Category Archives: Peace

Statement: Calling for an Immediate Halt to Armed Action in Israel and Palestine

Peace, Uncategorized

Consumers Union of Japan (CUJ) has been carrying out grassroots movements under the slogan of “For a healthy life into the future”. The deprivation of precious lives is currently happening in many parts of the world. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip have already resulted in thousands of casualties and extensive damage. Israel has also stated that it will invade the Gaza Strip militarily, which is set to cause even more misery.

We urge both sides to immediately reach a ceasefire in order to stop the horrific situation without further loss of life. It is impossible to tolerate any violence that takes human life, whether civilian or military. We also call for the blockade of the Gaza Strip to be lifted, and for the supply of electricity and water, and the delivery of food, medicine and other supplies to be guaranteed, so that people can regain a secure life.

The Constitution of Japan clearly renounces war and military action. It also pledges that “all peoples of the world shall be free from fear and want and shall have the right to live in peace” (Preamble to the Constitution of Japan).

In compliance with the spirit of the Constitution, the Government of Japan should use all diplomatic means at its disposal to urgently launch an appeal for a ceasefire, not only to Israel and Palestine, but to all the countries concerned and the UN. In particular, we strongly urge the Kishida Government, which calls for strengthening the US-Japan alliance, not to follow the US lead and not to go down the path of military expansion.

All people on this planet have the right to “live peacefully and securely”. We see the threats to this as our own, and will continue to speak out and act accordingly.

(Published 25 October 2023, Japanese original here)

CUJ has participated in several peace demonstrations this year, including the large event on 5 November in front of the Japanese Parliament in Tokyo.

CUJ participated in the march to Ginza, Tokyo with our green flag. Some of the banners read: ‘Peace in Gaza!’ and “Stop Genocide” and ‘Free Gaza’
‘Peace for Palestine – 11/5 Emergency Action’ held in Tokyo on 5 November.
Despite it being a Sunday evening, around 1,600 people attended.

Japan Resources – 189

Biotechnology, Environment, Food, Japan Resources, Peace, ,

Please click here for our latest English newsletter (pdf): JR 189

JR-189-editDownload

Contents:

From the Editors: Over 90 Consumer Organisations Have Signed Our Peace Appeal!

Symposium: Let’s Connect Citizens for Peace in Asia! Peace Action by Japan, Korea and Taiwan

90 + Support For Our Consumer Peace Effort

GM Zucchini Found in South Korea: How about Japan?

Action Day to Bring Citizens’ and Farmers’ Voices to the G7 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to Stay GM Free

Open Letter of Inquiry on Artificial Turf

In the News: Corteva’s Genome-Edited Maize Not Commercially Cultivated at Present

From the Editors: Over 90 Consumer Organisations Have Signed Our Peace Appeal!

Consumers Union of Japan and Shufuren Association of Consumer Organizations, took the initiative to protest against Japan’s proposal to increase its military spending. Over 90 groups including many local co-operatives have now joined together. It is a pretty impressive movement!

For our Annual Meeting on 18 June we have invited speakers from Taiwan and South Korea, who share our views on peace in this region of the world. You can join us in Tokyo or follow the Peace Action online.

– Editors

International Peace Symposium 18 June 2023

Peace

Let’s Connect Citizens for Peace in Asia!
Peace Action by Japan, Korea and Taiwan

Fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as the “Taiwan contingency” that the Japanese government has suddenly brought up, more and more people seem to think that Japan’s defense forces need to be strengthened. Can war be avoided by possessing a large number of weapons? Japan’s current state of increasing military spending and becoming a war-making nation may be seen as a threat, especially to Asian countries. Consumers Union of Japan, which rejects all threats to life, hopes to protect peace in Asia and, by extension, in the world through dialogue rather than military force.

This year, for our annual symposium, CUJ is honoured to invite speakers from South Korea and Taiwan to discuss what we can do as consumers and citizens in solidarity to prevent war and to create a society where people can live in peace. The symposium will be held both on-site and online. Please join us.

Link to Japanese

Introduction of Speakers:
Mr. Joo Young-Ho
Musician, peace and human rights activist. Member of the peace activist group “World Without War” and a member of “Mob Sul Band,” a musical solidarity group of activists and artists.

Ms. Hwang Chia-lin
Executive Director of Daihyang Food Education Association. Co-founder of the GMO-free School Lunch Campaign in Taiwan; Secretary General of the Taiwan Housewives Federation from 2012-14.

