ancjapan ANC Japan Mission Inventory of the ANC Japan Mission Finding aid prepared by Edwin Staples. University of Fort Hare Library, ANC Archives August 03, 2005
Finding aid encoded by Mark P Snyders on August 03, 2005 English Overview of the Collection University of Fort Hare Library, ANC Archives
African National Congress Liberation Archives 1984 - 1993 2.25 linear metre Before the opening of our representative office, quite a number of our comrades, including Comrade President O.R. Tambo visited the region, Japan in particular, to campaign and solicit support for our struggle. Influential individuals from inside South Africa like Rev. Allen Boesak and Bishop Tutu also made trips, at least once to Japan to further mobilize for isolation of the apartheid regime. These important visits, together with international condemnation of Japan as the leading trading partner of Pretoria and the national showing of the movie “Cry Freedom”, occasional small scale activities and campaigns of anti-Apartheid and other citizen movements, help to create a foundation from which our newly opened office could start its activities and implement tasks assigned. ancjapan The records are in English . Biographical Note

Following the banning of the African National Congress (ANC) as an illegal organization on 8 April 1960, The ANC operated underground. The ANC functioned internally as an underground organization and externally as an overseas organization. Oliver Tambo was sent overseas as the ANC acting president general and head of the external mission. External missions were opened in London, Accra, Cairo, and Dar-es-Salaam. Eventually the ANC had offices and representatives in 32 countries by 1980. The external missions worked to win support for the overthrow of apartheid by promoting the cause of the ANC and urging international economic pressure against the South African government.

The external missions worked to win support for the overthrow of apartheid by promoting the cause of the ANC and urging international economic pressure against the South African government.

The records of the New York Mission (series, Subject Files, folder Oslo Conference) furnish us with the following history, written by Mission Chief Jerry Matsila, in 1989:

The ANC Chief Representative arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on May 15...and opened our first mission to the Far East Region ten days later, May 25, 1988-Africa Liberation Day. All these took place as planned and implemented accordingly.

Scope and Contents

This collection briefly chronicles the transition of the Japanese attitude to the ANC and Africa at large, from one of misunderstanding and economic cynicism to a relationship of support with the changing South African leadership. While this transition is far from complete, the collection shows that, on the part of the ANC Japanese Mission, there was an understanding of heightened communication as a tool to furthering better relations between the two countries.

There are four series. Correspondence, Newsclippings, Subject Files Periodicals and. Photographs.

Correspondence (7 folders) are arranged mainly chronologically. Faxes were kept separately by the offices as Faxes Received and Faxes dispatched. However, this distinction was done away with because the faxes within the files were already mixed. and then separated by year.Where senders and recipients are mixed, the folder is given a general name, such a Faxes Dispatched. Like other missions, this mission contains a preponderance of evidence of the planning of events; the receipt by the ANC of supportive overtures from dozens of agencies, unions, countries and NGOs; and an increasing support from external forces, the harvesting of which was key to the success of the ANC.

Newsclippings (20 cm) focuses on the higher profile South African issues, briefly displaying the transitions that foreign missions had to make in the early 1990’s from being harbingers of change to supporters and public relations offices to a newly empowered political force.

Periodicals (72 cm) is a combination of international and South African publications, primarily those with a strong support of or interest in the Anti-apartheid movement.

The Photographs (30 cm) series feature records of supporting events within Japan to garner solidarity and financial support within the country and to educate the populous on the importance of understanding the struggle in South Africa.

Subject Files (93 cm) is a record of both the Japanese and the South African Anti-apartheid movements. Some Japan-centred folders in this series reveal the nascent movement to sway the Japanese and Asians in general away from what is perceived as a general misunderstanding African people, and a tacit racism (as opposed to the active racism of the Western nations). Such titles as Stop Racism in Japan and The Association to Stop Racism Against Blacks display that the ANC office was in tune with the changing attitudes of Japanese society.

