Africa NOW #102
Issued on April 30, 2015 by Africa Japan Forum (AJF)«Contents»
Special Topic 1: Learning from the anti-apartheid movements in Japan: Lessons for today
In April of 1960, the Japanese people living in the Republic of South Africa were given the status labelled “Honorary Europeans” or “Honorary Whites”, because the Japanese business people came to South Africa as friendly partners. In Februaryof 1963, at the Third Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Conference held in Moshi, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Noma Kanjiro,Tanaka Toshio, Tanaka Sumiko and others met the delegation of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa andwere urged to take actions against the Japanese Government and big corporations which gave support to apartheid. Then, inJapan, the anti-apartheid movements started. Since then, 5 decades have passed, and memories of the anti-apartheid movements in Japan are fading and almost forgotten. This issue of “Africa NOW” features the effort to shed light on the memoriesof the anti-apartheid movements in Japan and gives some lessons for today.
p.3‘Learning from the anti-apartheid movements in Japan: Lessons for today’ by MAKINO

KumikoMakino, a researcher of the South African society who belongs to the Institute of Developing Economies,
shows a roadmap for making an archive of the movements.
pp.4-14 ‘Looking back the experiences of anti-apartheid movements in Japan’ by KUSUHARAAkira
KUSUHARA, a former leader of the Tokyo group of the Japan Anti-Apartheid Committee, showed an overview of theanti-apartheid movements in Japan and talked about his own experiences.

‘Chronology of anti-apartheid movements in Japan’ by KUSUHARA Akira‘Report of the open workshop: Looking back the experiences of anti-apartheid movements in Japan’ by MIYAMORI Mayuko
pp.5-14
pp.15-17

MIYAMORI, a student and youngest participant of the open workshop, writes that it was a surprise that many participants in the anti-apartheid movements also made actions against the Vietnam War, Hyakuri military air-base construction,and discrimination against Koreans living in Japan etc.
Special Topic 2: Demand withdrawal Sono Ayako’s essay supporting apartheid
pp.19-27 ‘Protest statements against Sono Ayako’s essay’Issued by Africa Japan Forum, Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Japan, Members of Japan Association for African Studies, The International Movement against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism - Japan Committee, Studentsand alumnus of the Swahili class of School of Foreign Studies of Osaka University, Japan International Volunteer Center/Together with Africa and Asia Association/ Ngibalulekile, and Kansai Southern Africa Network.
pp.28-29 ‘ “Segregation in the name of cultural differences”?’ by KAMEI Nobutaka
As a cultural anthropologist, KAMEI calls attention to ‘segregation in the name of cultural differences’ and points outthat it is the majority group within the Japanese society who should change attitudes and behaviors for making Japan a society easier to live for anyone.
pp.30-31‘On the spot in Africa: South Africa ~ We are here to LOVE you’ by KOMATSU Haruna
KOMATSU loves camp activities because she can discover a new side of herself there, and loves Africa because she canbecome an only Japanese there. Thus she took part in the Camp Sizanani in South Africa, last September. Her experiences
will encourage you to challenge a new world.

‘Hitotsu no musubime toshite’ and Daily information
Information and daily report from the secretariat of AJF to readers.

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Africa NOW 102

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