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Where to for alternative media and activism in Japan?

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Paul

Date Created

16 Apr 2003

Date Edited

16 Apr 2003 08:36:46 PM

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Activism in Japan: Where to now?

Since IndyMedia Japan started up a few months ago, Japan-based activists have used it as a way to publicize a number of actions and activities, such as �uncovering the truth about the war in Afganistan, or organizing �against the war in Iraq [

|� 1 | 2�| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ]. �

One of the important functions of any Indymedia group is to help put people in touch with other people, to provide an alternative source of information, and to encourage like-minded efforts so that people have increasing access to information that helps transform the societies in which we live.� Some of the other alternative media websites/individuals that have contributed to the increasing pool of information include the following: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]. �

Yet another possibility for IndyMedia Japan and its contributors (you) is to help make connections between global and local issues, such as the ties between Japan's government and industries [ & | & | & ] �and the U.S. war machine or companies like Boeing, which make bombs and build 747s.....

.... A recent story, reported by an IndyMedia collective member to our mailing list is about companies like SONY, which capitalize on the deaths of civilians in Iraq with war-related games, �While SONY was bombarded with protest letters which caused it to pull the game, companies like Hasbro and SCI are going ahead. �And so are the protests. �An area for activism in Japan would be to take a look at those war-related companies (1 [ 2 | 3 | 4 ) and carry out protests and boycotts, as people are doing outside Japan: � (1 [ 2 | 3 | 4 ). �A lot of research is needed into exactly what company is doing what and what kind of actions would help raise awareness and raise the costs involved for the company in order to force a halt to its activities. (One limiting factor is that in Japan civil disobedience is more difficult due to the practice of holding arrestees for at least one and sometimes two 3-week periods without charges, a policy that says as much as about intentional restriction of civil liberties and unfair police practices as it does about the difficulty of engaging in direct action. Still there are legal options, such as picketing and leafleting of target companies and their customers. � See Amnesty Intl. report (Section: Torture/Ill Treatment for some background, also Kabutoyama Case, Greenpeace, Japan Civil Liberties Union, Nichibenren,�and Japanese Police Corruption ) Other resources which may be helpful include NoLogo , whose Naomi Klein wrote Standing Up to Uncle Sam,� translated here in IndyMedia Japan: アンクル・サム（Uncle Sam）に立ち向かう.

If you have suggestions, comments on the possibilities for further action, or information on which companies are involved in activities which support war, rape of the third world, environmental destruction and the like, please feel free to comment below, or write your own article.

Meanwhile, here is another important activity to support. Please add your name to the I Stand for Peace and Justice/I Work for Peace and Justice campaign/平和と正義のために/平和と正義を求めて.

Add your name

この声明書にあなたのお名前を連ねるには，
こちらから（英語ページ。別窓開きます）。

�by pa

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Where to for alternative media and activism in Japan?

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