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Targetting Mitsubishi's Burma Opera



Subject: Targetting Mitsubishi's Burma Operations

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ASAHI EVENING NEWS  
FOCUS / ENVIRONMENT
April 5, 1996

ACTIVISTS TARGET JAPANESE CONGLOMERATE'S
BURMA OPERATIONS

By Catherine Pawasarat

Special to Asahi Evening News 

More and more Western environmental organizations are
urging shoppers to cast votes against corporate destruction of
the environment or human rights abuses with their dollars,
francs and pounds.

But while the response of consumers overseas has been
increasing, Japan has thus far remained a land of untapped
potential and impenetrable corporate might.

This may change, if local and international non- governmental
organizations (NGOs) have their way. Last month the Burmese
Relief Center (BRC), a Nara - based group working toward
democracy
in Burma, launched the Japanese version of an ongoing
consumer boycott in the United States of all Mitsubishi
Corporation products. The boycott has been sponsored for the
last six years by the American NGO Rainforest Action Network
(RAN).

Tagging the Mitsubishi conglomerate as one of the world's
worst environmental offenders, RAN says its boycott of the
company's products brought the American arms of Mitsubishi
Electric and Mitsubishi Motors to the bargaining table and
motivated Mitsubishi Corp. to open an Environmental Affairs
Department in 1990. 

Mitsubishi says it has hardly noticed the boycott and insists that
RAN's information is outdated and inaccurate.

Reflecting the information age, both sides' strategies focus on
getting the "right" facts to consumers.

"If people don't have the right information, it's easy to misunder-
stand the situation," said Tsuyoshi Noma, one of 10 employees
in Mitsubishi Corp's Environmental Affairs Department in
Tokyo.

"We have hardly any operations in tropical rainforests, and
we're way down on the list of tropical timber importers to
Japan," Noma said. That hardly fits with RAN's description of
us as 'the world's biggest rainforest destroyer."'

RAN's campaign is focusing on temperate and boreal as well as
tropical forest products, in particular on the largest timber mill
in the Amazon, the world's largest chopstick factory in British
Columbia
and a major woodchipping concession in Chile, all operated by
Mitsubishi.

"We have those operations, but we do everything according to
the laws of those countries," said Noma.

Despite the international uproar about environmental
destruction, no treaty or convention exists to conserve forests,
and individual countries' environmental laws fall way short of
providing any protection, according to Yoichi Kuroda of Japan
Tropical Rainforest Action Network (JATAN). With a staff of
five, JATAN is perhaps Japan's most active rainforest NGO.

"The information is very confusing for the public because
there's a difference between doing business in timber versus
woodchips, pulp or paper itself. though they all contribute to
environmental destruction." he said.

"Mitsubishi is a corporate sponsor of major newspapers here, so
getting the information in the media is really tough," said
Kuroda, adding that Japan has no precedent of a successful
consumer boycott.

For its part, BRC is calling on consumers to influence Mitsubi-
shi's investment in Burma,  which is run by a military regime
that is internationally condemned for rampant human rights
abuses.

"We're only doing business worth $5 million (525 million yen)
a year now in Burma, which is still small compared to other
companies," said Takashi Shogase, a spokesperson for
Mitsubishi Corp "From now on we hope to do long - term
business in infrastructure and industry, opening up the Burmese
economy and raising the standard of living for all Burmese
people."

However, BRC activists point to Nobel laureate and Burmese
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's request for foreign aid
and investment to be postponed until more democratic progress
is made.

"We urge Japanese people to join us in telling Mitsubishi we're
against their investment in Burma until the junta there makes
progress toward democratic reform." said BRC's Ken
Kawasaki, adding that corporate investment in Burma
indirectly supports the junta's continuing human rights abuses
and environmental destruction for much - desired foreign
currency.

The Burmese Relief Center -- Japan may be reached at 07442-2-8236. 
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