The Shimonoseki Labour Education Centre (LEC) in Japan and the Jesuit Research Centre for Advocacy and Solidarity (JAS) in Korea jointly held an Anti-nuclear Peace Conference in July. LEC Director, Fr Hisashi Hayashi SJ, hosted Jesuits and peace movement members from the two countries for the two-day meeting that began after breakfast on July 12.
The joint sponsorship is a result of the recent agreement between the Korea and Japan Provinces to heighten the level of inter-Province cooperation.
Fr Hayashi’s gift for making people feel at ease sparked a lot of open and lively sharing. There were several participants fluent in both Japanese and Korean, and they took turns providing translations.
The movement opposing nuclear power is stronger in Japan than in Korea, especially since the Fukushima meltdown and irradiation. The Korean participants hope to gain momentum through coalition with that movement. On the other hand, the Korean Catholic Church is able to exert more societal influence than Japan’s, due to its greater number of Catholics. There is much to be gained by coalition.
The participants shared information on nuclear power policy and also shared their experiences in the peace movement. One Japanese presenter was an anti-nuclear power activist who had had to flee her home after the Fukushima accident. She shared the anxiety and anger she suffered due to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese authorities withholding information from the people.
The conference participants visited a Korean school in Shimonoseki, where they heard about the discrimination the school suffers because of Japan’s lack of recognition of minority schools. The school’s directors realize that their position is weakened by the lack of cooperation between South and North Korea.
“This cooperation in the peace movement has ramifications for minority rights in Japan and relations between the two Koreas,” said Fr Frank Park Mun Su SJ, Director of JAS. “It also helped the Japanese participants separate themselves from the history of Japan’s colonization policies, and helped Korean participants feel more sympathy with the Japanese suffering from nuclear weapons and nuclear power accidents.”
The Korean participants were also taken on a historical tour of Shimonoseki, which they enjoyed despite having to slosh through the area because of heavy rain. Shimonoseki was an important launching point for Japan’s invasions into Korea and China in the 20th Century. The Japanese guide at one site emphasized the illegality under international law of the Japanese colonial expansion into Korea.
At the end of the conference, the participants exchanged contact information and agreed that there should be follow-up programmes, which would be promoted by JAS and LEC.