Dear
Friends,
Greetings from Asian Center for the Progress of
Peoples, Hong Kong!
On 8 November 2011, the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of Japan issued a statement from
Sendai calling for the immediate abolition of all
nuclear power plants in Japan in the wake of the
tragic nuclear disaster of Fukushima.
With reference to an earlier statement
"Reverence for Life - Message for the
Twenty-First Century from the Catholic Bishops of
Japan" (January 2001) which cautiously
acknowledged nuclear power as a new source of
energy for humanity, the statement from Sendai
said the Fukushima tragedy "wiped out the
'safety myth', because people put too much trust
in science and technology without having 'the
wisdom to know our limits' ". The statement
likewise addresses some concerns that would
inevitably arise from immediate abolition, such
as energy shortage, and calls on "all
residents of Japan" to recover the
"culture, wisdom and tradition of
co-existence with nature" and "choose
anew a simple and plain lifestyle based on the
spirit of the Gospel, like saving
electricity". (See full statement attached.)
The Sendai statement supports an ongoing campaign
for denuclearization and promotion of a society
focused on natural energy which can be found in
the website of the Japan Catholic Council for
Justice and Peace (http://web.me.com/jccjp/justice_and_peace/English.html ) . The Citizens'
Committee for the 10 Million Peoples' Petition to
say Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants is collecting
signatures from all over Japan and across the
world.
In the spirit of solidarity and if you are
convinced that nuclear power plants pose more
threat than opportunity for humankind, please
help collect signatures for the campaign. (See attached
Petition
and signature sheet.)
Please note that the promoters of the campaign
are asking for "personally signed
petitions" which they believe is still more
forceful in Japan than internet-based signature
campaigns. Here are their instructions:
- The
petition consists of two pages
which have to be submitted
together. Please staple the 1st
page with the petition text and
the 2nd page with your signatures
together.
- The
English petition is addressed to
the present Japanese Prime
Minister. It is valid even in
case the Prime Minister changes.
When our organization will submit
the petitions, we make sure that
the legal requirements for a
valid petition are observed.
- Please
send the petition by postal mail
(fax is not valid) to the
following address:
Citizens' Committee for the 10
Million People's Petition to say
Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants
c/o Gensuikin, 1F 3-2-11 Kanda
Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
101-0062, JAPAN
- The
final deadline of this petition
is February 28, 2012. However, we
have set two intermediary
deadlines: September 10, 2011 and
December 20, 2011. PLEASE SEND
YOUR SIGNED PETITIONS BEFORE
DECEMBER 20 AND/OR FEBRUARY 28.
- Some
further notes:
- You
can write your name and address
in your native language.
- Petitions
from foreign citizens living
outside Japan are valid as long
as the petition is addressed to
the Japanese Prime Minister. In
case the petition is addressed to
the National Diet (House of
Representatives) or the Upper
House, petitions from foreigners
living outside Japan are not
valid.
- There
is no age limit. Signatures from
children are also valid.
- In
principle, a petition has to be
signed personally. In case of
children or disabled persons, it
is accepted if someone signs the
petition on the person's behalf.
For more,
see http://sayonara-nukes.org/english/.
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The Bishops actually expressed regret that they
did not go so far as to urge the immediate
abolition of nuclear plants in their 2001
statement. However, the grey area where benefits
and dangers equally lurk is characteristic of the
many issues that we face today and hence the need
for discernment and constant re-valuing.
Support the denuclearization campaign. Let the
bishops' call echo to "all residents of
Japan", and all inhabitants of Earth, and
may the value of Life prevail.
Justice.Peace.Solidarity
Terence A.G. P. Osorio
Coordinator
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