www.debito.org
ERIC JOHNSTON ON JAPAN'S EMERGING GREEN PARTY
AND WHY HE HAS LOWERED EXPECTATIONS FOR IT


(The following is an article written by Eric Johnston of the Japan Times.
It may or may not pass the editors at the Japan Times. So to make sure his
reportage gets read by somebody, www.debito.org is proud to distribute his
article online. Eric Johnston retains the copyright, and anyone interested
in rendering the article in print should contact Eric
directly here --Arudou Debito)

ARTICLE BEGINS
=============================================
How Japan's Greens Gave Me the Blues

By Eric Johnston
Special to www.debito.org
Released to the Public Feb 16, 2005

(NB: The views contained within are Eric's personal views and do not
necessarily reflect those of The Japan Times
)

KYOTO (Feb. 13th) -- Everybody loves a good show, and no country can stage
manage an event with as much technical savvy and organizational flair as
Japan. Media hacks like myself, who attend regular performances by not only
Japanese government officials and business leaders, but also NGOs, can
always be assured that handouts and supplemental reading materials will be
thorough, that there will be enough chairs in the room and enough water
glasses on the table, that the microphones and power point projectors will
work perfectly, and that speakers will deliver their lines flawlessly.

Yes, Japanese groups, especially NGOs, are highly organized, highly
disciplined, and tightly knit. They can handle the million and one
organizational details of a meeting, symposium, or conference with an
ability that makes the Germans look like the Italians. Unfortunately, while
the resulting performance is usually worthy of (and as complex as) the
finest Broadway or West End production, the plot of the drama itself often
has huge gaps because far less attention was given to the content of the
original script.

Such was the case of the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Green Party Network
meeting [which I believe took place the weekend of February 12-13 --Debito]
which saw the official launch of what particpants hoped will soon
be a national Green Party for Japan. The hopes are ambitious: 10 seats in
the next general election (which will probably be the Upper House election) and
a nationwide network of dedicated, committed national and local politicians,
human rights and enivironmental NGOs, activists, academics, and voters who
support the goals of the worldwide Green Party movement. In short, the hopes
are for the first truly politically powerful liberal and progressive
political organization Japan has seen in quite some time.

Sounds great, huh? Even better, there were a number of independent local
politicians from places like Kagawa and Shizuoka prefectures in attendance.
They proved to be thoughtful, concerned individuals who cared deeply, and
were commited to, protecting the environment, battling rampant corporate
greed, and creating an educational system that educates not indoctrinates.
They believe establishing a national Green Party will finally show the
world that Japan has a deep humanistic streak in it, and that international
relations means more than bureacrats, politicians, and trading company
executives lining the pockets of corrupt dictators with ODA money.

But there is one more plank to the international Green Party: equal rights,
equal concern for, and equal representation in the Green Party movement for
all minorities.

This Kyoto meeting featured symposiums and discussions on the treatment
of various minorities in Asia Pacific countries. Aboriginal groups from
Australia, among others, were in attendance, and much of the rhetoric was on
the need for more participation in the Green Party by minorities. So in the
midst of all the touchy-feely speeches, fraternal hugs and wet emotions, our
attention was directed to door number one, from behind which popped up
several Ainu representatives.

Yes, the organizers said, we in Japan know only too well the plight of
minority groups. Here are these poor Ainu, stripped of their dignity and
attempting to regain their heritage. Much applause on the floor, a
traditional chant in Ainu, and suddenly, the Green Party representatives
from the 23 Asian countries in attendance are on their feet, welcoming their
Ainu brethern into the club.

Wonderful. And no, I'm not being cyncial. For far too long, the plight of
the Ainu has been something that has been ignored and marginized in Japan.
The Ainu present were from the Utari Foundation, which, I am assured, is
well-established, if with distrust by those who claim it has sold out.
Still, I breathed a sigh of relief that, finally, Japanese politicians and
NGOs were getting serious about minority rights and willing to tell the
world that they as a nation needed international help in pushing for the
rights of minority groups in Japan which included the Ainu and, uh, er, um.
. . . the Ainu.

