arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

What is WTO? Is the WTO actually eager in addressing various problems pervasive over Japan, such as unemployment, bankruptcy, desolation of local communities, no money or the like? Unfortunately and absolutely, the answer is NO! Looking at what is discussed and how decisions are made in the WTO, we never imagine that the international powerful organization works well against the realty facing us. The WTO rates the world at the only one criterion and enforces competition on us, promoting economic globalization - that is the WTO! However, can competition better our society? More and more people in the world who have no capability for competition - of course, we Japanese citizens are also among them - are pushed aside, forcibly marginalized, and finally, deprived of everything including body and soil. That is a reflection of competition today. The wealthy get much wealthier, and the poor get much poorer. That's how the situation is going around us.

On the other hand, the competition accelerated by the WTO produces a source of hatred or conflict, which would be developed into a much deeper hatred through overlapping ambitions of TNCs or superpowers, finally giving rise to terrorism or war. We have already proved it through US aggression in Iraq very well.

All of us hear that life has not been improved in developing countries by the WTO, people there are raising their voices against WTO, they don't need any more order of the WTO, and they demand that WTO should go away. Furthermore, that's also the case with this country Japan. The government insists that what could save economic stagnation in Japan is nothing but competition; therefore, many regulations which have blocked free movement of capital or money or free entry into markets should be got rid of to activate the country or facilitate liberalization so that foreign companies or investors could do business in Japan easily, too. However, many ordinary Japanese think that the idea is wrong and things would never go as planned.

* For your reference, privatization is in progress in Japan. Privatized services are becoming targets of future's business chance. Some directors of Toyota Motor were nominated for board of directors of the Postal Services corporatized in last April. The Koizumi administration passed the bill for privatizing national universities last July. National universities will disappear in Japan soon.

Now, all of us in the world are being forced into poverty by the global policy of the WTO. We see no hope or expectation in the WTO.

Get together at Shiba Park in Tokyo on Sept 13 to stir up a big demonstration against WTO and War.

We don't want this market-oriented world any more. We seek another world for people, not for TNCs or superpowers. We say No to WTO! No to War! to stop market violence and ravages of war and to create a just and peaceful world.

In solidarity with people from all over the world

ATTAC Japan Kobayashi bldg. 3F, 1-31-9 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0001 Japan Tel:81-3-3813-6492 Fax:81-3-5684-5870
e-mail=attac-jp@jca.apc.org URL=http://www.jca.apc.org/attac-jp/