fill their notebooks with

the stories they hear. They pepper the local residents with

countless questions, and back on the bus they compare

notes to fill in any blanks they missed.

"I first came to Okinawa on a package tour three years

ago," explains a young Japanese woman. "All we did was

visit beaches and souvenir shops. I didn't know about

these (environmental) problems. This trip is a real eye-

opener for me."

On the third day, the group's devotion is put to the test.

McGlone wakes them up at dawn, herds them onto the

bus and then leads them on a 15-minute hike through

thick jungle. From a hilltop overlooking Oura Bay, local

resident Takuma Higashionna talks about the dugong

a relative of the manatee that feeds on the sea grass

in the waters below.

The dugong was once revered by Okinawans as a

messenger of the gods, but now their numbers have

dwindled to fewer than a dozen.

Higashionna is campaigning to establish a sanctuary in

the area. He faces heavy opposition Oura Bay is the

proposed site for the relocation of U.S. Marine Air Station

Futenma, and current plans call for two 1,500-meter

runways to be built over the beds of sea grass.

In 2008, Higashionna sued the U.S. Department of

Defense, arguing that the runway plans violate American

laws protecting "natural monuments" (such as the

dugong) wherever they live. Higashionna won the case,

but Washington has failed to abandon the project.

"If this were the United States, it wouldn't be allowed to

go ahead," Higashionna tells the group. "So why do they

let it happen here?"

Following Higashionna's talk, the tour climbs aboardboats and heads out for a closer view of the area

threatened by the new base. Half of the participants don




13/18

scuba tanks to search for the telltale furrows of foraging

dugong, while the rest snorkel among the bay's rare blue

and "walking" coral.

Despite their failure to spot the elusive dugong, they bring

back to shore a newfound sense of Oura Bay's fragile

beauty. Nao Sokei, a native of Naha, was particularly

impressed.

"Seeing all of that sea life made my love for this island

deeper. Now I realize I need to think more about how to

protect Okinawa."

On the final day, the tour participants meet with local

campaigners dedicated to achieving precisely that. For

the past 6 1/2 years, Inochi o Mamoru-kai (Association for

the Protection of Life) has been staging a sit-in near Oura

Bay to prevent the construction of the new base.

In 2007, elderly residents, fishermen and environmental

activists waged a campaign of disruption against

construction crews attempting to bore pylons into the

seabed. They chained themselves to scaffolding,

maneuvered kayaks in front of massive barges and wore

down the laborers with a combination of heated

negotiation and good humor.

Faced by the campaign and negative media coverage,

the government called off the construction. However, with

the May acceptance by then Prime Minister Yukio

Hatoyama to the relocation of the Futenma base to the

area, the association expects the return of the

construction crews at any time.

While Hiroshi Ashitomi, one of the campaign's leaders, is

touched by US for Okinawa's support, the 64-year-old

retiree has a word of caution: "If younger activists are

arrested, they'll lose their jobs or the police record will

prevent them from being hired in the future."

He gestures around the campaign tent to the elderly

protesters sipping jasmine tea. "That's why there are somany retired people here. We're not afraid. We have our

pensions. They can't take those away no matter what we

do."

On their way back to the bus, some members of US for

Okinawa review what they have witnessed over the past

four days, and they wonder aloud why anybody would

want to sign up for the military in the first place.

As if on cue, two young American soldiers emerge from

the sea and sit on the harbor wall, peeling off their fins

and snorkels. Some of the tour participants look startled

to be suddenly confronted with the object of their

antipathy, but as the Americans excitedly describe the




14/18

coral and multicolored tropical fish they just saw in the

bay, it appears that they share a common appreciation of

the nature here.

One of the group tactfully steers the conversation toward

why they joined the army and both men cite the lack of

employment opportunities in their impoverished

hometowns, combined with the lure of a free university

education.

Bemoaning the lack of information they received when

they first arrived on Okinawa, they say they're keen to

learn more about the island. One of the group hands

them his business card and invites them for a drink when

they're next in Tokyo. The soldiers say they'll be in touch.

Back on the bus, the group fills their notebooks with

details of the meeting. They say it was one of the most

illuminating discussions of the trip in that it helped todispel some stereotypes about American servicemen.

McGlone, too, seems pleased at the chance encounter.

"When people talk to each other, you can see the wheels

start turning on both sides. It's a great thing to watch.

People learn best through face-to-face communication.

That's what US for Okinawa is all about."

For information about upcoming US for Okinawa studytours, contact Emilie McGlone [email protected]


WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 20 10

Takae, a place flourishing with biodiversity and in

danger ...





