[Sosfbay-discuss] Green elected to Japan's national legislature

[JamBoi]

{From Mike Feinstein....}

Dear GPUS Greens

The following great news comes to us from Satoko
Watanabe of Japan.

Within Japan, Watanabe is a twice-elected Green
Councilmember on the Prefecture level.
Internationally she has been a major player in
Asia-Pacific Green organizing, including
co-hosting the February 2005 Asia-Pacific Green
Network Meeting in Kyoto. Globally she is a
member of the Global Green Coordination, was a
plenary speaker at the Global Greens 2001 and is
part of the organizing committee for our next
Global Greens meeting in 2008.

As some of you know, the electoral system in
Japan on the national level is almost as
difficult for Greens to compete in as it is here
for us in the U.S.

Yet despite this, because of the presence of (and
opportunities afforde by) a multi-seat district
in Tokyo, the Japanese Greens have won their
first seat in the Diet - Japan's national
legislature
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Japan)

The victory came in the House of Councillors, the
Diet's Upper House
(http://www.sangiin.go.jp/eng/index.htm).  Here
is her report:

==================

Mr. Ryuhei Kawada (http://ryuheikawada.jp/), the
steering committee member of Greens Japan and
Global Greens 2001 and Global Young Greens 2007
participant
(http://www.kawada.com/Stimme/Voice_gyg.htm), has
won the last seat of five of Tokyo electoral
district in the Upper House Election 2007.

We are so excited with this first step of
Greens!!!

Three years ago, we challenged the Upper House
Election, but could not win a seat. Because of
high hurdles of Japanese Election system, we had
to give up nominating us as a party this time. We
decided to concentrate our resources and energy
on Tokyo electoral district, which has five seats
and is quite influential to Japanese politics.

Ryuhei ran as an independent without any support
from parties or big organizations. In Japan it is
very difficult to win national elections without
those supports. Actually the four other winners
of the district are all from big parties.

The core members of the campaign office were
members of the Greens Japan and the Rainbow and
Greens Japan. They cooperated to make the
manifestation and to plan the campaign.

Ryuhei's campaign which was carried out by many
volunteers was so impressive that many media
covered it. Ryuhei's speech was very persuasive,
since he talked based on his own experiences as a
victim of HIV-infected blood product, fighting
against the government and the company. It often
moved the audience on the street to tears.

I was very happy to see many young people who are
believed to be veryindifferent to politics
responded to Ryuhei's appeal positively.

This is the very important first step of Greens
Japan. We will keep working together and
supporting  Ryuhei to achieve Green politics.

The LDP suffered from the huge defeat. Here are
the article and the editorial on the election.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070730a1.html
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20070731a1.html

Best regards and peace,

Satoko Watanabe
Spokesperson
Rainbow and Greens Japan
Prefectural Councilor of Kagawa
16-14 Chuo-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 760-0007 JAPAN
Phone:+81-87-832-3676
Fax:+81-87-831-47
satoko.watanabe at nifty.com

=================

Articles about Ryuhei Kawada (in English)
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=328414
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070713a4.html
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200707230122.html
http://www.journeythroughjapan.org/people/people_detail.cfm?id_news=93523362

Statement to Global Young Greens meeting, January
2007 (in English)
http://www.kawada.com/Stimme/Voice_gyg.htm

Photos of his campaign
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skasuga/928837586/
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=kawadaryuhei

His Campaign Web site (in Japanese)
http://ryuheikawada.jp

Video Interviews (in Japanese)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kawada%20ryuhei&search=Search

___________________

JamBoi: Jammy, The Sacred Cow Slayer
The Green Parties' #1 Blogger
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com

"To the brave belong all things"
Celt's invading Etrusca reply to nervous Romans around 400BC

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center.
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/