When: December 27, 2016, 9AM

Where: Entrance to Arizona Memorial, Route 99, Honolulu, Hawaii

For the meeting of President Obama and Japan's Prime Minister Abe at the Arizona Memorial on December 27, members of Veterans for Peace, Hawaii Peace and Justice, Revolution Books, World Can't Wait and other concerned organizations will gather to remind both heads of government of the need to preserve Article 9, the NO WAR article of the Japanese Constitution to prevent Japan from joining the U.S. wars of choice.

53,000 U.S. military personnel (39,000 onshore and 14,000 afloat in nearby waters), 43,000 dependents, and 5,000 Department of Defense civilian employees live in Japan. Okinawa hosts a disproportionate share of the U.S. military presence with 50% of all facilities used by U.S. Forces Japan and about half of the U.S. military personnel are located in Okinawa, which comprises less than 1% of Japan's total land area.

We will remind both heads of government of the dangerous US military aircraft, the widow-maker, the Osprey that crashed twice last week in Okinawa and that has crashed several times in Hawaii.

Concerned citizens also will have signs for issues concerning the U.S. military on Okinawa: "Save Henoko Bay from US military runways," "Save Takai from Ospreys" and "Close Futenma Air Base."

We will urge President Obama to Close Guantanamo Prison, Grant Clemency to Chelsea Manning and Pardon Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal.

For more information, please contact:

Ann Wright, retired US Army Reserve Colonel (retired) and former US diplomat who resigned in opposition to the 2003 war on Iraq)

Phone: 808-741-1141; email: annw1946@gmail.com