Japan, US Hold Largest-ever Military Exercises:
Peace Delegation Visits Japan to Oppose War 
Tarak Kauff / Veterans for Peace

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We are all aware of the perilous times we live in — life on earth is threatened perhaps more than ever, we don’t have to remind you of that. What these challenges need is every kind of response we can muster. The times are a call to caring humanity to step forward to oppose the destructive forces that threaten every single one of us. Please read the following and do what you can.

Rachel Clark has been coordinating peace promoting, anti-war veteran speaking tours to Okinawa and mainland Japan since 2015. Considering the huge amount of US military presence and influence in Japan and especially in Okinawa (an island and a peaceful people that has suffered greatly from war and militarism) these trips are critically important and have been extremely well received.

They have included some remarkable veteran peace activists such as Susan Schnall, Mike Hastie, Rory Fanning and Mike Hanes (twice) and Nathan Lewis.

International solidarity especially during these times is extremely meaningful and these trips have greatly strengthened solidarity between our own anti-war elements and those in Japan and Okinawa.

This next speaking tour team will include Chuck Searcy, Pat Elder,* curent VFP Poet-Laurate Jenny Pacanowski in person, and Matt Hoh from the States by Zoom.

Mr. Masafumi Teruya, who guided Abby Martin and Iraq veteran Mike Prysner last year, and other local supporters will be asked to take the team to sites with environmental issues, and to actions with local protesters at Camp Schwab, Henoko, Takae, Ishigaki Jima Island where Japan deployed offensive missiles.

After the eight-day tour in Okinawa, the team will travel to Japan and will spend the next two weeks speaking at multiple venues in some eleven cities, including Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo and Kyoto. Rachel has done an amazing job arranging all this and further, securing a good part of the funding for this from sources outside sources.

The funds go toward airfares, train travel in Japan (very expensive) and accommodations.

We still need $6,000 to make this important anti-war and environmental justice* delegation a reality. 

The generosity of the movement is well known. We know that Rachel and this outstanding team can count on us.

Considering what is going on these days between the US war machine and the apparent readiness of the Japanese government to jump onboard with the US Nuclear Umbrella program, this delegation couldn’t be more important. The timing is crucial to further support increased public resistance in Japan and Okinawa to Japanese militarism being heavily promoted by the US and the right-wing Japanese government. Please do what you can to make this mission a reality.

Here’s the link to donate: https://www.veteransforpeace.org/donate/donate-veterans-peace. When you donate, in the comment section, please write: Japan/Okinawa Delegation.

*Pat Elder is an investigative journalist tracking how the military contaminates people and the planet. Pat’s focus is on documenting the harm caused by the US military’s use of PFAS in routine fire-fighting drills. He will primarily speaking on PFAS contamination by our military in Okinawa and Japan. (a subject the Japanese people are very concerned with)