Effects in local areas of global justice movement: Anti-G8 protests in Japan, Okinawa in 2000 and Hokkaido in 2008

This presentation aims to investigate the effects of summit protests in Japan.  Anti-G8 protest is the one of global justice movements; however, it is held in a limited space within a certain period of time. Therefore summit protests have an impact on the interested local residents.

My research chooses two areas in which anti-G8 summit protests occurred.  These two places are Okinawa and Hokkaido. Summit protest in Okinawa was helded in 2000 and Summit protest in Hokkaido was helded in 2008.  In these protests, residents play an important role in civil action.  My study shows that the activists in Okinawa mainly constituted networks with foreign activists.  On the case of summit protest in Hokkaido they were able to create partnership with domestic activists because local residents think other Japanese protesters as model but activists in Okinawa had anticipanthy for activists in other area in Japan.

Okinawa residents regarded themselves as a “sufferer” because they were forced to set up a lot of military bases among Japanese regions. On the other hands, Hokkaido residents considered themselves as rural inhabitants.  Each local resident had collective identity and participated summit protest.  The differences in their civil actions are based on local residents that constitute a portion of the activism network in these localities.  Recent researchers also discribed protesters in summit protests constitute networks.  My research adds to this argument and concludes that constituted network depends on the dispositions of local participants.