Over 600 participants from Japan and around the world – representing Ainu Mosir (Hokkaido), Uchinanchu (Okinawa), the United States, Canada, Hawai’i, Guam, Australia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Norway, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Taiwan, and Aotearoa (New Zealand) – gathered in the traditional land of the Ainu people over July 1-4 to discuss issues such as the environment, the recovery of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, education and empowerment.

Peace Boat had the opportunity to participate in the closing session. At this important gathering, the “Nibutani Declaration” and “An Appeal to the Japanese Government” were adopted – both of which can be downloaded in English, Japanese and Spanish here.

世界で初めての「先住民族サミット」がG8の前に開催されました。

７月１〜４日、日本・全世界から６００人以上の参加者がアイヌの土地、北海道で集まり、環境、権利、教育などといったテーマについて話し合いました。アイヌ・モシリ（北海道）、ウチナンチュー（沖縄）、アメリカ、カナダ、ハワイ、グアム、オーストラリア、バングラデシュ、フィリピン、ノルウェー、メキシコ、グアテマラ、ニカラグア、台湾とアオテアロア（ニュージーランド）からの先住民族がこの歴史的な「先住民族サミット」に参加されました。

ピースボートは、最終日の全体会に参加させてもらいました。ここで、「二風谷宣言」と「日本政府への提言」が採択されました。この文章は、ここからダウンロードできます（日・英・西語）。

http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/asx/080708g8news.asx

ピースボート共同代表・Ｇ８ＮＧＯフォーラム平和・人権ユニットの川崎哲のインタビューは、ただいまOur Planet TVでご覧になれます。
この番組は盛りだくさんです！他にも国際メディアセンターのようす、札幌で行われたさまざまな市民社会イベント、そしてオーストラリア国立大学のテッサ・モリス・スズキさんのインタビューも含まれているのでぜひご覧ください。
（日本語のみ）
]]> http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/our-planet-tv-interview%e3%80%80%e3%82%a4%e3%83%b3%e3%82%bf%e3%83%93%e3%83%a5%e3%83%bc/feed/ 0 Peace Boat http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/ngo-forum-closing-press-conference-ngo%e3%83%95%e3%82%a9%e3%83%bc%e3%83%a9%e3%83%a0%e3%80%80%e3%82%af%e3%83%ad%e3%83%bc%e3%82%b8%e3%83%b3%e3%82%b0%e8%a8%98%e8%80%85%e4%bc%9a%e8%a6%8b/ http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/ngo-forum-closing-press-conference-ngo%e3%83%95%e3%82%a9%e3%83%bc%e3%83%a9%e3%83%a0%e3%80%80%e3%82%af%e3%83%ad%e3%83%bc%e3%82%b8%e3%83%b3%e3%82%b0%e8%a8%98%e8%80%85%e4%bc%9a%e8%a6%8b/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:13:05 +0000 Peace Boat http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com/?p=163 続きを読む →]]> Evaluation of 2008 G8 Summit and NGO Activities
~ From Toyako to Italy ~

On 9 July, the G8 Summit NGO Forum held a final press conference at the IMC, recapping and evaluating the efforts of NGOs in the leadup to and during the Summit itself. With speakers from both Japan and Italy – the chair of next year’s G8 – the conference was heavily covered by a range of both mainstream and alternative media – as you can see by the amount of press and cameras in the photos!
This conference was covered by the national news on television station NHK on the evening of the 9th. The same night, Television Asahi broadcast a special on the G8 and nuclear power, within which Peace Boat’s Kawasaki Akira’s comments were featured as follows: “Using global warming as an excuse for expanding nuclear power is not only a misguided policy, but it is also very problematic as it increases the risk of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

Facilitator: Kawasaki Akira, Peace Boat / NGO Forum Peace & Human Rights Unit Leader
Speakers: Hoshino Masako, NGO Forum Chair
Ayukawa Yurika / Ohashi Masaaki, Vice Chairs
Representatives, GCAP Italy, Italian NGOs

