Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2017 August 23 - 29 [POLITICS]

Religious figures and citizens at rally: Don’t turn Korean Peninsula into battlefield!

A network of religious leaders and citizens opposing constitutional revision on August 22 held a rally in front of the Lower House Members’ Office Building, under the slogan, “Don’t turn the Korean Peninsula into a battlefield again,” amid the increase in tension between the U.S. and North Korea.

About 100 religious leaders and concerned citizens took part in the rally.

An organizer of the rally made a speech and said, “The Japanese government, as a country with the war-renouncing Article 9, should work hard to urgently resume the Six-Party Talks and seek a peaceful solution through dialogue in order to avert the worst-case scenario.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi and Social Democratic Party vice head Fukushima Mizuho also took part in the rally and delivered speeches in solidarity.

Inoue said, “The Japanese government should make efforts to help open direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang without preconditions in order to overcome the crisis.” He added, “The Japanese government should sign the nuclear weapons ban treaty. If the present government refuses to do that, it should be replaced. Let us urge the government to listen to our voices!”

Kobashi Koichi, an executive of the National Christian Council in Japan, citing the words “Put away your sword” from the Bible, said, “Japan should declare its intent to stop relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella.”

Participants gave speeches one after another at the rally. A follower of Buddhism said, “The greatest power to deter war is dialogue. The U.S. should sit at the negotiating table with North Korea.” A Catholic priest said, “The Trump administration is very dangerous. Japan, as a country with a pacifist constitution, should play a role in reducing the military tension between the U.S. and North Korea.”