Recent cases of entry refusals in the run-up to the G8 Summit

Case 1:

Kim Ae Hwa, a representative from the Korean organization "Committee of Asian Women" arrived at Narita Airport on March 7th to participate at an international conference which was planned on the following day by the "Network questioning the G8", a critical group against the G8 Summit at Lake Toya.

When she tried to pass the immigration gate around 4:40 pm, she was questioned by the immigration bureau and was refused to enter Japan. Ms. Ae Hwa declared that she was a "CAW member" and wanted to take part at the conference, but the immigration officer considered the purpose of her visit as "unclear" and denied her entry so that she had to fly back to South Korea in the evening of that day.
2 days later on March 9th, Ms. Ae Hwa attempted to enter Narita Airport with her invitation card for the second time. This time, she could enter Japan without any problems and was able to participate at some parts of the conference.

Case 2:

Martin Kraemer, a German activist and Doctor of Agriculture, attempted to enter Otaru Port via Sakhalin, Russia, with a passenger-freighter on March 10th with the objective to participate at a conference related to G8 in Sapporo. However, the immigration authorities in Otaru denied his entry without any reasons. Mr. Kraemer had to remain in the vessel while lawyers interviewed him and filed an objection with the immigration authorities. The authorities insisted on the refusal of entry, so Mr. Kraemer returned on March 14th with the vessel to Russia and flew back to Germany.


Case 3:

The Italian philosopher Antonio Negri was planning to participate at a symposium organized by the Tokyo University, Kyoto University and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music which was scheduled for the end of March. In the 1970s, Mr. Negri was accused of being involved in the Red Brigades. After he was sentenced to prison, he went into exile to Paris, returned 1998 to Italy, where he was imprisoned for some time. In 2003, he was granted amnesty and returned to Paris where he still lives today. For his visit to Japan, the Japanese embassy in Paris had assured Mr. Negri that he did not need visa. Thus, on March 17th - 2 days before the planned departure of Mr. Negri to Japan - the foreign ministry of Japan declared that, regarding the circumstances of the immigration control in the run-up to the G8, there was a high risk of entry refusal if Mr. Negri came to Japan without visa. And on the following day on March 18th, the foreign ministry told the organizers of the symposium that a visa could only be issued in consultation with the immigration bureau of the ministry of justice. So, without the consent of the immigration bureau, the Japanese embassy in Paris was not "able" to issue a visa for Mr. Negri. The ministry of justice/immigration bureau announced that a visa could only be issued if the organizers submitted official documents to prove that Mr. Negri was a political criminal. Mr. Negri had to renounce his visit to Japan, as he was not able to collect all the documents required by the immigration bureau in the short time left until the symposium.


Letter from Antonio Negri (in French, published on the website of the organizers of the symposium):


Lettre aux amis japonais

Chers amis,

Une serie de circonstances totalement imprevues nous obligent a renoncer a notre voyage au Japon, alors que nous nous faisions une joie immense de ce sejour, des discussions passionnantes et des contacts intellectuels, des echanges et des collaborations que nous imaginions deja.
Il y a presque six mois, nous nous etions renseignes avec l'aide precieuse de l'International House of Japan: les citoyens des pays membres de l'Europe ne doivent pas demander un visa d'entree au Japon s'ils n'y gagnent pas de salaire. Nous avons soigneusement verifie aupres de l'Ambassade du Japon a Paris, cela ne posait aucun probleme pour nous, c'etait parfait.
Il y a deux jours, lundi 17, on nous a contre toute attente demande ce visa - alors que le reglement sur les visas n'avait pourtant pas change. Nous nous sommes precipites a l'Ambassade du Japon a Paris et avons rempli tous les formulaires necessaires, fourni toute la documentation, les invitations, les programmes, les billets d'avion. Hier, on nous a demande en plus toute une serie de documents qui concernaient le passe politique et le statut juridique de Toni depuis les annees 1970. C'est une documentation enorme, en langue italienne, qui remonte a longtemps, et que nous n'avons bien entendu pas sous la main ? et qu’aucun des vingt-deux pays visites par Toni dans les cinq dernieres annees n’a jamais demande.
L'avion partait ce matin - nous sommes restes a Paris.

C'est avec une immense deception que nous renoncons a ce voyage.
Nous voudrions dire a tous ceux qui ont contribue pendant de longs mois a l'organiser (la professeur Kobata, le professeur Ichida, M. Sonoda - notre aide precieuse de tous les jours -, les traducteurs, les collegues des universites, les etudiants) que nous avons apprecie a distance leur amitie, et que nous esperons tres fort que cette amitie ne cessera de grandir dans le futur. Nous savons combien leur travail a ete intense, et nous leur rendons hommage.
Nous voulons croire que ce n'est que partie remise, et que, bientot, nous aurons l'occasion de vous rendre visite.

Avec notre amitie et nos regrets,

Judith Revel et Antonio Negri
Paris, le 19 mars 2008