２００８年G8サミットの評価とNGOの活動
〜洞爺湖からイタリアへ〜

７月９日、G8サミットNGOフォーラムは最後のIMCでの記者会見でNGOの洞爺湖に向けて、そしてサミット開催中の活動のまとめと評価を行いました。日本のNGOと来年のホスト国イタリアのNGOの代表を招いて、この会見は、写真でご覧のように、多くのメディアが取材してくれました!
この記者会見は９日夜のＮＨＫニュースで放映されました。また、同日のテレビ朝日の報道ステーションはＧ８と原子力の特集を行い、そのなかで川崎哲の次のような発言を紹介していました。「温暖化対策を口実に原子力を拡大しようとするのは、エネルギー政策として誤っており、また、核兵器の拡散の危険を高めるという点からも、非常に問題の大きいものです。

司会：川崎哲、ピースボート・NGOフォーラム人権・平和ユニットリーダー
発表者：星野昌子、NGOフォーラム代表
鮎川ゆりか/大橋正明　副代表
GCAPイタリア、イタリアのNGO代表

These are from the International Media Centre (IMC) at Rusutsu – where each day we’d go through the heavy security check as in the first picture, then run up and down throughout the centre and the hotel all day (and half of the night) – a huge place, as you can see from the map in the next photo.

北海道に行っていた間に整理することができなかった写真を、東京に帰ってきたので少しずつアップロードをしようと思ってます。

まずはルスツの国際メディアセンター（IMC）のようすです。毎日ここで荷物のチェックを受け、この地図で分かるように広〜いメディアセンターを走り回ってました！

北海道での最後の日を写真で紹介します！

まずは宿泊したまち、ニセコの景色です。そこを出発したら、少し遠回りして、サミットの間に入れなかった実際の開催場所の洞爺湖を見に行きました。「G8に９条を！」という合い言葉の一週間だったので、グローバル９条キャンペーンのマスコットの「きゅうと」も連れて行きました！
洞爺湖の街もとても面白かった。街を歩いていると、その前日までG8サミットが同じ場所で行われていたという雰囲気もなく、とても静かで、住民の人々はいつも通り生活していました。唯一「サミット」関連のことは、「水の駅」で販売していたちょっと変わったお土産：Tシャツ、エコバッグとG8諸国の民族衣装を着ているキューピーの人形！
その後札幌に戻り、札幌ピースボートセンターのみなさんに挨拶をし、空港に向かいました。札幌ピーセンのみなさん、ありがとうございました！大変お世話になりました。

Network of Lawyers Observing Human Rights Around the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit (WATCH)

The “7-5 Challenge the G8 Summit Peace Walk for 10,000″ was held on July 5 in the city of Sapporo, and in sharp contrast with the peaceful demonstration itself, a markedly excessive and aggressive police presence constituted a flagrant violation of human rights. All along the walk’s route, plainclothes police security officers recorded and took pictures of demonstrators with cameras, and fully armed riot units stood in formation along both sides of the march to prevent average citizens from being able to view the demonstration.

Furthermore, in addition to pounding on a sound truck’s glass window with batons, police dragged the man sitting in the driver’s seat out of the vehicle and took him and a total of four individuals (one of whom is a reporter) to jail for interfering with official police duties or violating traffic laws.

The reporter was released on July 8, but on the same day the Prosecutor’s unjust request for the other three to be held in detention at the Sapporo Regional Court was approved.

The Constitution safeguards citizens’ rights to express opinions to others and others’ freedom to access or receive those opinions. Toward that end, demonstration marches serve as inextricable pillars that support our right to assemble in a constitutional democracy and therefore must be cared for and protected, and any restrictions must be limited to the absolute bare minimum. However, the aforementioned excessive policing and unjust arrests ran roughshod over our right to freedom of expression.

Therefore, we object to the arrests of the four individuals as significant violations of their constitutionally protected freedom of expression, we strongly denounce the specifics of the arrests themselves, and we object to the decision to detain the remaining three and call for their immediate release.

