Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War Programme

Download the full programme as a PDF document here
http://whynot9.jp/doc/Global_Article_9_Conference_Program_Final.pdf
 

Download the May 5 timetable here
http://whynot9.jp/doc/A9_5_May_timetable.pdf
 

Opening Remarks

Yoshioka Tatsuya, Japan/Co-Chair, Japan Organizing Committee of the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War

Keynote Speeches

Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Northern Ireland/Nobel Peace Laureate, Peace People, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Cora Weiss, U.S./ Hague Appeal for Peace, International Peace Bureau

Introduction of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)

Both networks have played a key role in the conceptualization and promotion of the Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War.

Peace Walk Welcoming Ceremony

The walk departed from Hiroshima on February 24 and will arrive at Makuhari on May 4 for the Conference.

Japanese Speakers

Ikeda Kayoko, Co-Chair, Japan Organizing Committee of Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War, Japan

Tsuchiya Kohken, Former Chairperson, Japan Federation of Bar Associations

Video Messages

From Wangari Muta Maathai, Kenya/Green Belt Movement, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

From Jody Williams, U.S./International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Music and Cultural Performances

NEGAI “Our Wish” Choir – conducted by Ikebe Shinichiro

Beethoven's 9^th Symphony performed by a choir of lawyers and citizens

Master of Ceremonies

Kikuchiyo Kokontei, Rakugo performer

Guest Speakers

Emmanuel Bombande, Ghana/West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)

Beate Sirota Gordon, U.S./Former GHQ Civil Rights Committee Member and co-author of the Japanese Constitution

Lee Suk-tae, South Korea/MINBYUN Lawyers for a Democratic Society

Carlos Vargas, Costa Rica/International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) and professor of International Law, Costa Rica

Performers:

Peace Boat Dance Project

Takahashi Chikuzan

Nataliya Gudziy

Ainu Rebels

Futenma Kaori

Kamebuchi Yuka

Talk Session: Iraq, the U.S. and Japan

It has been 5 years since the U.S. started the war on Iraq. The occupation still continues. This panel discussion will feature a former U.S. diplomat who resigned from her post in protest of the invasion of Iraq, a U.S. Iraq War veteran who now works for peace and a young Iraqi who is trying to rebuild his country. How do these individuals' experiences relate to our own lives?

Ann Wright, U.S./ Former Army Colonel and Diplomat, Antiwar Activist

Takato Nahoko, Japan/Iraq aid volunteer

Kasim Turki, Iraq/Former Soldier in the Iraqi Republican Guard, Humanitarian Aid Worker

Aidan Delgado, U.S. Iraq War Veteran and Conscientious Objector

Amamiya Karin, Japan/Writer

Masters of Ceremonies

Tsutsumi Mika, Journalist

Kawasaki Akira, Secretary-General, Japan Organizing Committee of Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War

9 Alive - Live Concert

UA

Funkist

Harada Shinji

Kato Tokiko

Symposium 1: World Conflicts and Nonviolence
Mainstreaming the nonviolent approach

This symposium aims at presenting the prospects of nonviolent approaches in conflict resolution. The discussion will focus on both the link between natural resources and contemporary conflicts, and the decreasing room for dialogue in conflicts. Furthermore, we will discuss civil society initiatives utilising Article 9, based on specific examples.

Moderator:

Taniyama Hiroshi, Japan/Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)

Introductory Remarks:

Jasna Bastic, Journalist, Bosnia

Panelists:

Isezaki Kenji, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan

Florence Mpaayei, Nairobi Peace Initiative-Africa, Kenya

Commentator:

El Hadji Mbodj, Constitutional Lawyer, Senegal

Symposium 2: Realizing the Spirit of Article 9 in Asia

Article 9 has been the foundation for collective security in Asia for the past sixty years. This symposium will examine the realities of the "coexistence" of Article 9 and the US-Japanese Security Treaty. Furthermore, we will discuss which actions are needed in order to spread the pacifist idea of Japan's constitution, which was created out of remorse after the horrors of war, from now on in the Asia Pacific region.

Moderators:

Kwon Heok-tae, Sungkonghoe University, South Korea

Nicola Liscutin, Birkbeck College, University of London, Germany

Panelists:

Ban Zhong Yi, China/Film Director

Chen Jau-hwa, Taiwan/Soochow University

Joseph Gerson, U.S./American Friends Service Committee

Gus Miclat, Philippines/Initiatives for International Dialogue

Takasato Suzuyo, Okinawa, Japan/Women Act Against Military Violence

Symposium 3: Women's Power of Building Peace
Weaving Together Women's Initiatives Worldwide

Women on the panel will share their experiences of peace building efforts in different places of the world, discussing how women have shown initiatives to create peace. The panel provides an opportunity for women to exchange ideas for making peace, and to build ties between women all over the world working for peace.

Moderator:

Akibayashi Kozue, Japan/Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)

Panelists:

Ellen Woodsworth, Canada/Former Vancouver City Councillor, co-founder of the World Peace Forum (2006)

Takada Kimiko, Japan/New Japan Women's Association

Jung Gyunglan, South Korea/ Women Making Peace

Ann Wright, U.S./Former Army Colonel and Diplomat, Antiwar Activist

Florence Mpaayei, Kenya/ Nairobi Peace Initiative- Africa

Special Reports

Takasato Suzuyo, Japan/Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence

Nishino Rumiko, Japan/VAWW-NET Japan

Symposium 4: Linking Peace and the Environment
From a human-centered attitude to the security of all living beings

As a result of the globalised economy, we are now faced with climate change, upset of the ecosystem, and conflicts over the limited water and oil left in our deteriorated environment. As issues of the economy, the environment and peace are inextricably linked, we need to go beyond human- centered attitudes, in order to create security of all living beings. What we need to aim for is not just the maintenance of a status-quo and merely “saving” Article 9, but to grow out of the world's current social system based on an ever-growing economy that is fueled by constant armed conflict. Article 9 works as a mechanism when building a new system towards a truly sustainable Earth.

Moderators:

Oiwa Keibo, Japan/Professor at Meiji Gakuin University, The Sloth Club

Onodera Ai, Japan/Peace Boat

Panelists:

Auki Tituana, Ecuador/Indigenous Mayor of Cotakachi

Hoshikawa Jun, Japan/Greenpeace Japan

Alice Slater, U.S./Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Symposium 5: Nuclear Age and Article 9
From Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the 21st Century

The birth of Article 9 and the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are inseparable. Now that we are facing a new phase of nuclear proliferation, how can we develop the idea of a world without nuclear weapons? What is the significance of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution and how can it contribute to the abolition of nuclear weapons?

Moderator:

Nakamura Keiko, Japan/Peace Depot

Panelists:

Motofumi Asai, Japan/Hiroshima Peace Institute

Judge Christopher G. Weeramantry, Sri Lanka/Former Judge of the International Court of Justice

Kathleen Sullivan, U.S./Disarmament Educator

Alice Slater, U.S./Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Words from the Floor:

Yoshida Kazuto, Japan/Nagasaki A-bomb Survivor, Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)

Symposium 6: Symposium 6: The Crisis and Future of Article 9
“A World Without Military, A World Without War”: a vision of Japanese Society

Article 9 is in crisis due to pressure from the Japanese and United States government and the Japanese business world who wish to see the overseas deployment of the Self Defense Forces and the start of arms exports. On the other hand, there is also a rise in the number of Japanese citizens supporting Article 9 and advocating peace. Panelists representing various sectors will discuss ways to make use of Article 9 and to realize “A World Without Military, A World Without War.”

