The War at Home, the War Abroad : (Trans)Formations of Far-Right Activism in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

The past decade has been a period of rising nationalism and right-wing populism all over the world. It is evident that the influence of conservative right-wing ideologies is increasing, and with it the radical elements of the movement are empowered to push their ambitions more visibly and actively. Therefore, interest in the study of the far right, rather than the more prominent ‘mainstream-populist right’, is not misplaced. On a general level, research on radical movements can inform us what attracts people to controversial ideologies; how marginal organisations gather support, and how they go about realising their goals. On a normative level, it can also instruct us on how to counter such movements. In mid-2000s, a new strain of far right emerged in Japan and caused upheaval with their xenophobic rhetoric and activism, leading up to the formulation of Japan’s first hate speech law in 2016 andshowing that the Japanese far right is not a fixed presence. Instead, it is something that evolves according to its changing environment, and thus it would be unlikely that the global developments would leave the Japanese far right unaffected. This thesis analyses the transformation of the contemporary Japanese far right movement by means of a qualitative case study. It adds to the literature on Japanese far right and broader study of far right in general by calling attention to the strategies and rhetorics contemporary Japanese far right groups utilise, and how those features compare with the past. The two case study organisations, Nadeshiko Action and Nihon Seinensha, are chosen for their key aspects within the right-wing spectrum, but also on a ‘most-different’ basis in relation to each other, to allow for a more informative comparison between the cases and better generalisability. Data on the two groups is gathered from online publications and blog posts on their own websites and analysed via inductive content analysis. Social movement theory, with special emphasis on the concepts of advocacy and framing, is used to evaluate the degree of change and identify rhetorical trends in the activism of the case studies. The findings show that the Japanese far right is highly adaptable, and despite their core ideology remaining constant, the lines between the different strains of the movement are blurring as they try to relocate themselves from the marginal to the mainstream, while simultaneously seeking new, effective ways to mobilise support and promote their agendas.