Monday, July 16, 2001
| Date: | Wednesday, July 18, 2001 |
| Time: | 12:30 p.m. |
| Place: | 1684 Post Street (nr Buchanan). S.F. |
Asian Americans Demand Apology and Justice.
In the midst heightened international conflict over Japan's
history textbook revision and growing concerns over the proposal to re-arm Japan, San Francisco will host, September 6-8, two
series of concurrent, but opposing international events marking
the 50th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Japan Peace
Treaty of 1951 in San Francisco.
On the one side, the city will play host to President George W.
Bush, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and many world leaders and
multinational executives in an official celebration of the success of the San Francisco treaty. Also on the agenda are exhibits, private
meetings, and a high-profile international conference, "The U.S. and Japan: An Enduring Partnership in a Changing World."
Concurrently, but on the opposite side, the city will be the site of several days of equally high-profile activities organized by local, national, and international organizations in opposition to the celebration. Included in the plan are mass demonstrations, indoor and outdoor concerts, photo exhibits, a theatrical presentation from Japan, and an international conference, "50 Years of
Denial: Japan and Its Wartime Responsibilities." The international conference is being co-sponsored
by Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
The counter-activities are being spear-headed by the
"Rape of Nanking" Redress Coalition (RNRC), a coalition of Asian
American communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
The primary aims of the RNRC is to seek a formal apology and
redress from the Japanese
government for its crimes against humanity during the Asia-Pacific
war, 1937-1945. The co-chairs
of the RNRC are the Hon. Judge Lillian K. Sing and Dr. Clifford Uyeda, M.D.,
former president of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and a key
figure in the successful Japanese American redress movement.
At the press conference, representatives of the various local,
national, and international organizations will announce the details of all the
planned activities, commencing on August 31
and ending on September 15.
Also present will be leaders of Asian American communities in the Bay
Area.
Contact: Prof. L. Ling-chi Wang
Asian American Studies
510-642-7439