NGO NO WAR NETWORK

NGO NO WAR NETWORK 2015 Mission Statement

As a group of concerned citizens and NGOs promoting international cooperation and exchange, we stand together in opposition to the security bills that are currently being debated in the Japanese Diet, and the attempt to make Japan a country that can go to war. We have seen for ourselves the reality of how the mechanisms of war, along with the despair and backlash that come from people being robbed of their natural human rights, create a hotbed for terrorism. Given the various examples that exist around the world, we are certain that being freed from poverty and hunger, and the enjoyment of natural human rights is what leads to peaceful and safe societies. In order to achieve this, however, we must increase our efforts to engage in dialogue instead of conflict. Dialogue among nations will continue to be difficult as long as unequal relationships between different countries remain, but we have learned first-hand that dialogue between citizens and between neighboring regions is nevertheless possible. It is precisely because mutual trust exists that societies in which people live together in peace can be built. As the NGO NO WAR NETWORK, we believe that peace cannot be created through force, and are using our platform as NGOs to call out to all citizens. Our aim is to create a widespread network of people joined together in this aim.

On July 4, 2002, we created our first NGO NO WAR NETWORK. The original NGOs that gathered were those which felt a sense of crisis in the face of the post-9/11 “War on Terror” and ensuing limits on civil liberties in the name of anti-terrorism that took the world by storm. At the time, the US was proceeding with its preparation for the war in Iraq, and emergency legislation was being deliberated in the Japanese Diet. The NGO Network released statements calling for “True Peace and Security” and in opposition to the Iraq war. In addition, we hosted various events, coordinating peace demonstrations, and providing information about the foreign war on terror. The NGO Network was eventually dissolved, but in the face of the current international situation and Japan’s rapidly developing policies that will lead the country to war, we felt we could not stand idly by. Thus, the no warfare movement was reestablished, incorporating the spirit of the original NGO NO WAR NETWORK.

We are a group of NGOs that partake in cross-border cooperative efforts to solve problems related to poverty, the environment, human rights, and various conflicts, regardless of the specific interests of individual countries. We question the ways in which economic policies and political legislation contributes to the silencing of the voices of those who are impoverished due to war and continue to be oppressed. We have also created a space to develop international cooperation and learning that encourages prosperity for all, allowing for people to live in harmony with their own beliefs and values. We take very seriously the declaration made in the Japanese Constitution and Article 9 to achieve a peaceful existence for all through non-military means. As NGOs that stand in solidarity with efforts to achieve an internationally cooperative civil society, we hope to call on citizens and the government to oppose both war in general as well as the pro-war legislation, joining in a movement that is spreading to different political and societal sectors of Japan. Instead of remaining silent now and regretting it in the future, we wish to join with others who share our concerns and to keep working to achieve our mission, no matter how small or insignificant our actions may seem.

members

The promoters of the NGO NO WAR NETWORK

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Demonstration march in Hokkaido

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NO WAR NGO Pledge

Japan deeply scarred other Asian countries as the perpetrators in past wars. We in Japan have also experienced the tragedies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings as well as the Battle of Okinawa. Ultimately, the victims of all of these wars were always the common citizens. This is especially true in Okinawa, where many people committed mass suicide to follow the order they were given of “death rather than capture”. They were killed not by the war with the USA but rather by the Japanese war machine.

Learning from these experiences, the Japanese Peace Constitution vowed never again to cause war, and settle international disputes without the use of force. This Peace Constitution and pacifist philosophy could have been unique assets of Japan, used to contribute to peace in the world. However, we neglected to make use of this asset and work to truly create peace. We must use our platform as NGOs from the standpoint of common citizens to once again address the issue of creating peace while following anti-warfare principles. These efforts cannot be left solely to the government.

Around the world, the number of citizens’ voices calling for peace and justice is growing. We must join with these movements and tenaciously work to change our increasingly militaristic and violent world. It is in order to do this that we are raising our voices and opposing the security bills that the Abe Administration is currently trying to force through the Diet. Matters of security and peace should not be entrusted to governments and the United Nations alone. We aim to create a net of peaceful coexistence, cooperation and exchange that goes beyond borders, and establish an alternative to the current national security that both truly protects and is created by the common citizen.

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Discussion session of young NGO workers in the kickoff event of NGO NO WAR NETWORK

記者会見の様子

A press conference held in the national diet building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


    • Jau-hwa Chen on 2015-08-27 at 17:31

    Reply

    Asian NGOs need to convince the legislators in Asian nations to build a collective monitoring systm for human rights and peace like the mechnism established by the Council of Europe.

    • Salim on 2015-08-27 at 21:11

    Reply

    SHELTER like to join NGO NO WAR NETWORK for Bangladesh NGO.

    • Saeed Baloch on 2015-08-30 at 14:47

    Reply

    War is Problem peace is solution …. No need any war lords in region neither in world

    • Sayed Rahim Sattar on 2015-08-30 at 18:54

    Reply

    We the Afghans tasted war consequences in Afghanistan, war is enemy of humanity, values and humanbeing . We are joining and supporting no war movement and network to change the militaristic and violent world. Instead of war, we aim to create a net of peaceful coexistence and cooperation worldwide.

    Sayed Rahim Sattar
    Director of Afghan Public Welfare Organization( APWO)

    • M. Esehaq Zeerak on 2015-08-31 at 14:17

    Reply

    The decades of civil war in Afghanistan inclusive even in any small villages and districts not only destroyed our social, economical. environmental and political constitution and values , but also caused million of dead , displaced , immigrated workforce in the country, so we as an Afghan very eagerly joining to support the movement and networking of NO WAR and VIOLENCE in world , looking to create a peaceful and better world

    M. Esehaq
    Zeerak, GRSP Director

    • Omara Khan Muneeb on 2015-09-01 at 13:09

    Reply

    I would like to completely endorse the statement you have posted.

    • Aari Jabari on 2015-09-01 at 18:01

    Reply

    Peace, non conflict and peaceful co-existence cannot be established through war or by force, It need a real peaceful process through; dialogues, negotiations and a round table discussions which gathers all the diverse community backgrounds and entities which will help in establish conflict settlement and approach the reconciliation. Through strengthening community cohesion and acceptance, we as activists also can combat violence since we will decrease conflicts and increase peace.

    • David Werner on 2015-09-05 at 22:16

    Reply

    HealthWrights (Workgroup for People’s Health and Rights) an NGO based in California, USA, endorses and stands in solidarity with the NGO NO WAR NETWORK. We fully concur with this coalition of forward-looking Japanese NGOs that a groundswell of common citizens from all parts of the world must take a stand for the peaceful resolution of differences, rather than through armed conflict. It is essential to build bridges of understanding and to work together toward building sustainable solutions to the major crises now threatening the future of humanity as a whole. For our common survival and and future well-being, it is high time that we put our war policies (and industries) to rest, and put our energy, resources, and love into learning to live together, in respectful and sustainable balance with one another and with the entire ecoloical system on which all life, including our own, depends.

    • Dr Ayoub Abu Dayyeh on 2015-09-09 at 20:53

    Reply

    We NGO e sase society in Jordan are against any change that might lead to war. We stand in solidarity with No War Network. We want the world to learn from Japanese technology in renewable energy not in warfare or nuclear energy.

    • Ismail atiyat on 2015-09-10 at 16:10

    Reply

    We dont want to see japan facing more desasters, japan worths the best.

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