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*** URGENT AND IMMEDIATE ***
 TO:
The
Chairperson
Oct. 18, 2004
Secretariat, World Social
Forum 2005
FR: Masaru ISHIZUMI
Professor, Kanagawa
University, Japa
E-mail:
ishisan@adm.kanagawa-u.ac.jp
RE: “Article 9” at World Social Forum 2005
Dear Chairperson:
I am writing this urgent letter in regard to the coming World Social
Forum 2005 to be held in Brazil
— with a
most important suggestion to which I earnestly hope you will give
your attention and serious consideration.
Please allow me to introduce myself briefly:
My name is Masaru Ishizumi, and I currently teach political science
at Kanagawa University in Japan. I participated in the World Social
Forum 2004 in Mumbai, India, during which I chaired the workshop
session of 200 participants titled “Article 9
— The
War-Renouncing Japanese Peace Constitution” (18 January 2004,
1:00-4:00 p.m., Place A4 Organized by “The Peace Constitution
League” Tokyo, Japan) For six years prior to assuming
professorship, I served as an International Civil Servant at the
United Nations headquarters in New York and Trinidad and Tobago
Office covering United Nations Development Programme regional
operations.
Inspired by the WSF 2004, I am also planning to participate in the
Porto Alegre Forum in January 2005.
Given the critical timeframe we are facing, I hereby propose on
behalf of some of the core members of “The Peace Constitution
League” that the WSF 2005 Secretariat take up Article 9 of the
Japanese Constitution as a WSF Secretariat-sponsored/organized
theme.
PROPOSAL
FOR ‘ARTICLE 9’ AT WSF 2005:
(a)
Allow one invited speaker of the
WSF 2005 opening ceremony to speak on Article 9.
The speaker does not have to be a Japanese
citizen, as this is certainly a worldwide issue. In the course of
our discussions, I will propose specific names of some persons of
international renown as possible candidates for such a speaker.
(b)
Convene a WSF Secretariat-organized
“Article 9 Session” with 1,000+ participants.
The session should be for those who have little or no knowledge on
Article 9, but who seek to be briefed on the issue.
(c)
Issue a statement/declaration from the WSF Secretariat at the
WSF 2005 closing ceremony:
1) Declaring
that Article 9 is a “world treasure” that belongs not only to Japan
and the
Japanese people, but also to the common people of the world who seek
a
workable alternative for peace and prosperity.
2) Declaring that the WSF strongly
advocates actions throughout the world in
support
of Article 9.
3) Declaring that the WSF press the
United Nations General Assembly 2005 and/or
other
appropriate UN committees to urgently take up this matter.
Why Article 9 at WSF
— and Why
Now
1)What Article 9 Says
Japan has been widely perceived as a
low-profile nation in the arena of international
power politics. However, the fundamental reason for Japan’s
low-profile —
the existence
Article 9 — is virtually unknown outside of Japan. Article 9 of the
Japanese Constitution
stipulates word-for-word as follows:
Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and
order, the
Japanese people forever
renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the
threat or use of force as means
of settling international disputes.
In
order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea,
and air forces,
as well as other war potential,
will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of
the state will not be
recognized.
This is a most
amazing constitutional Article
—
amazing because it prohibits the possession of any kind of
military force under any circumstances. It indeed is a miracle
that Japan, the second-largest economy in the world, still holds to
this Article today.
While this article has been labeled as
“idealistic” since its inception in 1947, Article 9 now offers us
a fresh, new meaning in light of post-9/11 global developments and
accompanying military operations. Article 9 stands not only as a
heartfelt desire for “another world,” but also as a very real
policy choice — truly providing us with hope in a world hopelessly
caught up in the chain of violence. The time and conditions are ripe
today for us to consider Article 9 as a potential breakthrough.
The common people of the world hold doubts deep in their hearts
on the question: “Can we really create peace by military force?”
Nation-states, on the other hand, uphold military force as the
ultimate deciding factor. Here we see a great chasm between the
sentiment of the common people of the world and the conduct of
nation-states that rule over them. The United Nations, in this
sense, has its own limitations as it pre-assumes the existence and
continued importance of nation-states (as evidenced in Article 51 of
the UN Charter which affirms the concept of a “just war”).
