Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks during the Millennium Development Goals Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
© Japan TodayWhere is everybody?
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Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks during the Millennium Development Goals Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
© Japan Today
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some14some
Big Auditorium but very small crowd of listeners !
gaijinfo
LOL nobody there.
semperfi
Do these representatives get payed NOT to attend ?
alladin
It sure looks like no one is interested in listening to Kan because by the way it looks in this picture, the place is almost empty with not much people.
Lunchbox
Looks a bit like Severn Suzuki's amazing "nobody there" UN speech.
Sarge
Seeing all these empty seats scattered all over the auditorium really ticks me off. The people sitting in the back should move up to fill the empty seats closer to the podium.
Alphaape
I guess the speech was not delivered during Prime Time. I wonder did China put the squeeze on people to not attend in response to the fishing boat incident.
arrestpaul
I believe these are assigned seats. There appears to be brown name plaques in front of the delegates. The tan seats are for the delegates and the light blue seats behind them are for their aids. Or not?
mushroomcloud
Where is everybody?
Everyone else will be attending Wen Jiabao's speech.
Sad but true.
islandview
This was on the pre-noon news on Japan TV today. The TV show focused on the near empty seating area, comparing it to when Obama spoke and many more people were there.
@Sarge -- this photograph was taken at the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Each country has assigned seats. The upper level is part of the gallery where the public and people without assigned seats are permitted to sit. THey cannot just wander down to the main section to fill in seats.
I think that the hall was almost filled prior to Kan's speech. But when he stepped up to the podium and his face was shown on those bigger-than-gigantic TV screens (there are 2 of them there, only one is shown in the photo), many people went running out of the hall when the cameraman made a super-closeup focused on Kan's forehead mole.
I think some of the comments here are probably correct in that China had some back-room dealings to get people out of the hall for Kan's speech. Ain't China clever!??
Gurukun
I guess this time, China put some sushi in the hall way while Kan gave his speech.
Gurukun
Is that the Rolling Stones Logo on the wall? LOL!
McC72
He came just right after Obama so maybe Obama stole some of his show
888naff
Well sometimes you have to keep an eye on the loud mouth or the bad boy of the playground. Some of the quieter ones will just be trusted to deliver, don't need to keep such an eye on them so much, only need to read the summary memo.
888naff
Usually its better to be there to receive a gift when its given to you.
koiwaicoffee
I wish Kan wanted to apply the "millennium goals" in his own country..
MakusuSun
There is no excuse for not attending an important speach such as this one.