Moderators:

Yukawa Reiko, Japan/Songwriter and critic

Yoshioka Tatsuya, Japan/Peace Boat

Introductory Remarks:

Shinagawa Masaji, Japan/Former Co-exective, Japan Association of Corporate Executives

Mizushima Asaho, Japan/Waseda University

Panelists:

Ronni Alexander, Japan/Kobe University

Ito Makoto, Japan/Hogakukan, Itojuku Japan Institute of Constitutional Law

Kayama Rika, Japan/Psychiatrist

Special Forum 1: GPPAC Asia Pacific Forum – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding, Article 9 and the Role of Society

The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)'s Action Agenda declared that "Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution has been the foundation for collective security for the entire Asia Pacific region." Representatives of this international conflict prevention network, established upon the call of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, will gather from around the world. Through examining cases of conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities around the world, this workshop will focus on the potential of Article 9 as a conflict prevention mechanism and the role of civil society in this process. Including a report from the GPPAC UN Peacebuilding Commission Consultation Mission to Timor Leste, we will also evaluate the potential of the UN PBC.

Moderators:

Marte Hellema, Netherlands/Regional Coordinator of GPPAC Asia Pacific and Latin America & Carribean

Yoshioka Tatsuya, Japan/Peace Boat, GPPAC Northeast Asia Regional Initiator

Panelists:

Emmanuel Bombande, Ghana/West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), GPPAC West Africa

Syed Rifaat Hussain, Pakistan-Sri Lanka/Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, GPPAC South Asia

Gus Miclat, Philippines/Initiatives for International Dialogue, GPPAC Southeast Asia

Park Jung-eun, South Korea/Center for Peace and Disarmament, Seoul Focal Point, GPPAC Northeast Asia

Mosese Waqa, Fiji-Australia/Pacific People Building Peace (GPPAC Pacific)

Special Forum 2: International Lawyers Panel

How lawyers around the world can make use of Article 9 Lawyers from around the world will gather for this panel. Six lawyers, representing each continent, will introduce their struggles for peace, and discuss how they can make use of Article 9 and its concept. Panelists are from Japan, the US, Korea, Europe, Middle East, Africa and middle-south America, and will be joined by lawyers from many other countries.

Moderators:

Sugeno Akio, Japan/Lawyer, International Issues Committee of Japan Lawyers for Freedom

Ueno Mamiko, Japan/Professor of Constitutional Law at Chuo University

Peter Erlinger, U.S./Lawyer, Professor at William Mitchell College of Law

Panelists:

Aikyo Koji, Japan/Professor of Constitutional Law at Nagoya University

Robin Alexander, U.S./The National Lawyers Guild of USA

Augustin Kemadjou, Cameroon/International Association of Democratic Lawyers

Lee Jung hee, South Korea/MINBUN – Lawyers for a Democratic Society

Rifat Moustafa, Syria/Arab Lawyers Union

Carlos Vargas Pizarro, Costa Rica/International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA)

Roland Weyl, France/International Association of Democratic Lawyers

Workshop: Education for Disarmament – The future of nuclear abolition

How do we educate young people about nuclear dangers and engage them in taking an active role in making our world a better place? In this workshop participants will experience interactive techniques for disarmament education. We will use our imagination, share our concerns and even take joy in finding our power to constructively respond to nuclear proliferation; and create the conditions for disarmament. Come along and experience effective educational tools to inspire action for nuclear abolition and be prepared to participate and share your own energy and inspiration!

Kathleen Sullivan, U.S./Disarmament Educator

Panel Discussion 1: Globalization: Towards Development or More Wars?

The forces of globalization are leading to wider gaps and disparities within societies, which often escalate into violence. The current economic order, based on economic liberalism and militarism, has done little to alleviate poverty, making the Millennium Development Goals a hardly achievable ideal. Since 9/11, the US “war on terror” has pushed military spendings to unprecedented heights and weakened human rights throughout the world. This section will look at the new world order, devastated by war and poverty, look at the current structures such as the United Nations and seek alternatives inspired from countries that have renounced to have an army.

