1. Overview
Our action against the G8 Summit started with the International Coordination Meeting in March where some 10 overseas Asian activists came together to discuss how our action should be organized, and culminated at International People’s Solidarity Days in early July. However, originally our counter-action was or was positioned to be just part of Asian uninterrupted activities against neo-liberal corporate globalization. Actually, we, Asian activists, mobilized or organized counter-activities against the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting in December 2005, which contributed to the collapse of the WTO negotiations, and joined and organized the Solidarity Village for Cool Planet in Bali Island in December 2007 which was an alternative action during the COP13, where we denounced corporate solution to climate change.
International Coordination Meeting in Tokyo:
We kicked off our counter-action with International Coordination Meeting in Tokyo on March 8-9. More than 10 international delegates from Focus on the Global South, Via Campesina, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Committee for Asian Women (CAW), Globalization Monitor (Hong Kong), Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements (KAPM) and People’s Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP)(Korea) and some 200 Japanese activists from civic groups or social movements on peace, human rights, gender, migrants, poverty or Korean matters, and trade unions, farmers’ groups got together to discuss G8 and counter-action in Hokkaido. The meeting represented Asian-wide solidarity against the G8 as well as our determination to challenge or dissent from G8, catching more attention of our critical position from inside and outside. The media was so interested in it that about 30 journalists from the press or TV stations came to gather information on our planned counter-activities at the press conference held in Tokyo and Sapporo separately.
After the meeting, international delegates flew from Tokyo to snowy Hokkaido to call at the G8 Summit Promotion Office of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government to discuss with officials, demanding that we could get access to public parks or rooms for our peaceful activities in Sapporo, and then, made a tour of the venue of the Summit in Toyako Hokkaido.
Counter-activities against subsequent Ministerial Meetings:
5 April:
– Demonstrated in Tokyo against the Development Ministerial Meeting on 5-6 May, titled “No more development for G8 and TNCs”
10 May:
– Demonstrated in Niigata against the Labor Ministerial Meeting on 10-11 May, titled “Stop expanding difference between riches and poors to protect workers’ rights and dignity”
24-25 May:
– Organized Another Environmental Summit jointly with other NGOs in Kobe, in parallel with the Environmental Ministerial Meeting on 24-26 May
26 May:
– Demonstrated in Yokohama against the TICAD IV, Tokyo International Conference on African Development on 26-28 May, titled “What is TICAD IV?”
– Had a public meeting against the TICAD in Yokohama to study poverty, environmental destruction and war in Africa
7 June:
– Co-organized a Public Forum against the Finance Ministerial Meeting on 7-8 June, titled “Thinking a structure of poverty and finance in the world”
8 June:
– Joined People’s Summit in Aomori against the Energy Ministerial Meeting on 7 June, titled “NO NUKES PARADISE”
Other prior counter-activities against the G8:
Concerning public services, we did two activities: an open seminar on G8 and public services and a study tour of a bankrupt city Yubari in Hokkaido.
The seminar on public services was held on 6 June in Sendai, a city some 300km-north from Tokyo to boost local workers or residents’ awareness of corporate globalization and G8 issues. More than 100 persons joined it. The tour of Yubari was made on 15 June to find how people live a life with most public services curtailed or cut off after its bankruptcy. The tour group guided by one local resident looked at some broken public facilities which the city cannot afford to repair owing to shortage of budget and discussed with local people.
Immediately before the G8 Summit, we co-organized a two-days’ counter-action titled “Shut down G8!” in Tokyo composed of self-organized seminars, their subsequent plenary session, and demonstration. The number of participants in the plenary session and demonstration was more than 400 and 500 respectively. Susan George showed up at the plenary session to give a speech on why we denounce the G8.
The action was so successful that many social movements, trade unions and citizens’ groups in the metropolitan area came together to express “No to G8!” through discussion or demonstration. Nobody has ever seen an event with so many participants definitely denouncing neoliberal globalization.
Counter-activities against the G8 in Sapporo:
We co-organized International People’s Solidarity Days in Sapporo Hokkaido for 4-8 July, where many self-organized seminars, workshops, meetings, rallies or demonstrations were held in addition to several press conferences. On the final day we released a declaration of Participants in the International Solidarity Days of the G8 Action Network, “Make the Hokkaido Summit the Last Summit of the G8!”, and a statement “The G8 Communiqué on Climate: Regression, not a Forward Movement”.
2. Evaluation & Outcome
Our six months’ effort to broaden “Against the G8” or strengthen solidarity was successful. We succeeded in big mobilization. So many persons as a participant, volunteer staff, organizer, speaker, campaigner, activist or the like came to join or were involved in various events including seminars, workshops, meetings, symposiums, lectures, demonstrations or rallies against the G8 held during the half year. The total number of those Japanese against neo-liberal corporate policy across the country reached record high. They found solution or policy of the Japanese government as well as the G8 leaders totally false, through discussion, exchange of opinions, meetings, dialogues, study, participation or involvement.
Particularly, the number of participants in demonstration held in Tokyo immediately before G8 was more than we expected. They criticized or denounced the G8 Summit firmly. In addition, each of self-organized activities during the International People’s Solidarity Days in Sapporo was full of participants. Ten or more participants who couldn’t find a seat stood there to listen to speakers, in spite of our bewilderment associated with change of overseas speakers at the last minute caused by rejection of entry or visa issuance - Trevor Ngwane, Wangui Mubatia, KCTU members and other international delegates including some members of Focus on the Global South. Maybe those participants may have wanted to know what the nature of corporate agenda developed by the G8 was. Of course, the answer was within our counter-action against the G8 Summit, which drew many people or the Japanese society into the argument over the G8 Summit and neo-liberal globalization.
We saw the phrase “Another world is possible” on many banners, posters, fliers or pamphlets circulated during the G8 Summit. Even persons who didn’t know where it came from originally - that is, from World Social Forum - felt it sounded good. Seemingly, participants preferred to say alter-globalization movement, which ATTAC Japan have stuck to since its foundation.
Poverty is now spreading in Japan. Many participants, or possibly the whole society in Japan find that the poverty here is a product of market fundamentalism, inseparably connected to neo-liberal globalization.
Our mission through counter-action against the G8 Summit was to collect people’s voices critical of competition-driven policy to produce alter-globalization movements across the country possibly leading to the start of next steps, as well as denounce the G8 Summit itself, getting cooperation or help from Asian social movements or other international movements. We could have many Asian and international delegates. We are proud of having achieved 80 percent of our goal.