- Global Alliance
Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Global Alliance For Preserving the History of WWII in Asia
website = http://www.global-alliance.net/: "This page is about the World War II organization. For the modern United Nations organization, seeGlobal Alliance for ICT and Development ."Global Alliance For Preserving the History of WWII in Asia is a non-profit, non-partisan federation of over 40 grassroots organizations dedicated to the remembrance, redress and reconciliation concerningWorld War II in Asia, also known as thePacific War [Citation |last = Global Alliance For Preserving the History of WWII in Asia|title = For Justice and Peace | year = 2008 | url = http://www.global-alliance.net/index.html|accessdate = 2008-04-30] . It is concerned with crimes committed by theImperial Japanese Army on issues like theNanjing Massacre ,Unit 731 ,Comfort Women ,Prisoners of War andForced Labor . It aims at bringing together such groups electronically, organizationally, and personally. This federation has become increasingly recognized as the leading organization safeguarding humanity and international justice with relation toWorld War II and its aftermath. It is also the first organization of its kind since previous similar groups focused on some aspect only.History
Global Alliance has been a collective effort of active scholars and educators around the world interested in the movement of redress and reparation for victims of
Imperial Japan duringWorld War II . In 1988, Professor Tien-wei Wu ofSouthern Illinois University , started publishing a bilingual quarterly focusing on the studies of Japanese aggression againstChina . Mr. Andrew H. K. Tu., a senior educator inHong Kong was a strong supporter of such publication, while Professor Yue Him-Tam ofMacalester College was founding editor. In 1990, under the leadership of Mr. Tu and Professor Wu, the first International Conference onSino-Japanese Relations During the Last Century was convened in Hong Kong, of which Professor Tam was the secretary general. In 1994, Global Alliance officially started with a secretariat in San Francisco. Mr. Tu was elected the first president.Mission and Goals
Global Alliance's mission focuses on bringing about the proper closure of unresolved issues arising from Japan’s aggression that led to World War II in Asia and the Pacific. It seeks justice for victims through punishment of those criminals that were either never put on trial or set free without fulfilling their sentence. Furthermore, it asks war reparations to be given to such victims that have been neglected for over five decades.
Besides reparation and redress, members of Global Alliance seek to preserve and disseminate the true story of the war.
Revisionist theories have focused on the denial of such massacres as theRape of Nanjing , and the actual events that took place during the war are largely unknown inJapan and the West. To address this issue, the organization has worked towards building a memorial museum in the U.S. similar to theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum to preserve the truth of atrocities during World War II. Finally, Global Alliance advocates expanded coverage of World War II history in the public school textbooks, and has promoted the inclusion of material on the Asian experience of the war. Prevalent focus has been given to the European experience, which was not the only region suffering large losses during the war.Beliefs
The federation believes that historical truth will bring about justice for victims and safeguard humanity from repeating mistakes from the past. The following beliefs summarize Global Alliance's ideology:
*A full accounting of the Asia-Pacific War is imperative with relation toJapanese Government ’s factions that foster collective amnesia and ultra-nationalism, justifying and whitewashing Japanese war crimes
*Crimes against humanity were committed on a grand scale during this time period
*Victims are still seeking justice after nearly 60 years of the war’s end
*A nation who forgets the past is condemned to repeat its mistakes
*Embrace a feeling of sympathy and friendship with the people of Japan, for they too have been victims ofJapanese militarism
*TransferConfucius ’ Golden Rule to an international scale: Nations shall not do unto others as they would have others do unto themDemands
Based on the premise that the Government of Japan has to honor its post-war responsibilities, Global Alliance demands that through legislation enacted by the
Diet of Japan , the Government of Japan must:
*Offer an official and unequivocal apology acknowledging the commission of atrocities inChina ,Korea , and other Asian states during theAsia-Pacific War
*Authorize full disclosure and preservation of documents relating to the mentioned events
*Mandate inclusion and teaching at all levels of schooling lessons of humanity learned from Japan’s wars of aggression and its relatedwar crime issues in the first half of the 20th century
*Provide just and due compensation to all identified surviving victims and surviving family members of the deceased victims, and victims whose properties were looted and/or destroyed
*Amend all statutory limitations under Japanese laws to make them non-applicable towar crimes andcrimes against humanity committed byJapanese Imperial Forces during theAsia-Pacific War such that victims could seek due redress in the courts of Japan
*Provide funding for the creation of a memorial museum inTokyo dedicated to: the commemoration and remembrance ofwar victims of the Asia-Pacific War, the preservation of documents declassified, research and publication of information pertaining to all facets of the war, educational outreach focusing on lessons learned through war crimes and related issues of this period, and to the efforts to bring closure to this war and to prevent future wars of aggression
*Outlaw public denial of war crimes committed by theImperial Japanese Army
*Prosecute the living Japanese war criminals that have escaped international war crime trials after the end of the war, such as theInternational Military Tribunal for the Far East
*Remove relics of all war criminals now enshrined in theYasukuni Shrine and prohibit honoring and worshiping of war criminals in that Shrine or any other religious establishments of national significance
*Establish a national day of remembrance for victims of the Asia-Pacific War
*Return all looted national treasures, including cultural and historical relics
*Honor the "military monetary certificates" issued by the Japanese occupational authorities for which people of victimized countries were forced to exchange their national currencies with due interest payment and adjustment for inflationActivities
*Link to affiliate websites in order to enhance communication and public education
*Espouse the study, research, and dissemination of historical truths regarding WWII
*Support exhibits on WWII and on war crimes committed by the Japanese army
*Lobby to promote legislation in the U.S. and elsewhere that will facilitate sue for redress for victims
*Organize conferences to call the world’s attention to Japan’s unresolved wartime issues
*Support efforts related to the redress movement of the survivors and victims of Japanese Asia-Pacific War atrocities
*Coordinate joint projects and activities related to Global Alliance's mission among member
*Convenes conferences on goal-related and mission-relevant subjects of importanceMember Organizations
Global Alliance is open to institutional membership, while individuals can join as non-voting supporters.
