Militarism has rarely been part of disability rights organizations’ policy priorities or discussions. Instead, most of the mainstream disability community’s advocacy efforts related to the military have centered around veteran rightsIt is important to have disability inclusion in military serviceOr disabled refugee rightsThe Americans with Disabilities Act. These priorities may be beneficial for individual rights but they don’t address deeper issues of militarized violence against communities that are marginalized. militarismThe community resources are taken away, as well as the wider cycle of injustices and inequity. militarism and colonialism are active participants.
The presence of board members or corporate partners who have profited from and contributed to militarism in disability rights organizations can be a positive sign. obstacleTo have inter-sectional discussions and to take action around militarism ableism. An example of this is Mitsubishi, a group Japanese multinational corporations that also has headquarters in the U.S., which is frequently seen as a sponsorPartner or partner variousThe United States has many disability organizations. The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation was founded in 1991. establishedWith a $15 million endowment by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. company group companies, grants were made to multiple U.S. disability programs. From 2002 to 2013, and 2016-2021, MEAF awarded total American Association of People with Disabilities receives $1,433,000 grant for its summer internship program. However, Mitsubishi is known for its involvement in militarism with Japanese imperialism and colonialism. acrossThe globe.
Imperial Japan’s War Economy Was Dependent on Forced Labor
The Japanese government initiated Western-style industrialization in the early Meiji era. It established industrial enterprises under its control. These factories and shipyards were sold to entrepreneurs who established new businesses in the 1880s. zaibatsu. ZaibatsuThese trusts were family-owned and very powerful. dominatingJapan from the industrialization phase in the late 19th Century until the end World War II. The four largest were Mitsubishi and Sumitomo, Yasuda, and Mitsui. All major wars were produced by private big businesses. Allied and Axis countriesWith the exception of the Soviet Union, there was no World War II. Mitsubishi was a major munitions manufacturer and had 200 companies in many sectors, including electric power, shipbuilding and mining, marine engineering and dockyards. Finance, aircrafts and military vehicles, chemicals and glass were also available. They built factories and mines in China, Russia, Korea, and the Philippines and subjugated the Philippines. agricultural productionDistribution in Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands under Japanese colonial control.
Similar to Nazi Germany’s economy, Imperial Japan’s political economy was militarized and dependent zaibatsu that relied on the use of forced labor. Coercive labor recruitment and exploitation in Japan’s war industry took a number of different forms in multiple geographical locations. The term “coerced mobilization” is helpful in understanding how this took place. The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization By Imperial Japan defines coerced mobilization as “a mobilization by physical restraint and intimidation as well as mental restraint and conciliation by Japanization education, persuasion, arbitrary decision, employment fraud, and legal enforcement.” From 1938 to 1945 it is estimated around 6.5 million Koreansunder the National Mobilization Law were forced to work in Japan for private companies. This was in addition to 60,668 civilian laborers in military and 209 2,279 military combatants. Others were forced laborers FilipinxAmericans, Chinese, etc. Her book. Unjust EnrichmentLinda Goetz Holmes shared with us a list of 50 Japanese companies that were known to have used 12,000 American prisoner of war prisoners between 1942-1945. These primary users were Nippon Steel and Mitsui. The Mitsubishi conglomerate was linked to six Japanese prisoner-of war camps. They held 2,041 prisoners, of which more than 1,000 were American. Around 40,000 Chinese men were killed in the last years of World War II. forced to workMore than 8,000 people died in the Japanese companies’ care due to abuse and maltreatment. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 3,765 Chinese were enslaved by the Mitsubishi mining company.
Policing and imprisonment were also used to punish. routinely usedTo exploit, control and dehumanize forced laborers. This not only created debilitation disablement among the laborers, it also distinguished between “desirable” and “non-desirable” laborers, and disposed of those who were deemed no longer profitable after gaining disabilities. These dangerous work environments were not conducive to proper food, rest, water, or medical care. The armed personnel and military personnel also subjected the laborers to severe physical punishments. As a result, the forced laborers developed psychological as well as physical disabilities. According to a reportThe Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan in 2019 reported that coal miners suffered from severe pneumoconiosis, other respiratory diseases, and even returned to their home countries to continue their symptoms, which eventually led to their death. The military strictly controlled living spaces and workedites, making it nearly impossible to flee. Barriers such as barbed wire — or water, like the case of Hashima Island where several Korean laborers tried escaping by swimming and holding onto wood panels but ended up drowning — prevented escape.
The mobilization process did not target disabled people, but it was a colonial process that made them more vulnerable. no infrastructureThey were not able to support them and were forced to accept their help. institutionalizationSterilization under the Eugenic Protection Law exploitative labor. Most survivors faced lifelong challenges. disabilitiesAnd shared their experiencesThe international push for reparations and remembrance grew upon their return home.
