Workers Solidarity Movement

The 34th G8 summit took place in Japan July 7th to 9th 2008. Andrew Flood interviewed Diane K. a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the (US) Northeast Federation of Anarchist-Communists (NEFAC) who traveled to Japan from New York to take part in the summit protests and counter summit.

Go Hirasawa mobilizes against the G8-summit in Japan with the group „No G8! Action“. He is lecturer of film studies at the Tokyo University and a media activist. Very recently, he has coordinated the retrospective of the Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu at the international film festival Berlinale.

(Translated from japanese, via german it give a a bit of insight inrto the state of play in japan at the moment)

In July 2008, heads of the states that monopolize two thirds of earth’s
wealth will gather at Toya Lake in Hokkaido Japan. Although the
so-called Group of Eight does not have any legitimate right for deciding
planetary affairs, they have self-appointed themselves world rulers. Thus
the G8 has driven neo-liberal globalization at the same time as
spreading poverty, violence, hatred, segregation, and environmental
destruction.

TODAY JAPAN BRINGS to mind high tech corporations, stressed out primary school students and a gruelling work ethic that demands loyalty to the company. One hundred and thirty years ago it was a very different place, predominantly agricultural and ruled over by a fuedal elite. In 1868, these rulers decided to industrialise the country and create a highly centralised state. For this reason, the Japanese experience of capitalism is different from that in many European countries.

In 1869 feudalism was abolished and the clans surrendered their fiefs to the government. All classes were declared equal before the law and barriers on local movement and internal trade removed. Individuals were allowed acquire land and all the professions and trades were thrown open.