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Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 12:28:25 +0900
To: debito@debito.org
From: Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle <debito@debito.org>
Subject: Media Update 6/28/01: UNU, Minshutou, SIIS, Kokusaika, Love-FM

Hello All. Some updates to issues you might find interesting:

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1) UN UNIV'S CANCELLING OF OTARU SEMINAR HITS PRESS
2) MINSHUTOU HOKKAIDO'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE
3) OLAF KARTHAUS SPEAKS ON ONSENS AT SIIS JUNE 23
4) JAPAN TODAY COLUMN ON "JAPAN'S MISGUIDED KOKUSAIKA"
5) "LOVE-FM" RADIO SHOW IN FUKUOKA SAT JUNE 30 8:30 AM

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1) Sacrificing academic integrity to financial interests:
UN UNIVERSITY'S CANCELLATION OF OTARU HUMAN RIGHTS SEMINAR HITS PRESS

As I reported last month, the United Nations University in Tokyo was to
sponsor a human rights seminar in Otaru in August. I had been invited as a
speaker. However, according to the head coordinator of the event, financial
pressure from the Hokkaido Government and Doukeiren, two major sponsors of
the event, compelled the UNU to cancel my invitation. As a result, several
coodinating committee members resigned their posts in protest, and the UNU
cancelled the seminar as a whole. On June 16, 2001, Doshin reported the
whole brouhaha, with UNU denying any outside influences in their decision.

Full background at
http://www.debito.org/UNUGlobalSeminar.html
Or see the June 16 Doshin article directly in Japanese at
http://www.debito.org/doshin061601.jpg

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2) The push for a law:
DEMOCRATIC PARTY (Minshutou) HOKKAIDO'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE

All the surveying and lobbying of the political parties in May 2000 and
April 2001 (see related links below) finally seems to be paying off. The
Democratic Party of Japan, Hokkaido, cognizant of the lingering problems of
discrimination, sponsored a forum on June 19, 2001 to discuss ways of
legislating against it locally by year-end. Minshutou sought input through
a panel discussion with guest speakers who are Ainu, gay, a haemophiliac, a
naturalized Japanese (guess who), and an academic well-studied in
constitutional and human-rights law. It was a very constructive meeting
which raises high hopes.

Minshutou's preliminary ordinance (jourei) goals and proposal (kosshi), all
seven pages of it, can be found at
http://www.debito.org/doshin060701.html
The site also contains the Japanese text of my handout on social problems
facing non-Japanese, distributed at the Forum.

RELATED LINKS:
Minshutou Home Page:
http://www.minsyu.net
Pre-General Election 2000 Poll of each major political party re their stance
towards anti-discrimination legislation:
http://www.issho.org/BENCI/seitouchousa.html
April 2001 Lobbying Hokkaido's major political parties with a proposal for
an anti-discrimination law:
http://www.debito.org/otarulawsuit.html#lobby

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3) Raising awareness wherever possible:
FELLOW PLAINTIFF OLAF KARTHAUS SPEAKS ON ONSENS ISSUE AT SIIS JUNE 23, 2001

SIIS stands for "Sapporo Institute for International Solidarity", and their
latest convocation, which drew an audience of 300 people (mainly students
who will become bureaucrats, legal scriveners, and lawyers). Olaf et al
gave a talk under the title of "The Onsens Issue--What Now?", which by all
accounts was very well received.

Most significant tidbit of information: Fellow Panelist Dr Matsumoto
Hiroshi, Professor in the Faculty of Law at Sapporo Gakuin Daigaku, stated
that the text of the UN Convention Against Racial Discrimination
(http://www.debito.org/intlconvention.html), which Japan ratified in 1996,
makes it clear that ALL levels of government and administration (by the
wording of "States Parties") are duly bound to take effective measures
(including legislation) against racial discrimination. This is very
significant, as Otaru City is claiming in court that the national
government, not the local, is responsible for resolving this situation.

SIIS's site (Japanese, some English)
http://www.infosnow.ne.jp/siis/
A bit of info on the event itself (Japanese)
http://www.infosnow.ne.jp/siis/schedule.html

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4) Finally acknowledging non-Japanese as a social boon:
NEW JAPAN TODAY COLUMN ON "JAPAN'S MISGUIDED KOKUSAIKA"

My eleventh column for Japan Today, I'm really happy with how this one
turned out. It discusses how Japan's push for kokusaika
("internationalization") has been conceptually lacking from the get-go, and
also incorporates the thoughts of a Hokkaido high-schooler who, inspired by
the Otaru Onsens Case, asks similar questions in an essay that took First
Prize at this year's National HS Speech Contest!

See it at:
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=comment&id=50

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5) "LOVE-FM" RADIO SHOW IN FUKUOKA SAT JUNE 30 8:30 AM

For those of you in the now-steamy tropics of Japan (i.e. northern Kyushu),
there will be a radio broadcast on the Onsens Issue this weekend. As the
show's host, Chris Flynn, puts it:

"We broadcast from Shimonoseki-Kitakyushu (82.7mhz) to Fukuoka, Saga, down
past Kumamoto (76.1mhz). A broadcast population of about 8 million
(unfortunately no all of them listen). Most of my friends are asleep till 9
on Sat morning. My show is called "Saturday Morning Cruise" 7 to 9 am Sat.
I have been doing that time slot since the station started in 1997, [taking]
on the tough issues (although the station would rather I talked about onsens
and ramen etc.)."

Well, we'll talk about onsens, all right. The show will be live for about
ten minutes, so if you are within the broadcast footprint and can get up in
time, please listen in.
Details at http://www.lovefm.co.jp

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All for now. Over and out!
Arudou Debito
Sapporo