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AWACS, Airborne Warning And Control System,
costs 5.7 billion yen ($47.5 million)
per
a
plane, was introduced by both the military
strategy of the US government and the
intentio
n of military expansion of the Japanese
government. They are goods of the Pentagon and
the Boeing.
In June 2001 in Guam, a Japanese AWACS took
part in the united training with the
US A
WACS and with other military planes. If an air tanker and a bomber are put into
a unit, AW
ACS will be the commander in the air. AWACS is the military plane which symbolizes
the
US-Japan united operation under the
New Guidelines.
| 2. WHAT IS eTHE NO! AWACS GROUPf |
We, the NO! AWACS GROUP, was established
in 1994 to oppose the introduction
and sta
tion of AWACS to the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense
Force) Hamamatsu air base. Four AWA
CS were stationed to the Hamamatsu
air base
in 1998 (two) and in 1999(two). We have or
ganized movements against AWACS: appealed
nationwide to join in the assemblies
against
them(1998, 1999), staged demonstrations
to
the base, requested the government
and the
municipal authorities to remove them
and
so on.
The activities we are now proceeding with
are removal of AWACS, opposition to
the introd
uction of the Air Tankers, removal
of the
bases, opposition to the propaganda
of the
militar
y culture, and the anti-war movement.
| 3. Clause Nine of the Japanese Constitution
and AWACS |
Clause Nine of the Japanese Constitution
declares abandonment of war. It declares not to
have war potentials and says that ethe
right
of belligerency of the State shall
not be
recog
nized.f
AWACS is the military plane which has the
ability to control and command overseas
the
in
vasion of other countries. This is the fighting strength prescribed
by the Constitution and
is therefore violation of the Constitution.
4. New Guidelines and Anti-Terrorism Law
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eNO! AWACS GROUPf claims removal of AWACS,
abrogation of the New Guidelines, and
that the government should be faithful
to
the Constitution. New Guidelines are the system
by which Japan can send troops overseas
to
supports US militaryfs war around
Japan.
The recent eanti-terrorism lawf is the
law to participate in war, which enables
Japan to se
nd its troops to the world to support
US
military.
eNO! AWACS GROUPf regards that this law
violate the Constitution, enables AWACS
in
H
amamatsu to fly abroad, meaning the
dispatch
of troops. Therefore we are against this law
and has been proceeding the movement
against
it.
| 5. US bases in Japan and in Asian countries |
There are US bases all over Japan. By the USfs retaliatory war to Afghanistan,
the US ba
ses in Japan (Okinawa, Yokosuka, Sasebo,
Iwakuni, Misawa, etc.) have taken strict
watch, and
have made sorties to Afghanistan.
There are so many problems caused by the
US bases in Japan; noise pollution,
soil
pollutio
n, crimes and accidents caused by the
US
military personnel. There are, accordingly, many g
roups around Japan who claim removal
of US
bases.
In Asian countries US military keeps on ruling
people, propagandizing the military
culture.
It is because US aims to solve the conflict
caused by globalism.
eNO! AWACS GROUPf claims the removal of
US bases in Asian countries and in
the world.
We express our thought for peace by non-violence
direct actions. In July 2000 we joined th
e anti-summit action in Okinawa; in
August
2001 we went to Korea to exchange the
experie
nces with the anti-base movement in
Korea.
| 6 Japanese support for US attack on Afghanistan |
Japanese government is supporting US attacks
on Afghanistan.
eNO! AWACS GROUPf has made appeals: to US, eStop attacking on Afghanistan!f,
to Japa
nese government, e Do not support
the US
military!f, to the JSDF personnel,
eNo!
to the ord
er to send troops overseas.f eNo! Warf eNo! AWACS!f On October 21, 2001(the Internatio
nal Anti-war Day), we made an ant-war
peace
appeal in front of the Hamamatsu base.
7 The Current State of Public Opinion
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The Japanese government should be faithful
to the spirit of the Clause Nine of
the Japanese
Constitution and practice peaceful
diplomacy. The current state of public opinion on the
dis
patch of JSDF is half-and-half. Objections are more on the issue that JSDF
takes part in th
e military operation. There are deep-rooted voices: eNo war! Peace for Afghanistan! No! to
Japanfs joining the military attacks.f
eNO! AWACS GROUPf is continuing its anti-war
peace activities, basing such public
will
for
peace.Address: P.B.77 Hamamatsu Post Office, Asahimachi,
Hamamatsu, Japan
Tel/Fax: 053-422-4810
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