IPAN Patrons: Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe & Kellie Tranter
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19 November 2024
• F35’s and Japanese troops in Darwin 82 years after bombing the NT in WW2
• Japan’s decision to join US and Australian forces challenges Article 9 in the Japanese constitution
• Australia still has time to exit AUKUS and be a voice for peace in the Asia Pacific
The announcement that Japan will join in with joint military exercises with USA and Australian forces should be of great concern to the Australian community, stated Mr Justin Tutty, spokesperson for the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)
Former Deputy Ambassador to China, John Lander, has stated:
‘This announcement gives further substance to claim that the US is stitching together allies in the region to be trained and equipped to act as US proxies in a war against China.’
Mr Lander has also reiterated a claim he made in January 2023, that:
‘the US is not preparing to go to war against China, the US is preparing Australia to go to war against China…and not only preparing Australia but its other allies such as Japan and The Philippines’.
‘Australia should be at the forefront of promoting peace in our region – not inviting more countries to join the AUKUS fold on Australian soil, which entails military intention to wage war against China’, stated Mr Tutty.
IPAN also believes that this decision by Japan is in contravention of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution which ‘renounces war as a means to settle international disputes and prohibits Japan from maintaining military forces’.
It seems a very sad irony that 82 years after the largest and most destructive modern attack on mainland Australia by a foreign power, when Japan dropped bombs on First Nations land in Darwin, those same lands are being used to prepare for war, with Japan joining in preparations.
There is a significant groundswell of opposition from Australian people about AUKUS, with concerns about preparation for war, the further militarisation of Australia and huge environmental concerns especially the impact of the lands of First Nations’ people.
Dr Donna Weeks, Emeritus Professor, Musashino University, Tokyo has stated:
‘There are several Japanese civil society groups which oppose the growing militarisation of the Self-Defence Forces and which continue to appeal to strict maintenance of Article 9. The Australian Government is in effect contributing to the growing security tensions in the region, via AUKUS and these exercises.’
IPAN urges Japanese people to speak out about their feelings about Japan becoming involved in war exercises in Australia – which is a significant move away from their constitution which states: ‘The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.’
‘Rather than effectively extending AUKUS’ reach, Australia still has time to withdraw from AUKUS and to stand as a voice for peace in the Asia Pacific Region’, stated Mr Tutty.
ENDS
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For Media Interviews: Justin Tutty 0424 028 741 John Lander 0400 297 073 Dr Donna Weeks 0437 922 602
Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815
Bio: Justin Tutty is a Darwin-based anti-nuclear activist and founding member of IPAN
Bio: John Lander worked in the China section of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the lead-up to the recognition of the People’s Republic of China in 1972 and several other occasions in the 1970s and 1980s. He was deputy ambassador in Beijing 1974-76 (including a couple of stints as Chargé d’Affaires). He was heavily involved in negotiation of many aspects in the early development of Australia-China relations, especially student/teacher exchange, air traffic agreement and consular relations. He has made numerous visits to China in the years 2000-2024.
Bio: Dr Donna Weeks is a professor at Musashino University Tokyo where she teaches Japanese politics and peace studies in the Department of Political Science.