High school students petition government for refusal of any cooperation in war

Twenty high school students from Tokyo visited the Foreign Ministry on February 18 to file their demand bearing 9,607 signatures in opposition to Japan's cooperation in any war.

These signatures were collected by a campaign committee these students set up with the declaration: "We do not want to kill or to be killed. We declare refusal of any cooperation in wars."

The students were received at the Foreign Ministry by Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Minister Shindo Yoshitaka. Sato Chihiro, a third-year student of Wako High School and the project's leader, stated, "The U.S. claim that war is necessary to achieve peace is contradictory." He requested that the government take a lead in the effort to defend peace under the Constitution's Article 9.

Other students said they want the government to urge the United States to stop using force as a means of solving problems.

In a comment section in the petition to the prime minister, students wrote: "We are strong enough to understand each other without resorting to military strength."

Shindo said, "I assure you that these signatures will be passed on to Prime Minister Koizumi." (end)