A petition to President Joe Biden was read aloud in English and Japanese at the White House and at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 21, 2021, by David Swanson and Hideko Otake.

The petition and videos from Washington are here.

Sign the Petition.

The text of the petition is as follows:

To: U.S. President Joe Biden

We, the undersigned, wish to convey our strong support for the Governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki, and the indigenous people of Okinawa, and their request for the cessation of the building of a U.S. military airbase in Henoko.

On January 13th 2021, Governor Tamaki sent a letter to President Biden (enclosed) outlining the many reasons the airbase construction project at Henoko should be dismantled, including:

Overwhelming opposition by the Indigenous Okinawan people. In a prefectural referendum, 71.7% voted against the project. There have been continuous protests and even hunger strikes by the public.

Engineering unfeasibility. The construction plan requires large-scale land reclamation work, but the seabed that will be reclaimed is as soft as mayonnaise and poses massive engineering problems which has caused the completion date pushed from 2014 to 2030 and the cost from $3.3 billion to $8.7 billion. Some engineers do not believe that it is even possible to build. Even Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has concluded in a fact-driven report that it is unlikely that the project will ever be completed.[1] Moreover, the site is vulnerable to earthquakes. There is an active fault under the site.[2]

Irreparable environmental damage. The ocean area that is being reclaimed is unique in its biodiversity and is the home of endangered marine mammals such as dugongs.

The United States maintains 119 military facilities in Japan. Okinawa, which makes up only 0.6% of the entire land area of Japan holds 70% of these facilities, which cover 20% of this small island. For decades, the people of Okinawa have suffered at the hands of occupying forces. The U.S. military has already caused grievous harm by aircraft accidents, crimes by U.S. service members and major environmental pollution by toxic substances such as PFAS. The very least the U.S. could do is to stop building yet another base on this besieged island.

Sign the Petition.

Endorsed by Peace for Okinawa Coalition, New Japan Women’s Association Kasugai Branch, Henoko New Base Construction Opposition Concerts in Nagoya, Aichi Solidarity Union, Aichi Sight and Hearing Disability Council, Article 9 Society Nagoya, Society for Solidarity with the People of Okinawa and Korea through the Movement against U.S. Military Bases, Nara Okinawa Solidarity Committee, Green Action Saitama, Mizuho Article 9 Society, 1040 for Peace, Alaska Peace Center, Americans Who Tell the Truth, Antiwar Advocates of Minnesota CD2, Australian Anti-Bases Campaign, California for a World BEYOND War, Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD), Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, Caribbean Labour Solidarity, Christian Peacemaker Teams, CODEPINK, CODEPINK Golden Gate, Communist Party Australia Melbourne, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO, Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin, Environmentalists Against War, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FMKK The Swedish anti-nuclear movement, Gerrarik Ez √âibar, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Global Peace Alliance BC Society, Granny Peace Brigade NYC, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Hawai‚Äôi Peace and Justice, Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley, Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, International Human Rights Commission, International Institute on Peace Education, Just Peace Queensland Inc, Kelowna Peace Group, Kulu Wai, Ligh Path Resources, Manhattan Local of the Green Party, Marrickville Peace Group, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Military Poisons, Monterey Peace and Justice Center, National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI), Office of Peace Justice and Ecological Integrity Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Okinawa Environmental Justice Project, Pax Christi Baltimore, Pax Christi Hilton Head, Pax Christi Seed Planters/IL/USA, Pax Christi Western NY, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action Network of Lancaster, Peace Action of Staten Island, Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois, Peaceful Skies Coalition, Pivot to Peace, Prince George's County (MD) Peace & Justice Coalition, Rethinking Foreign Policy, RJ Cooper & Associates Inc., Rohi Foundation, RootsAction, Sanctuary of Mana Ke`a Gardens, Sisters of Charity Federation, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership, Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, Slintak Aviation, Southern Anti-Racism Network, St. Pete for Peace, Sustainable Development Association / Indigene Community, Swedish Peace Council, Takagi School, The Free Minds, The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice, Topanga Peace Alliance, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, Uniting for Peace, Veterans For Peace, Veterans for Peace - Santa Fe Chapter, Veterans For Peace 115, Veterans For Peace Baltimore MD Phil Berrigan Chapter #105, Veterans For Peace Chapter 14 Gainesville Fl, Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132, Veterans For Peace Spokane Chapter #35, War Resisters International (Australia), WILPFstlouis, Win Without War, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Canada, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Corvallis OR U.S., World BEYOND War, Youth Hands for Development Organization, and YOU?

World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
Donate to support our people-powered movement for peace.

Opt-in to mobile updates. Manage email preferences. Privacy policy.

Should giant war-profiteering corporations decide what emails you don't want to read? We don't think so either. So, please stop our emails from going into "junk" or "spam" by "white listing," marking as "safe," or filtering to "never send to spam."

World BEYOND War | 513 E Main St #1484 | Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA