Solidarity Message of the ASA on the 60th Year of Japan's Bombings

Dear friends in AASJA and the people of Japan:

Greetings of peace and solidarity from the Asian Students Association!

August 6 is a historical day we all remember. It was the day theworld's first atomic bomb was dropped in Japan 60 years ago killingmany innocent lives – our loved ones, friends and comrades. It wasthat day we have witnessed the atrocity, barbarism and terrorism ofimperialism, of U.S. imperialism.

The Asian Students Association, of which the AASJA is a strong andactive member of, was formed in 1969, in the heat of manyimperialist-sponsored wars, from Vietnam to Palestine and even duringthe Cold War.

Until now, the ASA has remained at the forefront of the youth andpeople's struggle against unjust wars, terrorism and the continuousatrocities wrenched by leading imperialist countries like the United States. We have strongly organized our ranks and strengthenedsolidarity among our ranks and with the peoples of the world in ourglobal fight for just peace, democracy, sovereignty, self-determination and liberation.

We strongly support the initiatives of the AASJA in organizing themass rally in Hiroshima Peace Park, where the Atomic bomb blasted. Thecourage and passion from the A-bomb survivors and the youngergeneration that followed them is an encouragement for the people allover the world to combat imperialism.

As we can see our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestineand elsewhere that remain under foreign occupation, have to experiencebomb attacks, siege and raids by foreign troops led by imperialistUnited States , Europe and Japan.

Many innocent lives in these countries and all over the world are inimminent danger as weapons of mass destruction are manufactured by the war materiel to more than 170 nations and earned 13.1 billion U.S.dollars in that year alone.

We realized that the world will never be at peace if US imperialismcontinues to extend its territory to other parts of the world. InAsia, its most important ally is Japan. With the US-Japan securityguidelines as the ultimate weapin against those opposed to UShegemony, the neo-conservative ruling elite in Japan struggle theirbest to change the Article 9 in the Japanese National Constitution. At the same time, Japan becomes the second biggest military spender inthe world. With the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), Japanese Imperialism tries their best to send their troops to assist US imperialism.

We express our concern about the development of the Japanese rightwing government in approval of the historical textbook that"white-washing" the history of the invasion history in the WWII. The application of the Japan to become the UN permanent member in the Security Council caused a lot of wariness to the people. Should this remain unstopped, they will continue to plunder not onlyJapan's sovereignty but its people as well. And the crimes ofHiroshima and Nagasaki shall continue.

The assaults and attacks from these imperialist terrorists areheightened as people's movements all over the world continue to growin number and in strength as they intensify their struggle against imperialism.

Withdraw all the Japanese troops now!

Uphold the rights of A-bomb survivors now!

No to exclusion of Korean survivors!

Stop killings!

End Occupation in Iraq!

Eliminate all the nuclear weapons!

Down with US-Japan imperialism!

Long live international solidarity!

In solidarity,

Asian Students Association