Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The mayor has travelled a long way to bring a message of peace and is very welcome. It was a pleasure to hear him address the Seanad today.

I too have links with Japan. My niece is married to a man called Taco Takizawa. I recall my mother meeting her grandchildren, turning to us and saying it was marvellous they had learned to speak Japanese so young.

It would be wrong of me today not to mention Nihon Hidankyo - I believe that is the correct pronunciation, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to ensure a world free of nuclear weapons. I am aware of the mayor’s efforts, as president of Mayors for Peace, in trust-building dialogue. Being the child of survivors of the Hiroshima bombing, you have not just a political but a personal connection to the disastrous effects of nuclear weapons. At the moment, the world is in a situation akin to 1914 with war in Ukraine and the prospect of a larger regional war in the Middle East. There is a powder keg atmosphere in which things could spin out of control very quickly, resulting in nuclear war. Indeed Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine has continued and earlier in that war there were threats of nuclear weapons being used. Those threats still exist today. At the moment North Korean troops are being deployed into the battlefield while Iran and Russia are in the middle of signing a new defence alliance. This is happening as Israel is about to retaliate against Iran's rockets fired on the Israeli people. While neither Ireland nor Japan are militarily powerful, as the United States or Russia, it is essential at this time that we use our positions in upholding peace. While our countries are no doubt very different, there are similarities in our histories. Japan has an admirable commitment to demilitarisation and advocating avoiding conflict since the end of the Second World War. I know you are aware of this but I am saying it for the benefit of most of the Members of this Chamber; Article 9 of the Japanese constitution forbids the use of war as a means to settle international disputes. This is highly admirable but in recent years, there have been attempts to reinterpret this.

Today Japan has demonstrated great ability to overcome traumatic periods in its history. After the Second World War the allied nations sought to ensure the Japanese economy could develop. That was before signing the Plaza agreement of 1985 that contributed to the lost decade. In some ways the economic boom and bust Japan experienced has parallels with the Celtic tiger in Ireland. While not perfect, the approach to international relations by Western countries through Japan has helped to make upholding article 9 of Japan’s constitution possible. Similarly, since the founding of the State Ireland has had a commitment to neutrality. Although in practice we have deviated from this, some politicians will unironically say we are neutral militarily, but not politically. Ireland is a post-colonial nation and has experienced imperialism. In this way, the intergenerational trauma we have experienced has translated into most of the Irish population wanting to uphold peace on the international stage and not engage in military adventurism. Many in this Chamber see me as one who supports Ireland joining NATO. This is of course completely misinterpreting my views of the world. My belief is that we should be a truly neutral country. Frequently, debates happen in both Houses in this building where people speak about Ireland's neutrality without clearly understanding what neutrality is. The Hague Convention of 1907 sets out clearly what neutrality is.In many respects, Ireland is breaking the convention's definition of "neutrality". I asked the Tánaiste - the deputy prime minister - to give us a definition of "neutrality" and what I got was the Irish definition of "neutrality". There is only one definition and it is in the Hague Convention. By not holding to the Hague Convention definition of "neutrality", we compromise our neutrality. This undermines our credibility on the world stage.