Why was the Group of Eight summit held in Hokkaido and not Tokyo? Did Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda need to put the meeting somewhere that did not threaten to challenge the image of Japan's commitment to environmental concerns?
In Hokkaido, world leaders did not witness the streets crowded with idling cars as authorities turn a blind eye; nor did they witness Tokyo's attack on bicycle parking. Why are bicycles consistently targeted for removal? Why doesn't the city remove a few of the less-used vehicular parking areas and create bike parking?
Did the Liberal Democratic Party, for example, fear letting world leaders experience the packaging excesses of Tokyo? In view of worldwide food shortages, why weren't tobacco-farming issues at the forefront of discussions? What about the creepy, dubious databank systems and their excessive video trails? How will they be misused purposefully or accidentally?
What was the point of sequestering these leaders further from issues that are so visible here in Tokyo?
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