On May 27, 2011 a roundtable discussion on the themes of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, as well as on Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution was held in Tunis, Tunisia.

Hosted by the NGO El Taller, the event brought together some 30 participants including former Under Secretary General of the United Nations and nuclear disarmament expert Jayantha Dhanapala, representative of the Global Article 9 Campaign Kawasaki Akira, a delegation from Peace Boat made of two Hibakusha (A-Bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and staff members from Spain, Bosnia, New Zealand and Japan, as well as the head of the local office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

El Taller is an international NGO that develops regional programs, facilitates international training courses and Courts of Women, and organizes roundtables, seminars and conferences as a way to challenge the dominant discourse on development, human rights, gender, and the environment from regional and local perspectives. By offering a space for reflection, exchange and networking, El Taller seeks to empower civil society organizations and social movements to develop an alternative vision to conventional approaches and promote regional voices and conversations across cultures.

Nuclear weapons and energy
Following testimonies by Hibakusha Fujimori Toshiki and Matsuura Hideto of their direct experience of the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima and the impact of radiation, Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala - a strong advocate of the abolition of nuclear weapons and the creation of non-nuclear zones - spoke about the existing international regime regarding non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear power. He highlighted issues related to safety and sustainability of nuclear energy, as well as the problem of nuclear waste. Tunisian participants spoke of the close link between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, and the importance of alternative natural energies.

Article 9
At the request of Secretary General of El Taller International Corinne Kumar, Global Article 9 Campaign's representative Kawasaki Akira spoke about Article 9 of the Japanese constitution that renounces war as a means of settling international disputes and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces and other war potential.

Introducing the Global Article 9 Campaign, Kawasaki referred to different peace constitutions around the world, and demonstrated their relevance to global issues, as well as to Tunisia. He highlighted the positive impact of peace constitutions at the global level, notably their role in promoting peace, democracy, disarmament and human security. He also invited participants to consider the possibility of including such a clause in the new Tunisian constitution.

Indeed, in the wake of the recent so-called "Jasmine Revolution", Tunisia now has the opportunity to remodel its constitution. Elections, to be held in July or October this year, are expected to pave the way to the adoption of a new constitution.

Tunisian participants showed interest in the Japanese precedent and expressed hopes that Tunisia would incorporate a clause similar to Article 9 in its new constitution as a means to ensure a peaceful future for the country. Noting that "unlike Japan, in the case of Tunisia, the focus in more on domestic policy than on foreign relations", some participants at the roundtable spoke of their desire to include environmental perspectives in the new constitution, and resolved to introduce Article 9 at a meeting of environmental groups in Tunisia.  

Visit El Taller's website here.

Photo: 1) El Taller Secretary General Corinne Kumar and former Under Secretary General of the United Nations Jayantha Dhanapala. 2) Peace Boat guest educators, Fujimori Toshiki and Matsura Hideto, both survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. (Photo credit: Peace Boat)

By Kohei Okada, Staff Writer
Hiroshima Peace Media Center 

At its annual meeting in Tokyo, held on June 8, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) determined its policy for this fiscal year, indicating that, among other actions, it will demand strongly that the Japanese government move away from the nation's reliance on nuclear energy and call for the decommission of nuclear reactors that have been shut down. This intention goes beyond its previous policy of demanding "changes in Japan's energy policy."

A number of participants expressed their views at the meeting, making such comments as "The A-bomb survivors, who understand the harm caused by radiation better than anyone, must call for the early shutdown of nuclear power plants" and "We haven't seen any change in the government's energy policy." The organization's policy, which had called for "alternative energy sources to replace nuclear power generation" was amended in a draft of the document, and text which demands strongly that the nation move away from nuclear energy was approved at the meeting.

At a press conference following the meeting, Terumi Tanaka, the secretary general of Hidankyo, stated that such specific actions as calling for the decommissioning of nuclear reactors that have been shut down for periodical inspections and demanding the eventual shutdown of all nuclear reactors in operation will be included in its updated policy. The precise wording will be decided at the executive board meeting in mid-July. Once finalized, the policy will serve as the backbone of Hidankyo's efforts in demanding that the Japanese government and political parties take action in this area.

Hidankyo says that, following its founding, there were times when it did not explicitly oppose nuclear power generation, with even some A-bomb survivors working in the nuclear energy industry. However, since the nuclear accidents that occurred at Three Mile Island in the United States and at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, Hidankyo has been calling for the Japanese government to alter its energy policy.

In 1990, Hidankyo adopted the position of opposing any new construction or expansion of nuclear power plants and called for shutting down plants already in operation if an accident should occur. After the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture was hit by the Chuetsu-oki earthquake, Hidankyo, in 2008, urged the national government to install anti-seismic reinforcement at nuclear power plants and to move away from an energy policy which relies on nuclear power generation.

View this article (originally published on June 9, 2011) on the Hiroshima Peace Media Center website here. 

A VICTORY FOR PEACE IN COSTA RICA: COURT LIMITS MILITARIZATION OF THE POLICE

In what can be considered a landmark case for peace, the Administrative Law Court of Costa Rica unanimously decided to nullify a decree authorizing the country's police to use military weapons.

Issued by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in November 2008, Decree Nº34582-MSP is also known as the "Forbidden Weapons Decree", for it modified the Arms and Explosives Act that prohibits the possession and use of military weapons except in situation of emergency.

In February 2009, Attorney at Law and peace activist Roberto Zamora filed a legal complaint challenging the President's authority to modify a law issued by Congress by presidential decree and to authorize the use of forbidden weapons such as Uzis, Mini Uzis, M-16, AK-47, among others, at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

On April 28, 2010, the Administrative Law Court of Costa Rica unanimously reaffirmed that the use of these weapons was prohibited by Costa Rica's Arms Law and their use reserved for states of emergency, internal unrest, state of siege or invasion, all requiring a presidential decree of national emergency.

Further, the court found that the crime wave in Costa Rica could not be considered to be an exceptional situation, but instead, represented a fundamental problem that needs to be address through mechanisms established by law, not by decrees contrary to the law.

The court recognized, however, the possibility of revisiting the Arms Law if police weaponry was deemed as no longer adequate. But it found the President's recourse to exceptional decree "unreasonable and disproportionate" as a means to address the need of providing better police resources, using a mechanism specific to cases of internal disturbance for the purpose of solving an ordinary national problem.

Zamora welcomed the court decision as "a victory for Peace in Costa Rica" as "it limits, for the time being, the process of militarization of the police." Referring to the situation in Mexico, he pointed out that the militarization of the police has only led to escalating levels of violence by criminals. He also noted that "the use of these weapons implies the existence of special training processes, which is alarming if you relate it to the Costa Rican police being sent for training to the School of the Americas (WHINSEC, Ft. Benning, Georgia)."

Zamora is known for his legal work related to peace and weapons control. In 2004 he was instrumental in the Costa Rican Supreme Court's decision to invalidate the country's joining of the "Coalition of the willing" in the invasion of Iraq, and to declare that based on the Right to Peace and International Law, Costa Rica could not support wars in any ways. In 2008 he also successfully brought the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional the fabrication of weapons of war in Costa Rica, including uranium weapons, and to recognize the existence of the right to peace. He is currently challenging the legality of CAFTA's weapons provision as well as disputing the Congress' authority to allow foreign troops to patrol Costa Rican waters.

Costa Rica's Constitution, through its Article 12, abolishes the Army as a permanent institution.

For more information about constitutional court cases to re-establish the principles found in the Costa Rican Constitution supporting peace as a human right, visit Roberto Zamora's Peace as a Human Right website here.