Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Belfast today called on the Japanese Government not to abandon Article 9 and Japan's Peace Constitution. Speaking in Tokyo, the Nobel Peace Laureate said that all peace loving people must unite to oppose such a backward step and support all efforts to build a peaceful Japan and a world based on co- operation and understanding.

She also criticised President Bush for "re-defining war" when he said: ‘By a combination of creative strategies and advanced technologies we are redefining war on our own terms’. This declaration means The American Government redefines not only war Strategies but also the aims and doctrines of war. War aim has been redefined to mean occupation of the adversary state and/or regime change. Pre-emption is redefined as ‘preventive war’ with the American Government claiming an exclusive right to it, even in defiance of international law and multilateral consensus. We all, to our horror, watched the ‘creative strategies and advanced technologies’ of Shock and Awe cruelly unleashed upon the Iraqi civilians in March 2003, by the American empire, and their allies.

Ms Maguire also said that the human rights violations being committed by Governments resulting from the "War on "Terror"under the guise of security issues had increased terrorism, set back the course of International Laws and human rights and created not a safer but a more dangerous world. Instead of this our Governments should be dealing with the real threats to Human security, such as Poverty, Climate change; Marginalization, Global militarization; Abuse of human rights & international laws by state and non-state players,.increasing violence and ethnic/political conflicts, she said.

Ms Maguire added that it was her belief that all-inclusive dialogue with all parties to the conflict, including insurgency leaders, was the only way in which to genuinely address many of the world’s ongoing conflicts. Governments need to address grievances of groups and work for a win/win solution to the problems. She cited the manner in which the British Government spoke to the IRA and Loyalist Paramilitaries as one example of what must be done to end conflict.

"Killings by Governments, and non-governmental armed groups, and threats to kill, damage peoples’ entire well-being, leading to traumatization and despair. To reverse this, Governments need to uphold international law and human rights of their citizens, as injustice breeds violence and hatred."

Mairead Corrigan was speaking at the invitation of Peaceboat at the Article 9 Conference to Abolish War.