HYOGO COUNCIL AGAINST A & H BOMBS (HYOGO GENSUIKYO)
Chamoto bldg. 6-7-6 Motomachi-dori, Chuo-ku Kobe 550-0022 Japan
Tel +81-78-341-2818 Fax +81-78-371-2427 Email KBNOBU@msn com

May 10, 2000

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your warm messages of solidarity on the 25th anniversary meeting of the nuclear-free "Kobe Formula". The two-day meeting, which took place on the 18th and 19th of March, was an outstanding success with more than 600 citizens attending. We were greatly encouraged by the 61 messages of solidarity from 12 countries and many others from all over Japan.

Enclosed are some photos taken at the meeting. There were greetings by the Mayor of Kobe and a representative of an A-bomb survivors' organization in Hyogo Prefecture. Barney Richards from nuclear-free New Zealand was a guest.

As you may already know, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan and the U.S. Consul General to Osaka have repeatedly stated that they want Kobe to allow U.S. warships to enter its port. And just a couple of days after our meeting, the U.S. Navy chief, who was visiting Japan, raised this very question during talks with Japan's Defense Agency Director General. The Japanese Constitution gives a high degree of local autonomy to local governments, and any local government, without exception, is authorized to decide about local matters and control of its civil ports. How dare the U.S. interfere in Kobe's affairs and invade its local autonomy!

Recently revealed are US-Japan secret agreements on the entry into Japan of nuclear weapons. These agreements state that the port calls, or "transit", of the US warships carrying nuclear weapons are not defined as "entry" of nuclear weapons. The Japanese Government has deceived us for almost 40 years. Since the signing of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, we have been told that the three non-nuclear principles are Japan's national policy. That is, not to possess, not to produce and not to allow entry of nuclear weapons into Japan. It is obvious that the nuclear-free "Kobe Formula", which does not allow any warships to enter the port without producing non-nuclear certification. is now the only way to stop the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan.

In Japan, the general election is expected to be held soon. We will show our disapproval to the present Government which has not taken seriously nuclear weapons abolition and has ignored the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan against the wishes of the majority of the Japanese people. We will also work for nuclear-free Japan, and fight against the direct attempt to break the nuclear-free "Kobe Formula" by the U.S.

I will be attending the NGO Millennium Forum for UN General Secretary to hear NGOs' opinions in May, as one of the representatives of Japan Gensuikyo (Japan Council Against A & H Bombs), and I'd like to tell the people of the U.S, and the Governments of the world about our struggle and activities to keep Kobe nuclear-free.

Friends, I am hoping to see you at the World Conference against A & H Bombs in August this year. Our struggle and solidarity for a nuclear-free world shall be developed and strengthened further.

Again, thank you very much for your strong support and solidarity for the nuclear-free "Kobe Formula".

For peace and solidarity,

Shushi Kajimoto

General Secretary