15/18

(photo by Rob Pott in Takae)

US for OKI NAWA is pleased to share Peace Boat` s statement for

Biodiversity.

Online link:

http:/ / www.peaceboat.org/ english/ nwps/ sm/ arc/ 101023/ index.html

On October 18, 2010, the 10th meeting of the Conference

of the Part ies to the Conventi on on Biological Diversity

(COP10) began in Nagoya, Japan. During our global

voyages Peace Boat visits numerous places throughout

the world including the Galapagos Islands, the Guiana

Highlands, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and Antarctica,

learning about and spreading the importance of

biodiversity. Throughout this process, we have learned

that biodiversity is not only an issue of nature,

environment, animals and plants, but also of peace and

human r ights. We also emphasize that this issue is deeply

related to worldwide poverty, the rights of i ndigenous

peoples, and confl ict . Noting that war is the greatest

destruction to the environment, we insist that global

mil itary expenditure which exceeds 1.5 tri ll ion US

dollars a year be allocated instead to protecting

biodiversity.

To Peace Boat, a world where biodiversity is protected is

one where all li ving creatures can be free of the threat of

extinction or the threat of being killed unreasonably, and

can fulfi l each one of their li ves. Such a world cannot be

achieved without joint and continuous efforts bygovernments and civil societies across the globe.




16/18

Peace Boat calls for the points below r egarding

biodiversity:

1. No need for m ilitary bases that threaten allnatural livesMili tary bases bring huge damage to the ecosystem.

People li ving in Subic Bay in the Philippines sti llsuffer from health and environmental problemseven now, although the US mil itary base was closedin 1991. In Ecuador, South America, US mili tarybases were recently forced to withdraw, andEcuador adopted a Consti tut ion which prohibits anyforeign bases or tr oops being stationed in theircountry. We need all countri es to follow the lead ofEcuador in order to protect diverse li ves.The sea of Henoko, Okinawa, is a rich treasure ofbiodiversity where creatures such as the endangereddugong and precious corals li ve. We oppose theconstruction of a new mi li tary air base in Henoko's

Oura Bay, and call for an Okinawa free of mi li tarybases.

2. Nuclear development and natural life cannotcoexistPeace Boat has travelled around the world withmore than 100 Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors)from Hi roshima and Nagasaki to talk about thedevastation caused by nuclear weapons. Throughour voyages we have learned that there are peoplewho suffer over generations because of radiationfrom nuclear facil it ies and depleted uraniumweapons. We have also learned that the common

wish of ordinary cit izens across the world is to livein a nuclear-free world. Nuclear waste is also a greatconcern. Nuclear weapons and development pose athreat to all li ving creatures on earth and to theenvironment. Cit izens and governments must worktogether in order to reali ze a 'nuclear-free world'.

3. Realize a world where the rights ofindigenous peoples are ensuredWhi le indigenous people across the world have li vedover generations in harmony with nature, they alsohave long suffered from violation of their r ights. InBri ti sh Columbia, Canada, a mass tourist resortdevelopment is violating the sacred land of theindigenous people, making it diffi cult for them tocarr y on their li ves in the forest where they havealways lived. There should be no human ri ghtsviolations in the name of 'environmental protection'or 'development'. I t is important that we learn tolive in harmony with nature following the wisdom ofindigenous peoples, and bui ld a society where theirlifestyles, cultures and r ights are protected andrespected. As an NGO based in Japan, weparticularly pledge to learn from the Ainu, theindigenous people of Japan, and to deepen ouractivit ies in this field.

4. Re-examine 'development'Through our global voyages, we have learned thatour li ves depend deeply upon the rich biodiversityexisting throughout the world. Simultaneously, we




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ENTRANCE: 500 yen donation

* L im it to br ing no more than 10 pieces of clothi ng / accessories in

good condi ti on. Everyone is welcome to join us, even just to come

shopping, so it is not necessary to br ing clothes.

** Organized by US for OKINAWA with support from Peace Boat

info:

US for OKINAWA

http:/ / www.us-for-okinawa.blogspot.com/

PEACE BOAT

http:/ / www.peaceboat.org/

: 10/ 20/ 2010 (WED)

: 19:30 ~ 22:00

: / GET , 4 ,

MAP-->

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: 500

* Limit to bring no more than 10 pieces of clothing / accessories in

good condi ti on. Everyone is welcome to join us, even just to come

shopping, so it is not necessary to bring clothes.

** US for OKINAWA


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