AGAIN FROM CONCERNED SCHOLARS IN JAPAN
OPPOSING US AND BRITAIN'S ATTACK ON IRAQ
AND
JAPAN'S Support
(Translation)
1. We urge United States and Britain to stop the military operation against Iraq immediately and return to the Security Council of the United Nations to find the peaceful solution.
From all aspects of the affairs, the Charter of the United Nations and related international laws cannot legitimate this attack. Despite United States' claim of the self-defense right, Iraqi threat is not well-founded so as to acquire an international consensus over it. The chief UN weapon inspector, Mr. Blix reported on March 7 that the inspection has proceeded despite all limitations and needs a few months more before its completion. Even if suspected weapons of mass-destruction remain in Iraq still, their abolition should be pursued through a stepped-up inspection.
In the meantime United States added the dethroning of Hussein to her objectives. However, the military action aiming an overthrow of government clearly violates the 2nd Article 4th Clause of the UN Charter. We believe that criticism and resistance of the people are the most effective and ever-lasting ways to oppose the repressive dictatorship such as Hussein's in Iraq.
After resigning to pursue a fresh resolution at the UN Security Council, US maintains that the UNSC Resolution 1441 provides the mandate for the Iraq attack. However, Resolution 1441 prescribes that the UNSC decides the Iraqi's abolition of the weapons on the grounds of the UN Inspection Mission. It does not entrust one nation to attack Iraq on an arbitrary decision.
In case such a military action is permitted in the world, international order will decay into a state of lawlessness, where power dominates reason, full of military attacks and overthrows of governments.
In case the UN admits such an arbitrary action of US and Britain, the mission of the UN is spoiled and its contribution to the world peace comes to an end. We ask the UN to keep its position firmly on the base of the mutual understanding of all nations of the world.
2. We protest against all inhumanities during the war and demand the prohibition of nuclear weapons and other large-scale destructive weapons.
We are concerned deeply about the use of the newest and large-scale weapons that supersede those used in the Afghan War in this Iraqi attack. It's really ridiculous that a war aiming the abolition of mass-destructive weapons is performed by using similar, even more destructive weapons. This war brings tragic deaths and injuries, famine, and environmental disaster to Iraq. Such American-led violence will only intensify hatred and inspire terror all over the world.
We demand the UN to monitor the use of mass-destructive weapons and other inhumanities during the war and accuse responsible persons/organizations for them.
Now, the glass-root protest against the military actions is growing day by day in the whole world. This protest emerges from the fear and anger against the war as well as against the repressive dictatorship such as Hussein's in Iraq. We, the signers of the statement, would like to stand with those in this world-wide wave of the protesting people.
3. We strongly protest the Japanese Government against her supporting attitude for the US's military action. We urge the Government to stop immediately any actions that may be related to the war.(3) Most Japanese people wish for a peaceful solution to this conflict.
The support for US's attack violates also the Constitution of Japan that renounces the war as the "means of settling international disputes". Japanese government, so far backing the US-Britain-Spain proposal in the UN Security Council, immediately declared her support of the US, saying the US's military action is legitimated by the 1441 and other Resolutions. But this decision of the government has been never discussed in the Diet, to say nothing of the approval. This offends the principle of parliament democracy.
Therefore, we urge the Japanese government to stop any actions that support the war, including the operations of Aegis vessels on the Indian Ocean, and to refrain from any sharing of the war expenses by the public fund.
March 19, 2003
We are the group of researchers of social sciences and humanities in Japan that published the following Anti-War opinion on THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, February 27, and the MAINICHI SHIMBUN, March 4, with the names of 1,473 signers and other anonymous donators.
We hope you understand our wish for the peace.
Anti-War opinion on February 27, 2003
INITIATORS:
* Chief
AKAMA Michio (Ehime Univ.) FUKAMACHI Ikuya (Kyushu Univ., em.) FUKUDOME Hisao (Kyushu Univ.) IIDA Hiroyasu (Teikyo Univ.) IMURA Kiyoko* (Keio Univ., em.) ISHII Kanji (Tokyo Keizai Univ.) ITOH Makoto ITOH Masanao (Univ. of Tokyo) KITAHARA Isamu (Keio Univ., em.) KOBAYASHI Noboru (Rikkyo Univ., em.) MIYAMOTO Ken-ichi (Osaka City Univ., em.) MIZUTA Hiroshi (Nagoya Univ., em.) MORI Hideki (Nagoya Univ.)
MORIOKA Koji (Kansai Univ.) NAKATANI Takeshi (Kobe Univ.) NISHIKAWA Masao (Senshu Univ.) OHUCHI Tsutomu (University of Tokyo, em.) OKADA Susumu (Tokyo Univ. of Foreign Studies, em.) OTANI Teinosuke (Hosei Univ.) SHIBAGAKI Kazuo (Musashi Univ.) TAIRAKO Tomonaga (Hitotsubashi Univ.) TASHIRO Yoichi (Yokohama National Univ.) TSURUTA Mitsuhiko (Chuo Univ.) UEHARA Nobuhiro (Shizuoka Univ., em.) YAGI Kiichiro (Kyoto Univ.) YOSHIHARA Taisuke (Fukushima Univ.)
Japanese