Press Release about “Declaration of the Citizens’ Rally to Question the G7 Hiroshima Summit”
May 20, 2023
The Citizens’ Rally to Question G7 Hiroshima Summit organized rallies and demonstrations on May 13 and 14, a week before the Hiroshima G7 Summit was to be held, to call for the cancellation of the summit. On the 13th, we held a lengthy rally from noon to 8 p.m. that thoroughly criticized the G7 summit from multiple perspectives.
The first program of the afternoon featured two speakers from Hiroshima as follows;
Michiko Okahara (Hiroshima Network for Solving the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” Issue) “History of the Military City of Hiroshima”
Hideki Nitta (Peace Link Hiroshima, Kure, Iwakuni) “Military Base in Hiroshima”
The following eight people then spoke on the issues until the evening;
(1) “Why We Don’t Need the G7 Summit” by Toshimaru Ogura (Ｇ７サミットいらない！首都圏ネットワーク No G7 Summit, Metropolitan Area Network)
(2) “From the 2000 Okinawa Summit, People’s Security and Women’s Security,” Suzuyo Takasato (基地・軍隊を許さない行動する女たちの会・共同代表 Co-Chair, Women’s Action Against Bases and Military)
(3) “Intertwined War Crimes of Japan and the U.S.: War Responsibility and Distorted Democracy,” Toshiyuki Tanaka (historian)
(4) “Sexual Violence and Gender” Mina Watanabe (アクティブ・ミュージアム「女たちの戦争と平和資料館」(wam) Active Museum “Women’s War and Peace Museum” (wam))
(5) “Critique of ‘Modernization’ of Nuclear Weapons and Critique of Nuclear Power Policy”, Satoshi Ukai (Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University)
(6) “Danger of Outbreak of Large-Scale War in the Asia-Pacific Region,” Shigeo Kimoto (大軍拡と基地強化にNO！アクション2022 NO! Action 2022 against military expansion and bases)
(7) “Globalization and Economic Security,” Masumi Shirakawa (People’s Plan Study Group)
(8) “Climate Crisis and Biodiversity Destruction; De-militarization is the Solution,” Ichiro Yuasa (Representative of Peace Depot)
In the evening, activists from all over Japan spoke on issues raised.
Based on these remarks, “Declaration of the Citizens’ Rally to Question the G7 Hiroshima Summit” was adopted.
Declaration of the Citizens’ Rally to Question the G7 Hiroshima Summit
●About the Citizens’s Rally to Question G7 Hiroshima Summit
Since summer 2022, the Citizens’ Rally to Question G7 Hiroshima Summit[Tsudoi] has been organized by 18 people who have been involved in the anti-nuclear movements and the issue of Japan’s responsibility for the war for many years in Hiroshima, as well as activists from Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido. The basic position of this movement is described in detail in “Proposal for a Citizens’ Rally to Question the Hiroshima G7 Summit in May 2023” below.
In December 2022, Tsudoi held a founding gathering. Since then, it has developed activities with about 80 supporting organizations and 370 supporters. The list of organizers, supporting organizations, and supporters can be found below.
Prior to the Hiroshima gathering, Tsudoi and related groups have also held gatherings in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Nagano, and other cities.
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