We urge Russia to immediately withdraw troops from Ukraine ー No reason can justify war

Statement by Toshiaki IshikawaSecretary General, Jichiroren

February 25, 2022

The Russian military began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 as it attacked with missiles military installations in Kyiv and other areas of the c The Russian military began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 as it attacked with missiles military installations in Kyiv and other areas of the country, gaining control of the air. It is clear that many Ukrainians have lost their lives in the attacks and that the number of casualties will increase if the invasion continues. Jichiroren firmly protests against President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and demands immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.

In the UN Security Council, which received reports of the Russian invasion during its emergency session, the U.S. and other countries proposed a resolution condemning Russia and urging it to immediately pull out its troops, which is scheduled to be put to the vote on February 25. The resolution is expected to denounce Russia’s military aggression in the strongest terms, reaffirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and demand that Russia promptly withdraw its forces.

The Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) held an emergency meeting over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their joint statement criticized Russia’s action as “a serious violation of international law” and said, “We as the G7 are bringing forward severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the meeting, “Putin will not win.”

President Putin argues that the miliary action is at the “request” of eastern regions of Ukraine, whose “independence” was unilaterally recognized by Russia, and that it is “collective self-defense” under Article 51 of the UN Charter. However, invoking collective self-defense with a region or group that has unilaterally granted “independence” is an irrational argument that has no basis in international law. President Putin flaunts Russia as a nuclear power and takes a stand against Western countries’ criticism and sanctions. His move is to threaten other nations with nuclear weapons, which can never be justified in today’s world where the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons among UN members is gaining momentum.

Russia’s action is nothing but war, which is military intervention in other country, and is completely unacceptable under international law. It also shows that U.S. military bases in Japan and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces can be targets of attacks by other countries. There is no guarantee that Japan will not be involved in a war as long as it has a military alliance with the U.S. The Japanese government should dissolve the Japan-U.S. military alliance and build peaceful diplomatic relations with every nation.

No reason can justify war, as is the worst act of barbarity that destroys nations and deprives people of life and peace. The Japanese government must cooperate with other countries and take a firm stand for a peaceful resolution. In order to press Russia to stop its military actions as soon as possible, we call on Jichiroren members to hold street protests and other actions in efforts to mould public opinion against the war.