Post date: Oct 13, 2012 4:2:48 PM
Hundreds of protesters march outside of the IMF's semi-annual meeting venue in Tokyo, condemning the organization's policies as destructive to the global economy.
TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 13, 2012) (REUTERS) - Hundreds marched through the streets of Tokyo on Saturday (October 13), protesting against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings underway in Japan.
About 300 hundred activists, some waving wads of fake note bills and dressed in grotesque costumes meant to mimic the super rich, walked down a luxury shopping street in downtown Tokyo, a stone's throw from the summit venue."Our daily lives are only deteriorating under the IMF's rule over the world economy. This sort of meeting should never be held again," said 50-year-old Junko Okuyama, a vegetable farmer from northern Japan.
Police have ramped up their presence on the streets around the conference venue this week, as officials from around the world descended on Tokyo.
Up to 5,000 officers are being deployed every day in the surrounding area by the city's police force during the summit, local media said.
A large conference venue in central Tokyo has also been hired for the summit, using money contributed by the Japanese government and both international institutions, which the protesters decry.
"The Japanese government should spend money for the people in northern Japan and Fukushima who're suffering from the earthquake and the nuclear accident rather than giving it away to IMF," 63-year-old Fumi Akiyawa said.
This week's semi-annual IMF and World Bank meetings kicked off on Thursday (October 11) and run until Sunday (October 14).