Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2017 December 13 - 19 [POLITICS]

Major science association issues written protest against Abe’s attempt to revise Article 9

The board of national standing directors of the Japan Scientists’ Association on December 17 issued a statement opposing the Abe government’s attempt to revise Article 9 of the Constitution.

The JSA is a national organization of scientists in favor of a more democratic development of science whose chairpersons are prominent academics, including Nobel Prize winner Masukawa Toshihide.

The statement points out that the joint struggle between the Civil Alliance working to protect Article 9 and opposition parties that uphold constitutionalism has put the brakes on Abe’s move to revise the Constitution. The JSA in the statement expressed its determination to help further develop the joint effort and actively take part in the ongoing campaign to collect 30 million signatures to block Abe’s attack on the Constitution.

In addition, the statement welcomed the Hiroshima High Court’s decision to put an injunction on the continuation of the operation of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. The statement calls for Japan’s departure from nuclear power generation and seeks to increase public awareness of the need to support Fukushima disaster victims.

The board of directors also adopted a resolution in protest against a series of accidents involving U.S. military helicopters. The resolution demands that flights of all U.S. military aircraft be suspended pending the outcome of investigations and that the U.S. Futenma base in Okinawa be immediately removed without condition.

Past related articles:
> 30 million-signature campaign launched to defeat PM Abe’s attempt to revise Article 9 [September 5, 2017]
> Citizens and scientists form network to oppose military-academia cooperation [October 1, 2016]