Since the 1990s, requests for reparations have increased, led by Korean survivors, their family and their allies. Contrary to the cases with Chinese AmericanMitsubishi did nothing to apologize or compensate the Korean victims and their families. The Supreme Court of South Korea met in November 2018. orderedMitsubishi Heavy Industries will pay 100-150million won (between $89,000 & $133,000) each to five women. Mitsubishi appealed against the decision. dismissedIn 2021.
Mitsubishi has not acknowledged its history of militarized coercion. The company offered $15,000 each to Chinese victims of forced labor in 2016 and made an apology. Kang Jian was an attorney for the Chinese victims. pointed out that the company avoided mentioning critical facts in the agreement in relation to the forced labor such as the use of torture, and said she would “continue to defend the truth and the rights of those who have been hurt.” In 2015, Hashima Island, called “Hell Island” by Korean forced laborers, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site representing the Meiji Industrial Revolution. The Korean government, civic groups allies in Japan condemned the decision, saying, “designating such a place as a World Heritage site violates the dignity of the survivors of forced labor as well as the spirit and principles of the UNESCO Convention.” In 2018, UNESCO included a requirement to state the full historyThe site also includes forced labor for public education. reiteratedThis provision was not followed by the Japanese government in 2021.
Mitsubishi was established after World War II. disbandedThe company was split up into smaller companies whose stock was sold to the public. These companies were prohibited from collaborating with one another for many years. They also couldn’t use the trademarks and name of each other. However, the Korean War triggered a change in this. broke outBecause the U.S. Army had a need for an industrial supply base in Japan in 1952, restrictions on Japanese military personnel were lifted. The wartime management executives who were with Mitsubishi did not suffer any serious losses. not purgedOr returned from the expulsion. Mitsubishi was a major contributor to Japan’s economic growth from the 1950s through the 1960s. It transformed into a huge corporation. KeiretsuA large publicly traded corporation that has many divisions, each one operating independently but together, including steel, shipbuilding and oil and natural gas. Both Japan and Mitsubishi both benefited from war in neighboring Korea, and military industrialization that resulted.
Mitsubishi continued to grow, expanding its capabilities to space development, surveillance and data communication, as well as defense manufacturing. However, this proliferation was restricted by a 1967 legal restriction that was strengthened in 1976.the Three Arms Exports BanFollowing are the instructions domestic and international criticism of Japan’s profiting from the Vietnam War by sellingThe U.S. and South Vietnam were denied military supplies. This banned the country from exporting arms to three groups: communist bloc countries, countries subject to arms exports embargo under the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions, and countries that were involved or likely to be involved in international conflicts. On April 1, 2014, Japan’s Abe administration ended the banThese guidelines are based on the National Security Strategy policy guidelines, which were shared December 2013 resumedThe arms export.
According to the Arms Industry Database by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Mitsubishi’s revenue in 2020 was $5.34 billion, which includes sales from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ($4.42 billion) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation ($920 million). In recent years, Mitsubishi has formed partnerships with several U.S.-based defence contractors like Lockheed Martin Boeingto improve their technology and equipment. It has also invested in military-related research institutes like the RAND Corporation.
Militarism is antithetical to Disability Justice
Mitsubishi is just one of many examples that show how the entanglementMilitarization and capitalism perpetuate and exacerbate ableist politicsThis is desirability, profitability, disposability productivity. This combination is deadly, pervasive, constantly evolving, expanding, and diversifying. Anti-militarism work may take different shapes and forms depending on the context, needs and values of each community, but fundamentally, it aims to restore dignity of people and planet, eradicate the society’s reliance on militarism, and prevent and end any wars — goals that are interlinked with the principles of disability justice. The U.S. especially has a long history for inflicting harm. militarized violenceFor DisparateMarginalized CommunitiesAnd also on Indigenous peoples’Theft lands. Meanwhile, disability rightsIt comes with its legalisticapproach, although it may give access to resources and status to certain communities, it is subject to limitations. radically transformingThe societal conditions that have led to this violence.
Abolishing militarism is a key part of a future for people with disabilities. In addition to publishing statements, it is important to have more in-depth discussions with those directly affected by the issues, and to address the intersections between militarism, capitalism, and ableism. I urge justice and disability rights organizations to support anti-militarism grassroots efforts at the local and national levels, learn from them, and integrate themselves into the organizing. Accessibility and building disabled leadership is also important for anti-militarist movements. These connections should not be limited to a critique of existing systems. It should also include a discussion about how and with whom we might work to eliminate systems that harm, contain, and disappear communities over the long-term.