[Groups endorsing this statement:]
2008 Japan G8 Summit NGO Forum
Hokkaido Peoples’ Forum on G8 Summit
G8 Action Network
G8 Women’s Rights Forum

7月5日、札幌市内において「7・5チャレンジ・ザ・G8サミット——1万人のピースウォーク」が開催されましたが、これに対する警察の規制は極めて過 剰で、デモが平穏に行われていたことに対比して、著しく人権を侵害する態様のものでした。沿道は、デモ参加者をカメラで撮影・記録する私服の公安刑事で埋 め尽され、また、デモの両サイドは、一般の市民がデモを見ることを阻止するような形で、完全装備の機動隊によって包囲されました。
しかも、警察官は、サウンドカーの窓ガラスを警棒で叩き割った上で、運転席にいた男性をひきずり出して逮捕するなど、合計4名（うち、1名は記者）を、公務執行妨害や道路交通法違反などを理由として逮捕勾留しました。
このうち、記者であった１名は７月8日に釈放されましたが、検察官はそれ以外の3名につき、不当にも札幌地方裁判所に勾留請求し、8日に裁判所により3名に対する勾留決定がなされています。

憲法は、市民が自らの表現を他人に伝達し、他人がその表現を受け取る自由をも保障しています。この意味において、デモ行進は、集会の自由の一環として立憲民主主義を支える権利としても手厚く保障され、その規制は必要最小限度にとどまらなければなりません。
しかしながら、今回の警察による過剰規制と不当な逮捕は、表現の自由を踏みにじるものであると言わなければなりません。

よって、私たちは4名の逮捕が憲法で保障された表現の自由に対する著しい侵害であることとともに、逮捕の態様自体に極めて問題があるとして強く抗議するとともに、3名についての勾留請求決定に対し異議を述べ、その即時釈放を求めます。

〔声明に対する賛同団体〕
2008年G8サミットNGOフォーラム
G8サミット市民フォーラム北海道
G8サミットを問う連絡会
G8女性の人権フォーラム

Tomorrow we will be sharing more pictures, media clippings and thoughts on the G8 Summit – but for now,
it’s time to get some sleep!

In the meantime, here are some articles from today’s newspapers featuring Peace Boat staff members:

Lack of concrete promises disappoints NGOs (Japan Times)
G8 trying to have it both ways on nukes (Japan Times)
世界からTOYAへ：市民の提言　メリ・ジョイスさん（毎日新聞）
(Title meaning: From the world to TOYA: Civil society recommendations, Meri Joyce (Mainichi Newspaper)

Talking about disarmament is all well and good…

But first disarm yourselves!

1.The G8 Summit statement issued on 8 July on “political issues” addressed the issue of nuclear disarmament – an outcome that has not been seen in any recent G8 Summits, and which we praise. Particularly important are the clear commitments to “strengthening… multilateral non-proliferation and disarmament instruments” and working to “achieve a successful outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference,” and we call for sincere action towards these outcomes.

2.While this statement “welcomes” efforts of the G8 nuclear-weapon States in their reductions, at the same time it also calls for all nuclear-weapon States to make “transparent reductions”. This is almost as if the G8 countries are fulfilling their responsibilities, yet the non-G8 countries are not transparent – a statement with serious political connotations and lacking balance.

3.Essentially, all nuclear-weapon States, with the USA and Russia heading the list, have the responsibility to implement further nuclear reduction, de-alerting, irreversible and transparent disarmament, and early entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), based upon the unanimous agreements at the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

The USA and Russia, and all nuclear-weapon States, must conscientiously move towards the implementation of these measures, and we call for the achievement of clear progress by the 2010 NPT Review Conference.

4.Agreement regarding negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and a moratorium by all states on production of fissile material for weapons purposes is also significant.
For example, this agreement will not permit nuclear energy cooperation with such a country as India as it continues production of fissile materials for weapons purposes.

5.The document also states the necessity of strengthening of the 3S – non-proliferation (safeguards), nuclear power safety and nuclear security – for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and addresses international controls on enrichment and reprocessing. Using global warming as an excuse to expand nuclear energy is not only misguided as an energy strategy, but also increases the risk of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The highest priority should be a freeze on enrichment and reprocessing, and an international ban on the production of materials which can be used for nuclear weapons.