Restrictions on Access

The Collection is Open

 Preferred Citation

University of Fort Hare, ANC Archives, ANC Japan Mission Records, Box no.[], file no. []

 Acquisition Information

ANC Archives Committee

 Detailed Description of the Collection Correspondence 1 1 Correspondence, 1988 – 1989 1 2 Correspondence, 1990 – 1991 1 3 Correspondence, 1992 – 1994 1 4 Faxes, n.d., 1988 – 1990 1 5 Faxes, 1991 – 1993 1 6 Faxes, ANC Women’s League, 1 7 Mandela, N.R., Includes congratulatory message from SGI President Ikeda, Oct 1993 (Nobel Peace Prize), n.d.,1993 Newsclippings 2 1 Newsclippings n.d,197? – 1988 2 2 Newsclippings, 1989 2 3 Newsclippings, 1990 2 4 Newsclippings, 1991 2 5 Newsclippings, 1992 (i) 3 6 Newsclippings, 1992 (ii) 3 7 Newsclippings, 1992 (iii) 3 8 Newsclippings, 1992 (iv) 3 9 Newsclippings, 1992 (v) 4 10 Newsclippings, 1992 (vi) 4 11 Newsclippings, 1993 – 1994 4 12 Japanese, 1988 – 1990 5 1 A.L. Nellum, visit to SA, 1990-1991 5 2 African Heads of Missions, Japan: Minutes of meeting, Nov 1992 and various meeting notices 1992 5 3 Amandla, Japan Tour, 1990 5 4 Amnesty International Japanese Section, 1988 – 1989 5 5 ANC 77th Anniversary Celebration (in Japanese and English), 1988 5 6 ANC 77th Anniversary Celebration (in Japanese and English), 1988 5 6 ANC 80th Anniversary Celebration, 1991 5 7 ANC Catalogues, n.d., 1988 5 8 ANC Development Centre, Dakawa,Annual General Report, 1991 5 9 ANC Economic Policy Discussion documents, 1990 – 1991 5 10 ANC Election Strategy workshop, 1993 5 11 ANC Elections, 1994 5 12 ANC International Donors Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, Feb 1991 Subject Files 6 13 ANC International Solidarity Conference, Feb 1993 6 14 ANC papers: policy, discussion, workshops, c1990s 6 15 ANC Speeches, n.d.,1993 6 16 ANC Statement on “Taiwan withdraws visa for ANC Chief Rep, 1990 6 17 ANC Statements and press releases (1), c1990s 6 18 ANC Statements and press releases (2), c1990 6 19 ANC Tokyo office, press releases, 1988-1991 6 20 ANC vision for 1991 (Japan office), 1991 6 21 ANC Women’s League, Malibongwe Conference and Policy Development Division, 1989 and 1993 6 22 ANC Youth League paper: "S A Youth: Reconstruction and Development", n.d. 6 23 Anti Aparthied campaigns, 1992. Includes Anti apartheid Asia Oceania workshop papers, 1988 7 24 Appeal from Pretoria’s death cells, 1989 7 25 Arts against Apartheid, n.d., 1988-1991 7 26 Arts, culture and Sport, includes songsheets and Nkosi Sikelele in Japanese, 1989 – 1990 7 27 Asia, Africa, Latin America Solidarity Committee (AALA), n.d., 1987 – 1991 7 28 Association to Stop Racism Against Blacks [in Japan], the, c1988 7 29 Beyond Apartheid (ANC booklet in Japanese), n.d. 7 30 Biographies: Mbeki, Thabo; Chissano, Joaquim A; Gwangwa, Jonas; Shope, Ntombi R, 8 31 Campaigns, 1988 – 1989 8 32 Cards, badges, business cards, stickers, 8 33 CASA Choir Netherlands, incl songsheets, 8 34 CODESA (Convention for a Democratic South Africa), 1992 8 35 Congress of South African trade Unions (COSATU) and affiliates, miscellaneous documents, 8 36 Education in South Africa, n.d., 1991 – 1992 8 37 Freedom Charter copies, 1955 8 38 Gold Boycott, n.d., 1989 – 1990 8 39 Harare Declaration, OAU, 1989 8 40 Health Sector, various papers, 8 41 Hong Kong Anti-Apartheid, includes speech by Cyril