Proposal to WFUCA for an International Day on Global Ethics

Annex VII - Establishment of the International Day of Global Ethics

2012 Urgent Appeal from the Japan Society for Global System and Ethics March 11, 2012
A Plea for Making 3.11 an International Day of Global Ethics

Professor Eiji Hattori, President The Japan Society for Global System and Ethics

Fukushima has awakened the whole world to the fact that nuclear accidents bring about horrible disasters that neither human beings nor the earth can endure. The Japan Society for Global System and Ethics deeply deplores the present situation in which the world has not yet launched on a new future by learning from the lessons of the dreadful accident that could become the first step toward the collapse of our civilization.

The first lesson is, that we should not use any scientific technology susceptible of causing such damage that nobody can take responsibility any more, irrespective of the figures of probability of accident, unless the risk is completely zero. The second lesson is, that we should realize that the most serious problem of our time consists in the lack of ethics, which is symbolized by increasing nuclear waste, of which no final solution has been found as yet.

Any conduct that permits radioactive contamination would create incalculable harm to mankind and the earth almost permanently. We must know that such a conduct clearly violates the 'Declaration on the Responsibilities of the Present Generations towards Future Generations' adopted by all the nations of the world at the General Conference of UNESCO in 1997. This declaration states that the present generation has the responsibility to leave behind us the beautiful planet for future generations to enjoy.

Japan, alas, has been the victim of both military and civil use of nuclear energy. Japan is not only suffering from radioactive contamination, but also is inflicting it worldwide. Japan has been calling upon the International Community to pursue military denuclearization, which has been agreed by most nations, including the United States and European countries .The nuclear power generation to which nuclear weapons have given birth, however, has been spreading over the world under the pretext of 'peaceful use' and that of 'economic efficiency' advocated by market fundamentalists. This Society firmly believes that Japan now has the historical responsibility to plead for the complete nuclear abolition, both military and civil.
Right after March 11,2011, this Society released an Urgent Appeal in 9 languages. The Appeal maintains that the present crisis confronting mankind is a crisis of civilization, and that we should transform this civilization - the civilization of power based on the 'patriarchal principle' - into a civilization of life based on 'maternal culture' that gives the supreme value to life. Furthermore, the Appeal emphasizes that the deeply-rooted cause of this crisis consists in the universally prevalent lack of ethics, and thus, pleads the International Community for changing course in the energy field, not only in Japan, but worldwide, with a view to abandoning nuclear generation.

Without establishing global ethics, we cannot create future civilization of mankind that leaves behind the beautiful planet for succeeding generations. Fortunately, our plea for a United Nations Ethics Summit and an International Day of Global Ethics is receiving strong support from opinion leaders worldwide.

Today, this Society proposes to the International Community to make March 11 an International Day of Global Ethics that will enable every one in the world, year by year, to reflect on the future of our Mother Earth and our civilization.