Gov't To Use Soccer Hooligan Law To Protect G8 Summit

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Govt to keep 'hooligans' away from G-8 summit
The Justice Ministry has begun preparations to put into force a hooligan provision of the immigration law to prevent antiglobalization activists from entering the country to protest the Group of Eight summit meeting to be held in Hokkaido in July. Relevant ministries and agencies will discuss criteria for defining antiglobalization activists, to whom the provision will be applied for the first time, and seek additional information from other countries. The hooligan provision was added when the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law was revised in 2001 and enforced in 2002 to keep hooligans out of the country for the 2002 World Cup soccer finals. The provision states immigration authorities can refuse entry to people who have injured, assaulted, threatened or killed people or damaged buildings to disrupt international sports events or meetings. It also disallows entry to people who have been imprisoned in Japan or other countries or have been deported before if immigration officials believe they might be involved in similar actions again. Under the provision, 19 hooligans were prohibited from entering the country in 2002. The provision has not been applied in other cases. Unions and environmental protection groups have often been involved in protests against economic globalization, which activists assert has widened the gaps between rich and poor and harmed the environment.

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Japan denies German activist entry ahead of G8

Japan's immigration authorities denied an anti-globalization activist from Germany entry at a port near the venue for the July Group of Eight summit, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday. Quoting his supporters, Kyodo said German activist Martin Kraemer, 37, was denied entry to Japan after arriving aboard a freighter at a port on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Monday. He has filed an objection with the immigration authorities and has remained on the freighter awaiting a response, the report said. Kraemer had planned to attend an anti-summit rally in the city of Sapporo on the island on Saturday, his supporters were quoted as saying. Japanese immigration officials declined to comment on the report. "The bureau appears to have tightened immigration checks on Kraemer because the purpose of his travel was tourism and he was carrying only a small amount of money and no return ticket," Kyodo quoted his supporters as saying. Japanese authorities have tightened security in and around the venue for the G8 summit scheduled for July 7-9.