Ramaphosa, Oct 1991 8 42 International movement against all forms of discrimination and racism, n.d., 1991 – 1993 9 43 Invitations to various functions and events, 1989 –1993 9 44 Japan Afro-American Friendship Association (JAFA), 1991 – 1993 9 45 Japan Anti-Apartheid Committee, also includes 2 booklets on aparthied in Japanese, n.d., 1988 – 1990 9 46 Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, 1988 9 47 Justice for Sharpeville Six, 1988 9 48 Korea, 1989-1990 9 49 Liberal Democratic Party, Japan, various booklets, 10 50 Lind J.E and Espalson, D.V, “South Africa’s debt at the timeof crisis”, April, 1986 10 51 Mandela, N.R., Australia and Japan Visit, 1990. Includes various speeches by Mandela, 1990 10 52 Message to N Mandela on his Release, 1990 10 53 Matsila, Jerry, ANC Chief Representative in Japan: Speeches, 1992 – 1993 10 54 Namibia, Information package on dicriminatory and restrictives laws affecting free and fair elections, Swapo, c1989-1990 10 55 Namibia, various booklets, 10 56 National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC), 24th Annual Conference, 7 –11 Aug 1988, various papers, 1988 10 57 National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL), n.d., 1987 – 1989 10 58 National Development Forum, Press release, Sept 1991 11 59 National Party documents and statements by F W De Klerk, 1989 – 1992 11 60 National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, NUMSA, 1991-1992 11 61 Negotiations, various papers, n.d., 1990 – 1993 11 62 Osaka University Students comments “ Any Child is My Child”, Fall, 1990 11 63 Paper : “The Defiance campaign of 1952 in SA against unjust laws: A crminilogical perspective”, Molobi, Frank, R., 1989 11 64 Papers and statements (non-ANC), 11 65 Papers: “ A half-hearted anti-apartheid policy” by Hayashi Koji, 1989; Nordic programme of action against apartheid and “Japan and SA”, Yoko Kitazawa, 11 66 Political Prisoners campaign, n.d., 1988 – 1989 11 67 Profiles of nominees for ANC NEC (incomplete), 1991 11 68 Proposals, misc, n.d. 1991-1994 11 69 Sanctions, contraventions, 1989 – 1990 11 70 Sanctions, various reports. Includes Taiwanese investment in SA, ca 1985 – 1990 12 71 Second hand items projects, 1991 12 72 Social Democratic Party of Japan, 1992 – 1993 12 73 SOHYO (General Council of Trade unions of Japan), 1988 – 1989 12 74 South Africa Scholarship Programme, 1989-1990 12 75 South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (SADTU), 1991 12 76 South African Municipal Worker;s union (SAMWU), constitution, 12 77 Soweto Civic Association, constitution and booklet, 1990 12 78 Speeches (non-ANC), 1988, 1991-1992 12 79 Sports, 1992 12 80 “Waiting on Death”, statement on experience of those on death row, 1989 12 81 World Conference for a Nuclear Free World papers, Aug 1988 12 82 Zenko Festival, n.d., 1992 – 1993 Periodicals 13 1 African Communist (Braille on cover), Third Quarter, 1991 13 2 Aliran (Malaysia), 1987-1989 13 3 Anti Apartheid Movement Publications, n.d, 1986, 1988 - 1992 13 4 Commonwealth News, 1983 - 1987 13 5 Economist, The, 1990 13 6 Grassroots, 1988-1989 13 7 Japan Press Weekly, 1991 14 8 Miscellaneous publications, 14 9 Peace Wave News, 1987-1988 14 10 Phambili ANC Newsletter in Japanese, 1992 Photographs 15 1-3 Miscellaneous, 1989-1991 15 Music, ca1990