First Victory of BDS Campaign against Israel in Japan

- 무인양품(MUJI)의 이스라엘 진출 반대 운동에 관한 일본인의 글

- 한국에서도 관련 활동을 함께 했다는 내용이 나옴.

- 무인양품은 2011년에 이스라엘에 진출하려 했다가 일본에서 이스라엘 진출 반대운동이 벌어지자 포기함

- 팔레스타인과 이스라엘인이 함께 활동하는 단체인 AIC(The Alternative Information Center)가 홈페이지에 실은 글

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/economy-of-the-occupation/3090-first-victory-of-bds-campaign-against-israel-in-japan

 

 

On 1st December, the MUJI officially announced on their website cancellation of its plan to open a store in Israel. Since the 12 April 2010 release of the MUJI plan to open a store in Israel, and in order to respond to the BDS Campaign against Israel called upon by Palestinians to the people in the world, we, Palestine Forum along with other civil organizations and individuals, had appealed to the MUJI to cancel the plan. 

For over seven months, various nationwide actions such as appeal actions in front of some of the MUJI branches, constant appeal through websites or Twitter and sending message cards to the MUJI, had been addressed as the Stop MUJI Campaign. Additionally, an appeal action in front of the MUJIbranch in Seoul, South Korea, was organised. Since the campaign was gradually growing into an international movement, the MUJI management finally had to cancel the plan.

According to the MUJI's announcement, the cancellation of its plan was made because of an "economic reason". However, when members of the Palestine Forum made inquiries at the MUJI management last August, they replied that it seemed hard to be understood its plan of supplying MUJI's brand goods into Israel by all the people. Therefore, we had to say that our plan had been "undecided". So from this reply, we could substantially say that the final decision of the cancellation was made due to the request for cancellation by citizens of Japan.

The official announcement of the cancellation can be placed as the first historical victory of the BDS Campaign against Israel in Japan. We can also expect that this victory will bring big progress to the internationally expanding BDS Campaign in Asia. The victory in this context means the first and certain step to change international society, which has kept silence against Israel's criminal act.

 

We also believe that this tiny victory is one of the examples of which people's anger against Israel's ongoing criminal act even after the Gaza attack conducted from the end of 2008 to early 2009, such as blockade of Gaza or expanding settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and deep sympathies for solidarity to Palestinians moved the reality.

We, Palestine Forum, have a high opinion of the MUJI's sensible judgment that opening a store in the Apartheid state Israel does not bring not only economic profit but also moral profit to the company. We request the MUJI to keep and raise its corporate ethics and business sense which do not slight the issue of human rights and racism from now on, too.

We, Palestine Forum, declare that we will continue urging Japanese corporations which benefit from Israel's human rights abuses and war crimes against Palestinians, such as retail shops selling cosmetic products of the settlement company "Ahava" which extracts resources from occupied Palestinians' land. We also call upon many civil organisations and individuals for a joint struggle towards the next victory.

 

3rd December 2010,
Palestine Forum, Osaka, JAPAN