JAPANESE PEACE GROUPS ORGANIZING TO STOP "MISSILE OFFENSE"

Japanese activists have been very busy lately opposing their nation's participation in the U.S. "missile offense" program. Japan (along with South Korea, Taiwan, Australia) is becoming a major deployment site for U.S. systems that are being directed against China and North Korea. In addition the U.S. has been pushing the Japanese government to change their laws to allow for greater Japanese aerospace corporation partnership with U.S. weapons corporations like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin who are selling various so-called "missile defense" (MD) systems worldwide.

According to Global Network board member Makiko Sato in Japan, "The U.S. has for some years urged Japan to lift the ban as it allegedly wants Japan's sophisticated technology in optics and robotics as well as engineering for new MD missiles. The U.S. really wants the optical technology for its control of earth from space, and may want the robotics technology for its new wars for energy hunting. According to the TV news I saw, the U.S. is to deploy heavy, awkward robotic gadgets in real warfare beginning in 2015, so if Japan is to lift the ban, it would horribly change the scene of future warfare, with its skillful humanoid and animal robot technology."

But thanks to Japanese peace movement organizing Makiko reports, "Our prime minister made up his mind that he was not going to include the revision of the ban on weapon exports in the Basic Defense Plan to be issued on 17th, in order to tide over next Diet session with the help of the Social Democratic Party again. So this is small victory. The Basic Defense Plan, which is to be renewed every five years, was to be issued for the next renewal on 10th this month, but has been delayed because of this very agenda of the ban on weapon exports. Citizens have been sending opposition voices to Diet [parliament] members, and even today some Tokyo activists gathered in a Diet building room."

The U.S. has been working overtime to promote major Pentagon military build-ups in Okinawa, Guam, and South Korea by using the North Korea bogeyman as an excuse for this growing militarism in the region that is ultimately directed toward China.

Makiko warns though that her government will not give up. She concludes, "This time it has been avoided, but soon the U.S. and Japanese industry-military complexes will employ next approach. This must be just a lull."

Note: The banners in the photos above from Japan have slogans opposing PAC-3 - it is the Patriot (3rd generation) missile defense system now built by Lockheed Martin.