Peace candidate has global appeal

Peace candidate has global appeal


Asami Nagai Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Sadakazu Sasaki tingled with excitement when he held a copy of Denisu
Kushinitchi: Amerika ni Heiwa no Daitoryo o (Dennis Kucinich: Elect a
Pacifist President for the United States, 1,500 yen, Natural Spirit). As a
sales-marketing member of the staff of a small Tokyo publisher, which mainly
puts out New Age books, he had never sold a publication on politics or
economics.

But now Sasaki can take pride in being involved in the movement for world
peace by doing his job: marketing a book comprising a selection of speeches
and statements by Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who is running for the Democratic
Party nomination for U.S. president.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the
U.S.-led bombings in Afghanistan and the Iraq war, "an increasing number of
young people are participating in peace meetings. We now know whoever is
elected the next U.S. president could have a direct impact on us," he said.
"If so, we want a person who promotes world peace and this book is a good
tool for the movement."

He also said that even before the book was printed, the publisher had
received 1,000 orders from eager readers.

As he said, this movement--people wanting to get involved in an election in
which they cannot vote--deserves to be called "unprecedented," its
development facilitated by and in part stemming from the era of
globalization and the Internet that we live in.

It's been a while since the Democratic primary campaign started, but most
people probably have never heard of the name Dennis Kucinich. He has enjoyed
little mainstream media coverage and is treated as a joke candidate.
However, he is not a nobody--at least politically.

Kucinich, 56, is a congressman, now serving his fourth term in the House of
Representatives. Long before that, he was elected mayor of his home town,
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1977 at age 31.

For his peace-oriented efforts, he received the 2003 Gandhi Peace Award from
the organization Promoting Enduring Peace, founded by Yale Prof. Jerome
Davis. Since 1959, it has presented the award to recognize people who have
made outstanding efforts to attain world peace.

Earlier this year, Yumi Kikuchi, a Japanese freelance journalist and
environmental activist based in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, happened to read
about the congressman's political agenda in one of the numerous e-mails she
receives daily. Surprised and fascinated by his proposal to set up a
Department of Peace, Kikuchi soon wrote about Kucinich, whom she hardly knew
at the time except for a few of his policies, for an e-mail newsletter.

Kikuchi mentioned in the same letter that if someone such as Kucinich became
the U.S. president, everyone would be able to hope for a better, rosier
future. She said she felt she should be eligible to vote for the U.S.
president because her own life may be greatly affected, or even threatened,
by the political decisions of whoever takes office.

"One day, if the U.S. president names Japan a terrorist nation, we suddenly
will have to worry about possible attacks, just like the Iraqis. Each
country has been asked by the United States if it is their friend or foe,
and once we declare the friendship attitude, we are expected to provide
whatever the U.S. wants from us.

"Japan is now preparing to send Self-Defense Forces officers to Iraq to help
establish a stable society, even though they are not primarily supposed to
work overseas...We're getting involved despite our own rules, you see? I
can't be indifferent to the presidential election."

That's why, in May, no news surprised and delighted her more than Kucinich's
decision to run for the highest U.S. office.

"This is a miracle, I thought," Kikuchi said. "If he's decided (to run),
I've got to do something about it." But before she began telling her friends
about Kucinich, she traveled to the United States to see him, just to get to
know his policies and personality better. Kikuchi, among others, especially
identifies with two points from Kucinich's 10-point manifesto, promulgated
in his speeches and writings:

-- "A Renewed Commitment to Peace and Diplomacy": He makes clear his
determination to stop the United States from undermining the Antiballistic
Missile Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and numerous other
international agreements. He is also determined to create a
ministerial-level Department of Peace to establish nonviolence as an
organizing principle in both domestic and international affairs.

-- "Environmental Renewal and Clean Energy": He promises to try to reduce
oil dependence and spur investment in alternative energy sources.

He also pledges to work for a comprehensive worldwide elimination of nuclear
weapons.

"For most people, he is hardly known. But, if peace-loving people all over
the world act for a pacific president, we could make a difference," Kikuchi
said. "At least, his messages will get to be reported by the U.S. mainstream
media if he puts up a good fight."

Kikuchi and her husband, Gen Morita, decided to compile a book of
translations from a selection of Kucinich's speeches. When they put out an
appeal in cyberspace, many volunteered to help translate his messages into
Japanese.

"We non-Americans cannot donate to the campaign, but we can help spread his
message, which should not infringe on U.S. law," Kikuchi said, adding that
there is an anti-Kucinich campaign under way that incorrectly alleges that
Kucinich receives financial support from Japan. Kikuchi clearly states that
she has not sent a penny to the campaign office.

With the help of 12 translators, Kikuchi and Morita finished translating 11
speeches and 18 statements, as well as descriptions of Kucinich's policies
and visions, in two weeks. They found a publisher to print the 267-page book
2! months later. "A major Tokyo publisher actually offered to print our
book, but it said it needed at least six months. We couldn't wait that long,
we were in a hurry," Kikuchi said. Instead, they opted for a less well-known
publishing company.

In September, Kikuchi and Morita, along with several fellow activists and
volunteers, visited Kucinich to hand him the hot-off-the-press book, which
the candidate gladly accepted although he could not read a word of it.

Regarding Kucinich's appearance and behavior, Morita said he is far from a
typical politician.

"I even saw him talk to an audience of only about 100 people who had
gathered near the U.S.-Mexico border. It was unbelievable. Look, he is now
running for the U.S. presidential nomination, not for the city assembly of a
small town."

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World united


So, why are non-American citizens keenly involved in the U.S. presidential
campaign?

Kikuchi and Morita have a personal reason: Their 2-year old son was born in
the United States and therefore is a U.S. citizen. "I hold a green card
myself. Why shouldn't I be concerned? I worry so much about the future of
the United States, at the very least for my son's sake," Morita said.

In addition to this personal reason, they express reservations about the
state of the global environment.

Recently, Kikuchi wrote to one of her American friends: "Our future and
survival depend on who becomes the next U.S. president. We do not have much
time left to fix our mess (killing our planet by spreading poison like
depleted uranium (DU) all over like the U.S. did in Iraq and Afghanistan)."

In person, she elaborates on this theme.

"Exposure to radiation from DU shells is one thing," Kikuchi said. "War
involving weapons of mass destruction would be the worst possible way to
contaminate the Earth. As the sky and atmosphere are seamless, nobody on
Earth is free from this terrible contamination. Minute particles of
contaminants can drift everywhere and harm our health for many, many years
to come."

We are facing the issue of whether the Earth can go on as a living planet,
Kikuchi said, adding, "That's why we are very concerned about the U.S.
presidential election."

Naturally, Kikuchi said, many Americans do not want to be criticized or told
what to do by foreigners. "I lost many American friends after I e-mailed
them Kucinich's agenda," she said. "Most of them, whom I'd become close to
in the environmental movement, just stopped contacting me even though we
used to exchange e-mails quite often. But some of them responded to me by
saying they appreciated what I wrote to them."

Morita and Kikuchi feel that no matter who is one's choice for U.S.
president, people worldwide are watching the outcome of the 2004 U.S.
presidential race much more seriously than before.

"Unfortunately, I myself cannot vote. That's why I dearly want every single
eligible voter to seriously consider who to vote for--hopefully the
candidate who will work for world peace and the environment. Their choice
will affect people's lives around the globe and the Earth itself."

Domestically, Kikuchi has already suggested the idea of setting up a
Japanese Department of Peace to several lawmakers and some of them have
agreed to work toward the lofty ideal.