Eight people were arrested June 29 as some 1,500 marched in downtown Tokyo to protest against the G8 summit that opens next week in Hokkaido. Chanting slogans including "Smash the summit," protesters clashed with riot police who maintained an intimidating presence around the march. (Kyodo News, June 29)

The Network of Lawyers Observing Human Rights Around the G8 Hokkaido Summit (WATCH) reports that 11 international scholars and activists scheduled to be panelists at the Counter-G8 International Forum that opened in Tokyo June 30 were detained at the airport and subjected to long hours of questioning. Several were refused entry, on the grounds that their plans for the days between meetings were not clear. Later they were given permission for entry, but with harsh time limit for their stay in the country. (Gipfelsoli, June 30)

See our last post on Japan.