Peace, Instead of War, for Iraq

Despite the wishes of many people around the world to make the 21st century a century of peace, we were unable to prevent the war in Iraq.

The Social Democratic Party has consistently opposed the war, which lacks cause and justification, and we have also strongly objected to the participation of Japan’s Self Defense Forces in the occupation. Peace can be restored in Iraq if we switch from security operations led by the U.S. armed forces to assistance for the reconstruction of Iraq under the leadership of the United Nations. Let me start my speech by making a strong proposal that each of the party members present here cooperate to achieve this goal.

Building a New Security System in Asia

1. Security through multilateral talks, not military alliance, for peace and stability based on trust and cooperation among many nations.

Unfortunately, Japan has been steadily working to strengthen its military alliance based on the Japan-U.S. Securities Treaty. U.S. President George W. Bush announced a transformation scheme under which the number of U.S. troops stationed overseas would be reduced by 60,000 to 70,000 in the next ten years. However, he made no mention about reducing the presence of armed forces in Japan, and instead proposed to provide measures to upgrade the functions of military bases in Japan. The U.S. Armed Forces in Japan could become a strategic headquarters to watch over the Asia-Pacific and even the Middle East, which is clearly outside the scope of Far East designated in the Japan-U.S. Securities treaty.

It is very important for Japan and other countries in Asia to maintain good relations with the United States. However, an increased presence of the U.S. armed forces in Asia and expansion of their military capabilities in the area, as exemplified by deployment of the missile defense (MD) system, could bring tension to the region rather than stability. The Social Democratic Party aims to transform the Japan-U.S. Securities Treaty for military alliance into a treaty of peace and amity, while reducing our Self Defense Forces. In the process, we have drawn up measures to have U.S. military bases, the majority of which are located in Okinawa, reorganized, downsized and removed.

In addition, the Social Democratic Party has proposed to establish a comprehensive securities organization in Northeast Asia based on dialogue and cooperation. As part of the scheme, we prepared in 2001 a plan to denuclearize Northeast Asia, and presented the plan to government leaders in China, South Korea, Mongolia and Russia. We firmly believe that the transformation of the Northeast Asian region into an area of dialogue and stability, instead of one filled with conflict and tension, would contribute greatly to peace in Asia and the world. We would appreciate the support for our proposal from our friends in political parties across Asia.

2. Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and unification

Six-party talks are underway in an attempt to resolve the nuclear issues relating to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The Social Democratic Party applauds the efforts and initiatives of the Chinese government to keep the meetings going, and also supports the six-party talks that are designed to achieve a peaceful resolution of the issues. We sincerely hope that the framework of six-party talks will lead to the establishment of the comprehensive securities organization in Northeast Asia that I mentioned earlier.

There are other important and serious issues that need to be resolved between Japan and North Korea. It is hoped that all issues, including the nuclear concerns, will find comprehensive and peaceful solutions, and that diplomatic ties between Japan and North Korea will be normalized in the near future.

3. Prosperity in an equal and fair economic community

At present, the “East Asian Community” initiative is being discussed among ASEAN countries and Japan, China and South Korea. This is a timely attempt to promote cooperation and exchange among East Asian nations in a way that transcends national borders, in an effort to bring growth and prosperity to the entire Asian region, including South Asia.

To achieve this, there is an urgent need to establish rules for the uniform development of all nations and people of the region, instead of being bound to numeric indicators of economic growth or enlarging divides by returning profits only to certain countries, social classes or enterprises.

Another important issue for regional development that we must consider is the cultivation of an attitude of tolerance towards the diverse values, religions, ethnicities and cultures in the Asian region, and mutual respect for the environment, human rights and democracy.