The WSF stands as strong resistance to globalization, but it is also
a place to propose alternatives. Japan’s Article 9, in this
context, is the embodiment of the truest spirit of the WSF in
the most concrete, practical way. The WSF therefore should devote
its most serious attention to the cause of Article 9.
2) Article 9 in ‘Critical Condition’
In conjunction with the Japanese
government’s recent efforts to seek a permanent seat on the UN
Security Council, the political elites in Japan are accelerating
moves to revise the current Constitution — which would essentially
destroy Article 9 as the pillar of a peaceful society. About 80
percent of members of the Japanese Diet (Parliament) are in favor of
revising the Constitution. They preach to Japanese citizens that
Japan needs to become a “normal state.” They advocate that Japanese
citizens should change their so-called “abnormal Constitution” to a
“normal” one, so that Japan can from now on militarily contribute to
the international community as all other major countries do.
Yet opinion polls consistently show that 60 percent of the
Japanese public is reluctant to change the current “Peace
Constitution,” as it is known (at least 50 percent would be
needed in any national referendum to revise the Constitution). Thus
we see a stark situation today in Japan where the nation’s elites
openly advocate abandoning Article 9
— while
the majority of ordinary Japanese people, emotionally and
intuitively, stand by Article 9. Through the filter of the Japanese
mass media in Japan, we hear no voices from outside Japan in support
of Article 9. International support, therefore, is necessary to back
up the current stance of the ordinary people of Japan on Article 9.
Most importantly, this support by the
WSF for Article 9 would surely be welcomed by Japanese and non
Japanese alternative seekers all over the world.
3) Why Should the WSF Intervene?
The World Social Forum seeks the
possibility of “another world,” and Article 9 is a symbol of
exactly that kind of world. It is only natural, then, that the
WSF should take up Article 9 not as a domestic Japanese matter but
rather as a core issue of the WSF itself. In fact, the WSF
should openly intervene against the powerful forces both from within
and outside Japan that continue to push for changes to Article 9. To
counter the blunt American political pressure for the revision of
the Constitution, the common people of the world now need to voice
their support for Article 9.
The WSF 2005 session can be a
magnificent starting point for this movement
— and a most relevant reminder of the devastating
human history of the 20th century that was colored by
major wars and the deaths of millions.
4) The WSF and Beyond
What would be the next step for
Article 9 after the WSF 2005 session? As suggested, we would make
our utmost efforts to press the United Nations to take up this
matter in the next General Assembly or in an appropriate committee.
We can generate —
through all kinds of peaceful means
— global
interest in this issue. In view of the fact that this is a mass
cultural and philosophical movement, we would definitely ask world
opinion leaders and performing artists to get actively involved.
Ultimately, we would create a situation in which the United Nations
Secretary General, together with other political leaders, openly
states that “Article 9 is a ‘world treasure’, and therefore we
need to make strenuous efforts to sustain it rather than erasing it
from history.” This most certainly would have a positive
influence on global support movements. When this actually
happens, the WSF slogan “Another World is Possible”
will no longer be just a slogan, but a reality. This would be a
major breakthrough and the changing of the tide.
On the other hand, without such a tidal change in international
society — and without the rise of alternative voices supporting
Article 9 —
the very real danger exists that the Japanese
government will abandon this most valuable of human assets. My
analysis is that this will come to pass in the next two to three
years. Thus the times demand that we move forward rapidly on this
matter.
Urgent Attention Appreciated
The above is my proposal and
background discussion in explaining my suggestions to you. I would
be most appreciative if you would give serious consideration to
taking this matter up as a project organized by the 2005 WSF
secretariat. It would be easy for me to consequently
mobilize backing from such organizations as “The Peace Constitution
League” of Japan, in concert with other major NGOs like “Peace Boat”
of Japan.
Your initial reply by return is most highly appreciated and awaited.
Thank you very much in advance for your careful consideration of
this vital issue directly related to the core spirit of WSF.
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