Something, or rather somebody (many somebodies, actually), was missing.
Gingerly, I approached Satoko Watanabe, one of the organizers and a
well-known politician and human rights activist in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Throughout the conference, she kept the same look of rapture on her face one
finds on college freshmen after they've smoked a lot of really good weed. In
Ms. Watanabe's case, I'm absolutely certain the high came from the energy of
the conference. Unfortunately, I was about to burst her bubble.

"I'm just curious. I was wondering if you extended an invitation to other
minority groups in Japan such as the Japanese-Koreans or the Okinawans," I
said.

The smile never left her face as Ms. Watanabe patiently explained to me that
an invitation had been issued to the mayor of Ginowan city in Okinawa but he
had declined. That, however, was not my point.

"Yes, but I'm just wondering whether or not your organizational committee
contacted other NGOs besides the Ainu, such as the various Korean human
rights groups, or even official organizations like Mindan and Chosen Soren.
Or if they had contacted some Okinawan NGOs. Or if you had contacted
Japanese-Brazilian groups or Burakumin groups. Just to let them know what
you're doing, and maybe invite them to drop by, if nothing else."

Suddenly, Ms. Watanabe seemed to realize that I hadn't drunk the Kool-Aid
and was asking questions she couldn't, or didn't wish, to answer.
Fortunately, she was saved by the (keitai) bell, and hurried off to pose for
the obligatory group photo in front of Kyoto station.

For those who are still in suspense, the answer to all my questions was a
resounding "No." Virtually all of the Japaense organizers I spoke to were
quick to offer the usual litany of excuses for the absence of what
constitutes the majority of Japan's minorities ("we're volunteers",
"we're underfunded", "not much time to organize", "we're just getting
started").

That's not good enough. Somebody in the organizing committee found time to
approach the Ainu represenatives, and I wasn't the only one in the room
wondering where Japan's other minority groups were. A German delegate who
came to observe and two Australian attendees thought it strange that the
organizers had somehow overlooked all minority groups in Japan except the
Ainu, while national activists like Debito Arudou informed me they had not
even heard of the gathering. This was not just another "human rights"
meeting. The platform for the Japan Green Party is being laid as I write
this, and an opportunity to include a broad range of minority voices in that
platform was lost.

The point is not to have every minority group in Japan up on stage giving a
presentation. Rather, it is to simply let as many poeple as possible know
what is going on, before, not afterwards. Maybe invite them to send an
informal observer, submit a report, set up (at their own expense) a table
with promotional literature, or simply drop by the welcome reception and
exchange business cards. If a small group can find the time to invite to an
Ainu group from Sapporo, surely they can find the time to invite Okinawan
and Korean groups, of which there are many. And how organized do you have to
be to send an invitation via group e-mail or FAX to a dozen or so of the
most prominent minority rights groups?

The answer appears to be the same old story when it comes to Japanese NGOs:
they communicate wonderfully among themselves and don't communicate with
anybody outside their immediate circle. The goal is to emphasize a storyline
of harmony, peace, and brotherhood, and, as noted above, to ensure that the
production is staged flawlessly. I fear the NGOs who have "taken charge"
of getting a national Green Party up and running in Japan want any
preliminary discussions to run smoothly, and with little dissent.

This raises some disturbing questions: Do the nascent Japanese Greens fear
that the Okinawans, the Koreans, or anybody who is not a member of their
little knitting circle might step on stage and ad-lib if given the chance?
Or even upstage the Greens themselves with their experience at social
protest? Are the Japanese Greens worried that inviting any minority who
won't toe their official line will lead to a fractured movement that will
lead to election defeats rather than election victories?

Democracy is messy, inefficient, and contentious. Asia Pacific Greens from
Australia to Tonga showed they are willing to sacrifice technical production
values for serious, unscripted discussion, that they really do want to
include as many minorities as possible, and that they will try to be both
transparent and inclusive. In short, Japan's Greens, who finished the
conference proud of their stage managing skills, still have a lot to learn
about what the democratic process really entails. If that lesson is not
learned, and quickly, Japanese Green Party Diet members could end up just as
closed-minded, just as exclusive, and just as insular as Japan's
conservative political parties, but without their power and influence.
====================================
ENDS

Eric invites informed commentary on this issue. He can be reached here:

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