6.In regards to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), we welcome the G8 Leaders reconfirmation of the goal of “verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the eventual normalization of relations between the relevant Six-Party members”, based upon the six parties’ Joint Statement in September 2005. The goals of the Joint Statement include “lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” and there is a need for both a Northeast Asia Nuclear-free-Zone and peace mechanisms for the region. Civil society also affirms its commitment to dialogue, including on historical issues and the abduction issue, and efforts towards confidence-building.

7.We welcome the G8 Leaders’ emphasis on “a peaceful and diplomatic resolution” of the Iran issue. We call for action towards the goal confirmed in the NPT Review process of creating a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)-free zone in the Middle East.

9 July 2008
Kawasaki Akira
Executive Committee, Peace Boat

Countries with nuclear industries are promoting nuclear exports in the name of a response to global warming. They are providing support for and putting in place systems to facilitate nuclear exports. In these countries construction of new nuclear power plants is in decline, due to such factors as public opposition and cost. Despite these circumstances, several G8 countries, including Japan, are promoting nuclear power. Stated another way, the reason why these countries want to export nuclear plants is because it is difficult for them to build new plants in their own countries.

On July 8, heads of the G8 governments released a Summit Document entitled “Environment and Climate Change”. The document says, “We witness that a growing number of countries have expressed their interests in nuclear power programs as a means to addressing climate change and energy security concerns. These countries regard nuclear power as an essential instrument in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and hence greenhouse gas emissions.” The document continues, “safeguards (nuclear nonproliferation), nuclear safety and nuclear security (3S) are fundamental principles for the peaceful use of nuclear energy” and states that “an international initiative proposed by Japan on 3S-based nuclear energy infrastructure will be launched.”
However, after over fifty years of using nuclear power (euphemistically referred to as “peaceful use” or “civilian use”), the governments and nuclear industries of those countries with nuclear power plants have so far failed to fulfill these 3S principles.

Nuclear proliferation continues to pose a threat to international security. In regard to safety, cases such as the Chernobyl accident and the major earthquake that struck the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant one year ago (it has been closed ever since) have only increased concerns about the dangerous nature of nuclear power. As for security, if that term refers to the risks of nuclear terror and theft of nuclear materials, international anxiety levels keep on rising.

A Summit Document proposed by Japan and released on July 8 entitled “International Initiative on 3S-based Nuclear Energy Infrastructure” states, “international cooperation in this field can prove beneficial, and … the G8 members should take an active role in promoting such international cooperation.” The document specifies the details of the actions required in future. The fact that the document emphasizes the need for the establishment of 3S and the need for 3S-based infrastructure, in order to enable an expansion of nuclear power, just goes to show that these conditions are not yet in place internationally, and particularly not in developing countries.

In order to prevent dangerous climate change, it is necessary for global CO2 emissions to peak and begin falling within the next 10 years. We have so little time to turn the situation around, but it usually takes more than 10 years from planning to commencement of operation of nuclear power plants. For example, construction of the Olkiluoto-3 plant in Finland began in 2005, but it is already 50% (2 billion Euros) above budget and two and a half years behind schedule. According to an energy scenario recently produced by the International Energy Agency, even if 32 gigawatts (32x1000MW plants, or 2.6 plants a month) of nuclear power were added globally each year to 2050, Greenhouse Gas emissions from the energy sector would only be reduced by 6%, or less than 4% of global GHG emissions.

Besides being of no use in addressing climate change, nuclear energy actually undermines the development and introduction of effective measures to avert global warming: increase of energy efficiency and promotion of renewables. Furthermore, centralized electric power systems based on nuclear energy would obstruct the introduction of small-scale and decentralized energy system. Furthermore, an expansion of nuclear power will exacerbate the ever-increasing problem of radioactive waste management, as well as increase the risk of major accidents.

The world must construct a response to the problems of climate change and energy-security which is not dependent on nuclear power. We demand that the G8 take a leading role in this.

Contacts:
Akira Kawasaki (Peace Boat) 090-8310-5370
Manami Suzuki (Greenpeace Japan, Climate and Energy Campaigner) 080-5416-6506