Quick Okinawa Info
G8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit |
Updated on : March 31, 2005 |
Three days in the eyes of the world established Okinawa as a premier convention destination
For three days beginning July 21, 2000, the leaders of the G8 nations gathered at the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, the 26th summit of the world's leading industrial countries, held at the Bankoku Shinryokan Hall in Nago City. Leaders in attendance included the host, Prime Minister Mori of Japan, U.S. President Clinton, President Chirac of France, Russian President Putin, Premier Chretien of Canada, Britain's Prime Minister Blair, German Prime Minister Schroeder, Prime Minister Amato of Italy, and Chairman Prodi of the European Commission representing the European Union.
As soon as then-Prime Minister Obuchi settled on Okinawa as the summit venue in April 1999, preparatory work by the prefecture's G8 Summit Host Preparation Council went into high gear. The Council scheduled a full calendar of Summit-related events including the Young Leaders Summit, G8 High School Students' Summit, and the Summit Music Fest. Most of these events took place in the prefecture of course, but many, including performances by Okinawa dancers and musicians, were put on in mainland Japan and abroad to promote the Okinawa Summit as widely as possible.
During the Summit, the leaders held numerous bilateral talks. Since this was Japan's first summit outside Tokyo, organizers took every opportunity to get the leaders informally involved with local people at events held around the prefecture. Italy’s Prime Minister Amato visited Ginoza Village, German Prime Minister Schroeder went to Miyako Island’s Hirara City and Ueno Village and Canada’s Premier Chretien visited Haebaru Town.
More than 1,000 media personnel from 32 countries covered the Summit. While covering the meetings, they also reported on Okinawa itself - the warmth of its people, its culture, so different from that of mainland Japan, the issues regarding U.S. military facilities and so forth - thus giving the world an unparalleled introduction to Okinawa. In effect a global convention, the Summit gave a terrific boost to Okinawa as a convention venue. Reflecting this, numerous conventions have been held here since then.
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