Ms. Makiko Kawamura
President of the Housewives’ Federation of Japan. Served as deputy secretary general for the campaign to establish a consumer affairs bureau. Co-chair of the Net for Realization of a New Accident Investigation Agency.

Mrs. Michiyo Koketsu
Secretary General of Consumers Union of Japan. She has been working on the issue of genetic modification and genome editing with citizens’ groups in Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, as well as in Europe and the U.S.

Date: 18 June, 2023 (Sun.) 13:30-16:30

Venue: Conference Room 201, 2F, Rengo Kaikan (3-2-11 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Access: Short walk from Exit B3 of the Shin-Ochanomizu subway station, 5 min. from Seibashi Exit of the Ochanomizu JR station.
Map of the venue→https://rengokaikan.jp/access/
Online participation is also available.

(Photo) 6 February 2023 Press Conference on the Joint Statement of Consumer Organisations:
We Protest against Japan’s Military Buildup and Increased Spending on Weapons

Japan Resources – 188

Biotechnology, Peace, ,

Please click here for our latest English newsletter (pdf): JR 188

JR-188Download

Contents:

From the Editors: Peace of Mind

Press Event: Consumers in Japan Oppose Increased Military Spending

Blog: Breaking Bread

How about it, World, Do We Care about Biological Diversity, or Not?

Consumers Union of Japan has Signed the Global Appeal to Stop Gene Drives

In the News: Doubling the Defense Budget Won’t be Easy for Japan

From the Editors: Peace of Mind

Consumers Union of Japan took the initiative to protest against the proposal to increase Japan’s military spending. 28 consumer organisations joined together, wanting to protect ourselves and others from the potential risk that Japan will once again be involved in aggressive warfare.

This year, we will also step up our activities at home and abroad against the risks associated with genetic engineering, especially genome editing and gene drives. We are reaching out to like-minded groups in other countries to give a voice to consumers and citizens, who all want to live peacefully.

Please stay updated with CUJ’s activities and news on our English website, as well as on our English Twitter account: https://twitter.com/consumerunionjp/

Press Event: Consumers in Japan Oppose Increased Military Spending

Civil Rights, Peace,

Joint statement: We, consumers, seek a peaceful society that respects life and livelihood. We oppose the possession of an enemy base attack capability (counterattack capability) and increased military expenditure.

On 6 February 2023, consumer organisations from across Japan jointly issued a joint statement opposing the Kishida Government’s proposal for a pre-emptive strike in the name of an enemy base attack and an increase in defence expenditure. The call was made by the Consumers Union of Japan and Shufuren. In response to the call, consumer organisations, co-operatives and other groups from across the country endorsed the statement, which was announced at a press conference held in Tokyo.

The fact that national and local consumer consumers across the country have expressed their opposition to the government’s proposed major military build-up shows that a sense of crisis about these government moves is gradually spreading.

On 16 December 2022, the Kishida Government made a Cabinet decision to revise the ‘Three Security Documents’, including the National Security Strategy. The ‘Three Security Documents’ clearly state the policy of possessing an ‘enemy base attack capability (counterattack capability)’ and increasing Japan’s defence expenditure to 43 trillion yen. An enemy base attack capability is the capability to strike within the territory of another country. It carries the risk of a first strike, which is forbidden by international law, and is contrary to Japan’s Constitution, which states that there will be no war. Deterrence to avoid war is not a matter of enemy base attack capability (counterattack capability), but of diplomacy through dialogue.

We, 28 consumer organisations, work to solve various consumer problems that arise in our daily lives. It goes without saying once again that our activities are only possible because we are guaranteed a peaceful society. We continue to confirm the importance of pacifism in accordance with the Constitution at the National Consumer Congress, which we have held every year since 1957. Consumer cooperatives, which together with consumer organisations are responsible for Japan’s active consumer movement, have adopted the slogan ‘For peace and a better life’. Underlying this is a strong will that war must never happen again, and must not be allowed to happen.

We reaffirm that the basis of the consumer movement is to reject everything that hinders peaceful living and threatens life, and we oppose the possession of an enemy base attack capability (counterattack capability). We oppose the increased defence expenditure in Japan, seeking a peaceful society that respects life and livelihood.

6 February 2023

(Signed by 28 consumer organisations, including Shufuren, Consumers Union of Japan, Tokyo Shodanren, Kanagawa Shodanren)

(Japanese: https://nishoren.net/cuj/?p=34)

Nikkan Berita: http://www.nikkanberita.com/read.cgi?id=202302062056521

Asahi Shimbun: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASR265K4YR26UTIL01M.html