1. The Inter-religious Conference on Nuclear Issues held in Aizu-Wakamatsu and Iwaki, Fukushima, from December 4 to 7, 2012, gathered 87 participants from Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Switzerland, Canada and the USA. […]
2. Those participants who also attended, in 2011, the 3rd Asia Inter-Religious Conference on Article 9 in Okinawa noted some common elements uniting the suffering of residents of Okinawa and Fukushima Prefecture, especially discrimination and the violation of human rights. […]
3. Based on our research and experiences, we conclude that there is no safe use of nuclear power, no safe level of exposure to radiation, and no compatibility between nuclear power and life and peace. Nuclear weapons and nuclear power are two sides of the same coin, developed and promoted by a political, military and economic complex for its own benefit. […]
4. As people of faith, we commit to care for life unreservedly, to protect all life, and to speak the truth and break down misleading myths about nuclear power and nuclear issues to our own communities and with one voice to all people. We do so while attentively and respectively listening to those who suffer most directly the consequences of nuclear accidents. […]5. Therefore, we resolve:
Ø to initiate serious discussion in our own faith communities about civilian and military uses of nuclear energy and to develop and enact plans of action as faith communities, including individual lifestyle changes;
Ø to inform the public about the true relationship between nuclear weapons and nuclear power technology and to expose and challenge the deliberate cover ups and disinformation regarding nuclear power;
Ø to initiate direct nonviolent action to oppose misuse of nuclear power;
Ø to create and work with already existing collaborative networks of faith communities and faith-based organizations that go beyond national and religious boundaries to effect the abolition of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons and to work to that end with experts and organizations similarly committed to truth and restorative justice;
Ø to pray for and with the people of Fukushima and other communities suffering the harms caused by nuclear power while amplifying their voices as they tell the world of their experiences;
Ø to send this statement to the World Council of Churches Assembly in 2013 along with a workshop on the impact of nuclear power; and
Ø to work together to transition from a society based on nuclear power to a society based on renewable, sustainable, truly clean and safe energy.In conclusion, holding the Inter-religious Conference on Nuclear Issues here in Fukushima awakened us, people of many faiths and nations, to the reality of suffering caused by nuclear power. We have pledged to work to abolish nuclear power, to heal the living communities affected by it, and to restore creation as fully as possible. From here, we journey to our own communities to begin fulfilling our pledge and commitments.
December 7, 2012
All the participants of the Inter-religious Conference on Nuclear Issues
Full text (scroll past Japanese) at No to Nuclear Power! Faith Declaration from Fukushima 2012