Moderator:

Sister Filo Shizue Hirota, Japan/Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, Board of the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, Women's Fund for Peace and Human Rights

Panelists:

Frédéric Durand, Switzerland/International Peace Bureau, Group for a Switzerland without an Army

Corazon Valdez Fabros, Philippines/Lawyer

Paul Saoke, Kenya/Public Health Specialist, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Panel Discussion 2: Towards a World Without Military – Individuals, regions and states refusing to participate in wars

What can we do personally in order to spread the idea of Article 9 and make peace in the world and not assist or participate in wars? What can we do in our local communities? What can we do to change our own countries? We will debate based on lessons learned so far in different areas of the world.

Moderator:

Maeda Akira, Japan/Tokyo Zokei University, Japan Democratic Lawyers' Association

Panelists:

Christophe Barbey, Switzerland/Lawyer, Mediator and Peace Researcher

Lim Jaesung, South Korea/World Without War

Carlos Vargas, Costa Rica/International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA)

Workshop: Global Campaign for Peace Education: Article 9 and Global Citizenship – Educating for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy through a Pedagogy of Engagement

This workshop will engage participants in a peace education process of inquiry into constitutional approaches to world peace and consider possibilities for the legal prohibition of war and armed conflict. Using Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution as the core principle of constitutional renunciation of war, the Luarca Draft Declaration as its normative complement, this inquiry constitutes a step toward the implementation of UNESCO’s Declaration and Framework of Action on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy.
Sample teaching materials will be distributed. Participation limited to 30. The workshop is conducted on behalf of the Global Campaign for Peace Education.

Facilitators:

Betty Reardon, U.S./International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), Teachers College Columbia University

Kathy Matsui, Japan/Seisen University, Global Campaign for Peace Education

Self-Organized Sessions

Nuclear Free World @ Article 9 – Workshop for Children

By: YWCA Japan

Article 9 Societies around the World – Towards a network of Article 9 societies

By: Vancouver Save Article 9 and Geneva Group to Protect Article 9

Popoki, What Color Is Peace? Expressing Peace and the Constitution with Popoki, the Cat

By: Popoki Peace Project

Peace Through Reason: Article 9 + Proposition 1= Survival of Humankind

By: Washington Peace Center

Banning Depleted Uranium Weapons

By: International Campaign to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW)

NEGAI “Our Wish” Exchange Program

By: NEGAI Connection, All Japan Singing Voice Association

The Yasukuni Issue Through Movies

By: The Committee of Let's Light a Candle of Peace! A Candle Movement Against the Darkness of Yasukuni

Military Bases – From an Environment Perspective

By: Japan Lawyers' Association for Article 9

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution as Seen from Abroad

By: The Article 9 Association of Grassroots Media

A Bomb and Article 9

By: Japan Council Against A&H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo)

Northeast Asia and the Realignment of U.S. Forces

By: Forum for Peace, Human Rights and the Environment, Japan Congress Against A&H Bombs (GENSUIKIN)

The Role of the Media in Peacebuilding

By: Journalist Association of Korean, Article 9 Association of Journalists and Mass Media Workers, Japan Congress of Journalists

War and Oppression

By: Production Committee for “Takiji Kobayashi, A Witness to his Times”/ League Demanding State Compensation for the Victims of the Public Order Maintenance Law

Okinawa, U.S. Bases and Article 9

By: Japan Peace Committee

Practical Use of Japan's Article 9 in Conflict Areas

By: Non-Violent Peaceforce Japan

Article 9, Yasukuni, Historical “Reconciliation

By: The Committee of Let's Light a Candle of Peace! A Candle Movement Against the Darkness of Yasukuni

Feedback and Reports from Symposiums, Panels and Workshops

Announcing Outcomes of the Conference, including the Global Article 9 Declaration to Abolish War

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Statement to be presented at the NPT Preparatory Committee meeting taking place in Geneva, as a way to push the process forward.>

G8 Statement to be taken to the G8 NGO Summit in Hokkaido in July under Japan's G8 presidency.