*Rape of Nanjing Redress Coalition [Citation |last = The Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition |title = About RNRC | year = | url = http://hnn.us/articles/24291.html|accessdate = April 30, 2008] (RNRC): An Organization founded in the U.S. by Asian-Americans dedicated to bringing about appropriate and timely redress to victims of theRape of Nanjing
*Alliance to Preserve the History of WWII in Asia - Los Angeles [Citation |last = Alliance to Preserve the History of WWII in Asia|title = About us | year = | url = http://www.alpha-la.org/|accessdate = April 30, 2008] (ALPHA-LA):A group sharing the objective of preserving the history of WWII in Asia through public education.
*Association for Preserving Historical Accuracy of Foreign Invasions in China [Citation |last = APHAFIC|title = Our mission | year = | url = http://www.aphafic.org/|accessdate = April 30, 2008] (APHAFIC): An association seeking to preserve the history of foreign invasions in China from the 19th century until the end of WWII.
*British Columbia Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WW II in Asia [Citation |last = Canada ALPHA|title = Aim & Declaration | year = | url = http://www.alpha-canada.org/|accessdate = April 30, 2008] (B.C. ALPHA): Association based in Canada with the aim of preserving historical records of WWII in Asia and making the Japanese government acknowledge its role in the war.
*Hong Kong Reparation Association [Citation |last = Hong Kong Reparation Association|title = Home | year = | url = http://home.netvigator.com/%7Ehkra2002/|accessdate = April 30, 2008] : Association based in Hong Kong seeking redress for the war crimes and looting this city was subject to under Imperial Japan's occupation.Newsletter
A newsletter is published by Global Alliance mostly in Chinese but occasionally in trilingual format (English, Japanese, and Chinese). It aims at enhancing communication among the federation's members, providing a record of all the dedicated work. The newsletter includes activity reports, essays, research results, personal profiles, news clippings and photos, and other relevant documents to Global Alliance's cause. It has over 3000 for affiliate organizations, schools, libraries, U.S. government and U.N. agencies. There is no subscription fee for this newsletter, and is supported through donations and volunteerships.
Related Events
*In 2000, A resolution ordering Japan to apologize and compensate victims of war crimes committed during World War II was proposed to the
U.S. House of Representatives . The resolution included measures for comfort women, Korean women forced into providing sex to the Japanese Army. CongressmanLane Evans -Illinois' 13th congressional district - submitted the resolution to theUnited States House Committee on Foreign Affairs , formerly known as the International Relations Committee, on June 19 for consideration during the 106th Congress in September. This resolution is the second of its kind, following one submitted by CongressmanWilliam Lipinski -Illinois' 3rd congressional district - in July 1997. The resolution was passed on to the International Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, but was later scrapped when congressmen delayed resolutions, fearing damage to relations with Japan.
*In 2006, two members of theUnited States Congress , RepresentativeLane Evans (D-Illinois) and RepresentativeChris Smith (R-New Jersey), have introduced a non-binding resolution (H.Res. 759) in the current congressional session which calls on the government of Japan to "formally acknowledge and accept responsibility for its sexual enslavement of young women" during the 1930s and 40s. [Citation |last = History News Network |title = "US Congressional Resolution Calls on Japan to Accept Responsibility for Wartime Comfort Women" | year = 2006 | url = http://hnn.us/articles/24291.html|accessdate = April 30, 2008]References
External links
*http://www.global-alliance.net/
*http://hnn.us/articles/24291.html
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