The Politics of Non-Politics in Japan, 1968-Present

In the late 1960s, a new style of “non-political” social movement emerged in Japan. Despite aiming at social reforms, these movements—including environmental, consumer protection, and local improvement movements—embraced a rhetoric of “non-politics,” disclaiming “ideology” in exchange for an exclusive focus on “issues.” These paradoxically “non-political” organizations achieved great success in the political arena, and by declaring that “anyone can join,” these movements articulated and actualized a number of policy goals. As the white-collarization of Japan’s male workforce continued apace, and high-speed economic growth allowed social norms emphasizing full-time housewifery to strengthen, many of these new movements were organized in significant part by housewives in new exurban housing developments, as part of so-called “residents’ movements” (jumin undō). I trace the history of Japan’s “non-political” political activism from the late 1960s to the present, including recent movements against nuclear power plants and the 2015 Security Bill. I argue that because the wages of “anti-politics” were so high, this approach became hegemonic in Japanese political organizing, such that many movements may continue to feel compelled to embrace it even when they seek more overtly “political” objectives.

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About the speaker:

Nick Kapur received his Ph.D. in Japanese history from Harvard University, working under Akira Iriye ad Andrew Gordon, and is presently Associate Professor of History at Rutgers University’s Camden campus, where he teaches Japanese and East Asian history. His research interests focus on modern Japan and US-Japan relations, broadly conceived. His book Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo (Harvard University Press, 2018) details enduring transformations in Japanese politics, culture, and society, as well as US-Japan alliance diplomacy and the Cold War international system, that unfolded in the aftermath of the massive 1960 protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty. In addition, he has recently published research on US-Japan relations during the John F. Kennedy administration, the 1968 centennial celebrations of Japan’s Meiji Restoration, and Japan’s postwar student movement. He has also been involved in a variety of digital projects, including creating the Japan Disasters Archive at Harvard University and designing a digital simulation of Sengoku-era Japan for classroom use. Most recently, he has played a leading role in organizing the newly-founded Modern Japan History Association.