News from the Peace For Okinawa Coalition

New article published by Pat Elder in World BEYOND War. 


https://worldbeyondwar.org/the-us-military-is-poisoning-okinawa/

各位
日米地位協定に関する講演会のご案内 〈2020年締結60年にあたり〉
講演:「被害者の叫び」 キャサリン・ジェーン・フィッシャー (国際人権活動家)
日時 : 11月11日㈪11時 (開場10時半)
場所 : 衆議院第一議員会館 　　 第一会議室
会費 : 500円(資料代)
主催 : ウォリアーズ・ジャパン
問合せ : warriors.japan@gmail.com
講演者プロフィール :
キャサリン・ジェーン・フィッシャーさんは、オーストラリア出身。1980年代に来日、永住。 2002年4月、神奈川県横須賀基地近くで米軍兵士からレイプ被害を受ける。
同年、東京地裁に民事訴訟を提起、勝訴するも、日米地位協定に阻まれ、犯人は米国に逃走。全面解決のため、10年かけて独自で犯人をつきとめ、米国にて裁判を起こし、2013年、画期的勝訴となった。米軍が公平な裁きを妨害したという事実を証明することができたため、賠償金額1ドルに同意した。
以降、事件発生から17年間、日米地位協定を改定する運動を継続中であるが、来年2020年、協定締結から60年を迎えるにあたり、ジェーンさんは特に日米地位協定16条にある、日本国の法令を「尊重」から「遵守」への変更を訴えています。
今年7月には、ジュネーブにある国連人権委員会にて発言の機会も与えられ、沖縄を中心とした在日米兵による人権無視の性被害が今日まで21万件(日本政府発表)にも及ぶことや、自らの体験を、理事会の席上で語りました。
キャサリン・ジェーン・フィッシャーさんは、2002年より、性犯罪防止と被害者への支援のため「ウォリアーズ・ジャパン」(Warriors Japan-Woman Against Rape)を設立、活動を続けてきました。今後も、日米地位協定16条を変えるため、さらに、日米地位協定のあらゆる不合理をなくすために声を上げ続けます。皆様の変わらぬご理解ご支援をくださいますよう、どうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。
付記:ジェーンさんの名前について。 ジェーンさんがこの世に生を受けた時、父親のMr.フィッシャー氏はもう一つの名前モルガン・ペルペツア(海を越えて伝わるとこしえの美、という意味)と迷った末、愛する娘にキャサリン・ジェーンと名付けました。 キャサリンは「無垢」、ジェーンは「慈悲深き神」を意味するという。いずれの名前も、ジェーンさんの使命を暗示していたかのようです。


Supported by:
Warriors Japan
I Am Jane
Happy Yellow Ribbon
Peace Project
The Peace For Okinawa Coalition
Heiwa Inkai

Article by Robert Kajiwara:

Dear Governor David Ige,


The Peace For Okinawa Coalition condemns your decision to proceed with the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea, your obvious intention to use force against peaceful Hawaiian protestors, your blatant disrespect for indigenous rights, your destruction of sacred alters on Mauna Kea, your mobilization of police and soldiers against unarmed Hawaiians, and your appropriation of Hawaiian words and culture to suit your own purposes.

Although you claim to be of Okinawan heritage, the Peace For Okinawa Coalition wishes to make known that your actions are not at all representative of Okinawan values. What you are doing to Hawaiians on Mauna Kea is essentially the same as what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan is doing to Okinawans at Henoko. Both cases are human rights violations and are entirely unacceptable.


Many Hawaiians have been strong supporters of Okinawan issues, including the protection of Henoko. Likewise, the Peace For Okinawa Coalition stands with our indigenous Hawaiian cousins in protecting our environment, our right to self-determination, and our sacred practices. We strongly urge you to immediately cancel all plans to build the TMT on Mauna Kea, issue an apology to Hawaiians, and engage in proper dialogue with Hawaiian leaders. The leadership of the Peace For Okinawa Coalition extends a formal offer to mediate between you and Hawaiian leaders in order to help repair the damage that has been done between yourself and indigenous communities, including Okinawans.


Thank you for your time and consideration.


Sincerely,




Robert Kajiwara
President
The Peace For Okinawa Coalition
Circulation: 200,000


BCC'd: Other interested parties.  

United Nations Responds to White House Petition to Save Henoko, Okinawa
June 5, 2019 For immediate release
はいさい　ちゅー　うがなびら、
I am writing to inform you that on June 4, 2019 I received a response via email from the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the White House petition to save Henoko, Okinawa. I had originally submitted the petition, along with an official complaint to the Council, first on February 13, 2019 via post mail and then on February 16 via email.
Then as already announced, I, along with Catherine Jane Fisher, will be speaking with the UN Human Rights Council in person from June 24-28. Attached below is a copy of the email response from the Human Rights Council, along with the original complaint and the documents of further readings I sent.
I am pleased that the United Nations Human Rights Council appears to be taking the matter seriously. My advisor in the United Nations has informed me that the Council does not respond to all of the complaints it receives, so a response is a very positive sign, and that they are asking for more specifics so that they can conduct a credible investigation into the matter.
The response from the Human Rights Council asks for more information regarding the domestic attempts to solve the issue (i.e., attempts by activists, attempts by the Okinawa Prefecture Government, etc). The UN has requested this information be sent as soon as possible. Therefore, anyone who has anything they would like included, please send it to me immediately for review.
Please note that my complaint was not only about Henoko, but also about the bigger issue of the Government of Japan’s prejudice against Ryukyu / Okinawans.
I look forward to the UN investigating the ongoing human rights violations and genocide occurring against Okinawans.
Sincerely,
Robert Kajiwara
President
The Peace For Okinawa Coalition
Circulation: 200,000
Email: contact@peaceforokinawa.org
Website: www.peaceforokinawa.org






Dear Mr Robert Kajiwara,


We acknowledge receipt of your complaint submitted to the Complaint Procedure of the Human rights Council. After a careful review of the content of your communication, we kindly request you to provide the following information as soon as possible, which you can send by e-mail or registry mail.


Please note that it is for the author of a complaint to substantiate his /her allegation and to provide the necessary information and documentation in support of his/her claims. In this regard, your complaint should be more precise in the exhaustion of domestic remedies. This information as presented is not sufficiently clear in order to enable us to process your complaint.


Therefore, you are kindly requested to provide a clear picture of the steps taken by or on behalf of the alleged victims to exhaust domestic remedies. Please provide details on the procedures which have been pursued, including recourse to the courts and other public authorities as well as human rights institutions, the claims made, at which time, and what the outcome was.
If the domestic remedies have not been exhausted on grounds that their application would be ineffective or unreasonably prolonged, please explain the reasons in detail.


Please note that without this documentation, the Chairperson of the Working Group on Communications of the Human Rights Council‘s Complaint Procedure will be unable to consider your complaint.


Yours sincerely


The Secretariat of the Human Rights Council’s complaint procedure.