Give Peace a Budget! GDAMS 2022 Report

On 25 April, figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed that world military expenditure increased in 2021 by 0.7% in real terms and is now estimated at a shocking USD2113 billion. To coincide with this announcement and to highlight the amount of public money spent on weapons and the military, the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) ran for a month from April 13 until May 12, 2022. Organized by the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) which is coordinated by the International Peace Bureau (IPB), GDAMS has been taking place every year for the last 11 years. Peace Boat is a member of the International Steering Committee and joined the GDAMS 2022 Appeal, under the slogan, “Give Peace a Budget”. Peace Boat carried out various activities during the period of GDAMS to highlight this global rise in military spending according to the figures from SIPRI as well as a proposal from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to substantially increase military spending in Japan. 

Urgent Statement on LDP's "Security Proposal"

On April 21, 2022, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan compiled a proposal calling for a revision of the Government's National Security Strategy and other documents to include a substantial expansion of defence spending to 2 percent of GDP, as well as the possession of a real capability to strike enemy bases. This proposal deviates from the principles of the Constitution and increases the danger of war. A group of 20 leading scholars and activists from throughout Japan, including Peace Boat Executive Committee Member, Kawasaki Akira, issued an emergency statement protesting against the proposal.  Following its launch on April 21 with 20 names, a further 600 people endorsed the statement. A press conference on this urgent statement was held online on Thursday, April 28, with Akira Kawasaki from Peace Boat. The full text of the urgent statement is available here in English. 

Video message from Nagasaki survivor, Ogawa Tadayoshi

Upon the announcement of the global figures on military spending by SIPRI on April 25, a video was released and shared on social media with a message from Ogawa Tadayoshi, a survivor of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Mr Ogawa travelled to Ukraine ten years ago with Peace Boat's Global Voyage for a Nuclear Free World and is currently holding an exhibition in Nagasaki of his pictures from that visit to Ukraine’s Kyiv, Odessa and Chernobyl, hoping that peace and smiles return to the people there.  In his message he spoke about military spending, nuclear weapons and the war in Ukraine, as follows:

"Give Peace A Budget" - not the military, which causes armed conflict. I want our taxes to be used for supporting those who are in danger… We need to have more budget for health and welfare, education and solving issues like poverty, not for the military."

Educational Workshops on Military Spending in Peace Boat Centers

Over the course of the last 11 years of GDAMS, Peace Boat has held educational workshops onboard its ship to raise awareness of the issue of military spending and give participants an opportunity to think about how public money should be spent. With Peace Boat’s global voyages not currently sailing due to the ongoing global pandemic, Peace Boat was glad to instead to be able to hold a series of workshops in Peace Boat Centers across Japan with staff, volunteers and participants who will be joining future Peace Boat voyage on the theme looking at both the figures from SIPRI and the new proposal from the LDP on Japan’s budget.  

On April 27 an online workshop with participants from Peace Boat Centers in Fukuoka and Nagoya was held which included a 20-min mini lecture on the world and Japan's military spending.  On April 28, an in-person workshop in Tokyo Peace Boat Center included an overview of the world military spending focusing on the facts that it is increasing, and that Japan's military expenditure is fairly high - currently ninth in the world. It started with the question to participants of whether or not they would agree to a proposed increase in Japan's military spending and discussion on why people had answered yes or no. The group discussed why those who had initially agreed with an increase in the military budget felt scared about neighbouring countries as well as the role of the media in increasing fears. The group also discussed what else they would like to use the government spending on if not for the military including education and support for single mothers, On May 11, a 60-min workshop in Yokohama Peace Boat Center saw people join in-person and online with a similar format as Tokyo. As all participants answered no to the initial question and were against a further increase in Japanese military spending, the discussion focused on how to stop this trend, how our voices can be heard, and what other fields need this funding. One volunteer who is also a nurse spoke about the need for increased spending in healthcare from her own experience in her workplace of understaffing and a lack of mental care for staff.  

If we had 2 trillion dollars, we would give a budget to..  

Peace Boat staff also shared their thoughts on  “If I had 2 trillion dollars, I would give a budget to…” Responses varied from climate action and renewable energy to a focus on social welfare or children. However, an overwhelming number of people said they would like more funds to be directed to peace education.

The Global Days of Action on Military Spending take place annually around April and the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) runs year round. More information about the campaign, actions over the word by member organizations and why a reduction in military spending is necessary can be found at http://demilitarize.org/