[Letter] The Japanese government must stand in solidarity with Palestine and takes action for an immediate ceasefire!
On July 19, 2024, FoE Asia Pacific, the regional structure of FoE International issued a letter to the Japanese government demanding that it stand in solidarity with Palestine and take immediate action to end the war. The letter also calls for the Ministry of Defense not to import military drones from Israel. On the same day, we also held an action in front of the National Diet Building, with 90 people participating.
Letter to the Japanese government
Dear Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida,
Your Excellency, greetings from Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific. We are an informal regional structure of Friends of the Earth International, a federation of environmental organisations present in 73 countries. We campaign on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues. Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific has 12 member groups and Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON – FoE Palestine) is one of them.
We write to you with grave concern about the ongoing assault on Palestine and the unfolding ecocide and the overwhelming killing of civilians, which includes children, the elderly, and the sick. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in October 2023.
However, the respected medical journal, The Lancet, published a correspondence online which estimates that the true death toll could reach more than 186 000 people, pointing out that the official number does not take into account the thousands of dead buried under the rubble, and the indirect deaths due to the deliberate attacks on the health system in Gaza, food distribution systems and other essential infrastructures. The study points out that even if the Gaza war ends immediately, it will continue to cause many indirect deaths in the coming months and years through other things like diseases as the result of the invasion.
To add to this, the contaminated water sources, and the rise in carbon emissions from weapons and war vehicles are part of a growing list of concerns about the lifelong environmental damage that will continue to destroy every aspect of life in Gaza, long after the war is over. Critical infrastructure continues to be decimated, and coastal areas, soil and ecosystems have been severely impacted. As Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director pointed out in June, all of this is deeply harmful to people’s health, food security and Gaza’s resilience. The risk of ecocide is very real and must be addressed with the urgency it deserves.
We have all been witnesses to Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinians these last nine months. From burning civilians alive, detaining young and elderly people in inhumane conditions, to launching calculated attacks on essential infrastructures. Pictures and videos of emaciated children, amputated men and women and the gravely injured have ended up on everyone’s radar. The situation in the Gaza Strip is unlike anything the world has seen in modern times, and yet it has been allowed to continue relentlessly.
Last year in November, Japan pledged to provide $65 million in additional humanitarian aid to Palestinians over the invasion of Gaza. In April this year, Japan resumed funding to UNRWA with a contribution of US$ 35 million in support of Palestine refugees. It is thanks to essential support like this that UNRWA is able to resume its vital services to Palestinians and Palestine Refugees. We hope that this continues.
There is, however, plenty more to be done.
Your Excellency, for the last nine months, your administration has taken a cautious balancing act between Israel and Palestine. On one hand, your government has stated that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is the highest priority and pledged emergency aid to them. On the other hand, Japan was one of 45 countries who abstained from voting in favour of a humanitarian truce in October 2023. Last year, your administration had also sanctioned individuals and companies over links to Palestinian armed resistance group Hamas, but not those linked to the illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank, or the controversial IDF unit, Netzah Yehuda. Japan has failed to show its condemnation of the blatant human rights violations committed by the Israeli army, and, despite calls to boycott and divest, is attempting to import drones from Israel.
We are witnessing crimes against humanity and grievous international crimes being committed once again before our eyes and we urge Japan to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. As one of the United States’ most important allies, Japan is in a position to put political pressure on them to halt funding and arms sales to Israel. All governments must do this and use all diplomatic and economic mechanisms at their disposal to deter Israel’s attacks on Gaza to prevent further deaths and damage to the land, halt economic relationships with Israel and Israeli companies and consider cutting diplomatic ties. The Japanese government must be stronger advocates against illegal occupation.
This is a good opportunity for Japan to exert its diplomatic leadership on the global stage and to ensure that international law and justice is upheld.
For months, Japanese citizens have been marching and protesting for Palestinians and calling for an end to the killings. It is time that the Japanese government listens to these demands and takes them seriously.
Based on the above, Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific appeals to the Japanese government as follows:
Firstly, we urge the Japanese government to exercise all diplomatic measures to push for an immediate and unconditional end to the ongoing massacre and war crimes happening in Palestine.
Secondly, we also call on Japan to take the step in recognising the State of Palestine as a sovereign state and to show strong and meaningful support for them that goes beyond financial aid.
Thirdly, it is imperative that Japan supports international legal proceedings against the atrocities and war crimes committed in Gaza. This includes exercising Japan’s international obligations in accordance with court findings, including making arrests of those suspected of committing war crimes.
Lastly, we appeal to the Japanese government to indefinitely stop the weapons trade with Israel.
Thank you for your time in reading this letter and we hope you take our appeals into consideration.
Sincerely,
Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific
Signatories of FoE Asia Pacific:
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
Friends of the Earth Australia
Friends of the Earth Japan
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association
The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center
Centre for Environmental Justice
Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights, Inc
Friends of the Earth India
Forum for Protection of Public Interest – Pro Public
Korean Federation for Environmental Movement
