Japanese media reports the Open Letter to the Emperor and Empress

Kyoto News Agency reported the open letter to the emperor. Please click the link to see the full text in Japanese, which is quoted below. See under the Japanese news for the English translation.

As far as we have searched on the web on July 13, the newspapers that ran the Kyodo news include:
Tokyo Shimbun/Chunichi Shimbun/Shizuoka Shimbun/Nishinippon Shimbun/Nagasaki Shimbun/Kumamoto-nichinichi Shimbun/Sanyo Shimbun/San-in Chuo Shimbun/Kitanippon Shimbun/Kobe Shimbun/Shimotsuke Shimbun/Chiba Nippo/Shikoku Shimbun/Kahoku Shimpo/Yamagata Shimbun/Iwate Nippo/... the list goes on.

(Links may be lost after a certain number of days.)

(共同のニュースからの引用開始）


陛下に「慰霊続けて」　アジア系団体が公開書簡

【トロント９日共同】カナダ西海岸のバンクーバーを拠点に活動するアジア系などの市民団体が９日（日本時間１０日）、天皇、皇后両陛下のカナダ公式訪問を機に「日本が引き起こした戦争での犠牲者の慰霊をこれからも続けていただきたい」と天皇陛下に呼び掛ける内容の公開書簡を日本総領事館に提出すると発表した。
　両陛下が今後訪れる予定のバンクーバーにはアジア系住民が多数住む。書簡を提出するのは中国系の「第２次大戦史保存会（カナダＡＬＰＨＡ）」や、日本人が代表を務める平和団体「ピースフィロソフィーセンター」のほか、韓国やフィリピン系の団体で、戦後補償や従軍慰安婦問題に取り組んでいる。
　書簡は「日本の国会が、戦争被害に対する全面的な謝罪と補償を認める決議をしていない」と指摘。両陛下のバンクーバー訪問を歓迎し「両陛下がどれだけ平和と歴史の問題に関心を寄せられてきたか、わたしたちは知っています」と両陛下の戦没者慰霊を評価。
　その上で、陛下に「平和の精神に基づき日本の憲法９条を守りたいと考えているわたしたちの活動を支持していただきたい」と求めた。

（引用終了）





The following is the English translation of the Kyodo news:


Asian organization sends an Open Letter to the Emperor and Empress, asking them to continue visits to war memorial sites


(Toronto, July 9th, Kyodo) On July 9th, several Asian and other civil organizations in Vancouver, on the West Coast of Canada, published an Open Letter to the Emperor and Empress who are visiting Canada, through the Consulate General of Japan. In this letter, these Canadian organizations requested the Emperor and Empress to continue paying tribute to the victims of the war initiated by Japan.
The Emperor and Empress are visiting Vancouver, where many residents are Asian immigrants. The open letter was co-signed by the Chinese-Canadian Canada ALPHA (Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia), Peace Philosophy Centre(a peace organization represented by a Japanese-Canadian), and other organizations including Korean and Filipino ones. These groups are involved with activities regarding the post-war compensation issues and the "comfort women" issue.



This Open Letter points out that "the Japanese Parliament has yet to pass a resolution that fully admits and apologizes for Japan’s responsibility for the loss and suffering of the victims of the Asia-Pacific War." The Open Letter welcomes the Emperor and Empress to Canada, recognizes their reconciliatory efforts, saying "we are aware and appreciative of how much you have demonstrated a commitment to peace and history issues."
Furthermore, this Open Letter appealed for the imperial couple's "support of the endeavours to keep Article 9 intact in the spirit of peace."