Release All "Hostages"!

by: WRI Japan

Asia: Statement from WRI (Japan)
Here in Japan, various anti-war groups take to the streets to protest everyday. More than a thousand people gather around the official residence of the prime minister and pressure him to immediately withdraw the Self-Defence Force. Anger compels us to demonstrate every weekend. Although we seemed to stop our visible organized activities for a long period, we have participated in anti-war activities in Tokyo and Nagoya. We have not stopped participating in such activities.

We would like to show solidarity with all our comrades who fight against warfare. Currently armed groups in Iraq have abducted people from all over the world who came there. Three Japanese people have not yet been released. These abducted people went to Iraq to support the common people of Iraq, not the war. Yesterday a TV program showed a scene in which families of hostages were interviewed because the announced release of the hostages was not realised. The families answered: "We express our profound apology for causing so much trouble [because of] them (hostages)...."

When we watched their deep bow, we felt great pain. It should not be the families who bow and express apology. It should be our government. The Japanese government caused this state of affairs. If it did not follow U.S. hegemonism and not dispatch the Self-Defence Force to Iraq, this sort of thing would not have happened.

Prime Minister Koizumi should promise the withdrawal of SDF and apologize to the three hostages and their families. However, Koizumi refuses to meet their families and declared immediately that there would be no SDF withdrawal. He met with U.S. warmonger, Cheney, and again expressed that they will not pull SDF out of Iraq.

The Japanese government breaks the law that it shaped. Repeating amendments and farfetched arguments, it makes Air SDF transport U.S. soldiers and still keeps lying by saying that it is "humanitarian support." Why on the earth is it humanitarian support to help the Army sweep Iraqis with gunfire?

The Japanese government and its Prime Minister Koizumi do not want to support the Iraqi people. First of all, they have never seen Iraq or the Iraqi people. Nor do they see Japan and the wishes of the Japanese people. They only see Bush's mood. It is clear that what SDF is doing is not humanitarian support for Iraq, but is in support of the U.S. occupation. In actuality those who are hostages were providing humanitarian support. They have associated directly with Iraqis and tried to find a way to live together. Beyond states and governments, they tried to do it of their own will. SDF has not helped Iraqi street children or pursued the issue of D.U. shells. SDF even prevented their humanitarian support, and has annoyed the Iraqi people and impaired their dignity.

While we have confronted the police force on the streets and voiced our anger through demonstrations, we have always cared for the fate of hostages and want to encourage their families. But they are not the only hostages. The Iraqi people, who are under siege by the U.S. Army and are going to be mowed down, are also hostages. They are the hostages of war. We call for the release of all hostages.

Source: WRI Japan