I found a great talk unexpectedly. The speaker is an overseas student of Ukraine. The talk that could never be told by Japanese people because they have positions that they want to protect. I somehow wanted to translate this into English, the talk should be known by many Japaese, though. hahaha. I'm inspired by him and I study more to know the world. He has his YouTube channel :
Inaka_Andrew
This is what I have wanted to say for a long time.
Nazarenko Andry: 21st The Public Constitution Forum
0:31
Thank you for your introduction. My name is Nazarenko Andry. Five years ago, l came to Japan from Ukraine. Probably, I have lived in Japan when the discussion about a Japanese constitutional amendment was firing the strongest. Thus l heard the words "peace" and "war" many times.
0:47
A few years ago, Ukraine is a country which was invaded by Russia and a part of the territory was dispossessed, even now the fight is continuing and victims are increasing every day. I came from such a country "Ukraine" and that’s why I've concerned the discussion by all means. People for safeguard carelessly use the word “war” as a threatening word is the current situation of my country.
1:10
And then the insistence of people who are against constitutional change is very alike with the mistakes that Ukraine did. I felt a strong sense of crisis. Simply, what self-pacifists say is that it won't be attacked if the country doesn't have armies and doesn't threaten neighboring countries. All fights can be solved by conversations with peace. Allowing the right to Collective self-defense is dangerous because wars of different countries will be involved.
1:42
Here, it'll compare the policy that Ukraine had continued before being invaded with. In 1991, when Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union, it had a lot of nuclear weapons and armies of one million. However, it's high cost, it'd be warned by neighbor countries, it's dangerous, and Ukraine handed over every nuclear weapon. Instead, Ukraine concluded An international treaty called The Budapest Memorandum on Security, and it's entrusted self-defense to other countries. And then, the armies of one million decreased to two hundred thousand, it means that one of five disarmament was carried out. Furthermore, for stopping involving with a major power, Ukraine hasn't joined a military alliance completely like NATO. This must be the Pacifism that the Japanese Communist Party thinks.
2:35
I want people who think that the policy is great to go to Ukraine by all means (applause) and I want to hear their opinions while watching destroyed cities which were burning out by war, children who have to hide underground in school because of falling missiles, and graves of the war dead that is included the lives who couldn't live even twenty years old.
Is this the future of Japan you want? If there are the words you have that can stop wars, we want to know it. When you are in safe places, you always talk about that. Why have you never gone to the front of wars yet to tell the spirits of peace? I want to hear that. (applause)
3:27
In my opinion is that without suppression, no countries are possible to have peace and suppression means not only physical. If by referendum, many thousands of Japanese people go to polls, they will vote in “constitutional change”, it means that “ Japan doesn’t admit the forcibly imposed law by other countries. We govern our country by ourselves. The self-defense force protects Japan, we cooperate with the SDF and protect the right of SDF members”. Showing such strong wills will be, I think, the greatest suppression. (applause)
4:13
On the other hand, how do neighboring countries understand the situation of not changing the constitution? Japanese people will quietly follow the imposed rules forever to be attacked with force. They won’t make an action even taking Japanese territory, abducting citizens, flying missiles, breaking treaty and many times invading territorial waters occur. The Japanese parliament doesn’t make a decision, doesn’t take the action even though severe crisis has come but they’ve continued unimportant discussions. Thinking such things must be really the fact that it can’t be possible to be in uninvited war, I think of that. (applause)
4:55
There are people who think that “this is delicious of persecution” and "unrealistic" that is being invaded by neighboring countries, but Ukrainians had also thought about the same things until 2014. The thoughts were had by everyone. However, in retrospect of being too peaceful, that was one of the tactics of foe who let people think that fight won’t happen. I understood that.
5:20
Alright, in the Constitution of Japan of the introduction, the words "the peace-loving peoples of the world" are used. I want to believe that the majority of citizens love peace in any country. However, are there neighboring countries of Japan where authorities understand people‘s requests? North Korea, China, and Russia are quite dictator countries. Even citizens of those each country really love peace, if authority orders to fight, they can’t say No.
5:55
And then, opposition parties aren’t able to persuade the same Japanese people who use the same Japanese language, though, why they think that they can do let foreigners who have completely different nationalities understand not to have wars. I can't understand why they think so. (Applause) Additionally, they many times say that discussion is necessary, though, they have a pose to escape it is absolutely strange also.
6:21
In the world condition becoming more serious, it shouldn’t extend the problem of constitutional reforms relating to remaining the nation any more. Japan now sees a chance historically. Whether they can catch it or ruin it, it'll decide how descendants evaluate current Japanese people better or worse. In a new era named Reiwa, believe that Japan will be governed with the constitution based on the Japanese spirit finally. And then Japan is independent, being an equal member of the international community must be worth for Japan and the world. Thank you for your kind attention.
Words in this story
dispossess /verb/ deprive (someone) of something that they own, typically land or property.
insistence /noun/ claim, assertion, opinion, advocacy
self-pacifists) pacifists /noun/ a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable.
entrust /verb/ assign the responsibility for doing something to (someone).
appraises