uyoku dantai

[Primus_Raven]

Do you guys know anything about "uyoku dantai"? The far right wing Japanese party? I plan on going to school/working in Japan/Asia in the near future. So its best to get to know the opposition/what to expect.

~Raven

[Dr Mindbender]

Do you guys know anything about "uyoku dantai"? The far right wing Japanese party? I plan on going to school/working in Japan/Asia in the near future. So its best to get to know the opposition/what to expect.

~Raven

From what i've heard the japanese nazi scene is pathetically small to the point of being negligible.

I've heard they try to organise in the big cities with megaphones but crowds walk past without paying attention at all and the police don't challenge them. Wether that means no-one takes them seriously or the authorities are complicit with their politics i don't know. Going from their website they are clearly suffering an identity crisis - 'wannabe germans' springs to mind

www.nsjap.com


EDIT: after further research it appears theyre a different party, but according to wiki they cant be that big because there are 1000 groups in japan classed as 'far right' with 100 000 members between them. I thought the western left suffered from sectarianism! It appears this Ukoyu dantai though are more of a japanese equivalent of the BNP though ~ fascism lite stripped of the fascist iconography and traditional rhetoric, so yeah, it might be an idea to keep an eye on these scumbags.

www.wikipedia/wiki/Ukoyu_dantai

[Dimentio]

NSJAP is more like a subcultural forum for people with a fetisch for nazi uniforms.

But the right-wing extremists don't really need any particular party in Japan. They are organising through informal clubs instead, with more or less open ties to both the criminal underworld and the political and financial and military establishment in the country.

Nationalism and racism is really strong underpinning currents in Japanese society. But it is more directed against - eventually - reestablish Japanese regional hegemonism than to kick out immigrants, namely because the number of immigrants in Japan is neglible.

[Dr Mindbender]

...i don't know if its worth mentioning but from a lot of these online sources i've read it appears a lot of these groups also have ties to the yakuza which adds a worrying asppect- perhaps they also have mafia mobsters running errands for them. From my experiences of growing up with irish politics which is rotten with gangsterism i'd advise people challenging this lot to tread carefully if they are in fact involved with the criminal underworld.

[Primus_Raven]

...i don't know if its worth mentioning but from a lot of these online sources i've read it appears a lot of these groups also have ties to the yakuza which adds a worrying asppect- perhaps they also have mafia mobsters running errands for them. From my experiences of growing up with irish politics which is rotten with gangsterism i'd advise people challenging this lot to tread carefully if they are in fact involved with the criminal underworld.

That is worrying. Is there any history of mafia related violence associated with the Japanese right wing against the left?

EDIT: I just checked out the NSJap website. I'll have to get a web page translator.. But seriously flight of the valkeryies?

[Dimentio]

That is worrying. Is there any history of mafia related violence associated with the Japanese right wing against the left?

EDIT: I just checked out the NSJap website. I'll have to get a web page translator.. But seriously flight of the valkeryies?

The militant left (everything to the left of the democratic party in Japan actually, including trade unions and social democrats) are routinely harassed by police, yakuza and fascists.

As for yakuza, they are seldom prosecuted, and often have their buildings and their clan symbols visible in the open. They have monopolised on criminality, and thus keeps it down.

There are also connections between the yakuza and the fascists, as Ulster Socialist implied.

[Primus_Raven]

(sorry for doing a semi necro)

What is the average Japanese citezens view of the left? Could one expect support from the people? Or will they be just as likely to ignore us as they do the right wing nut-jobs with there noise trucks?

As a the goverment is majority right wing, what kind of treatment should I expect as a communist from my teachers?

[Dimentio]

(sorry for doing a semi necro)

What is the average Japanese citezens view of the left? Could one expect support from the people? Or will they be just as likely to ignore us as they do the right wing nut-jobs with there noise trucks?

As a the goverment is majority right wing, what kind of treatment should I expect as a communist from my teachers?

The Japanese communist party gets 8-15% of the people behind them in each election. Its one of the world's largest marxist-leninist parties.

Yet, the typical Japanese is a conservative. In Japan, welfare and social benefits are tied to employment, much as in the USA. But Japan has a different culture. In some companies, I think the personnel are forced to swear an oath of allegiance to the company.

Some companies even arrange marriages between their employees.

If you change company, you could be seen as an untrustworthy traitor. If you lose your job, you are losing your social status. Suicide is one way to save the honour of the family.

Japan was industrialised very quick. It turned from an ancient feudal system to a capitalist economy between 1868 and 1905. A lot of the social mentality is still based on ancient values.

For example, every street has its own cop. Each week, the cop is visiting all homes and examining them, to see if nothing is "wrong". Its a very collectivist society.

[Primus_Raven]

The Japanese communist party gets 8-15% of the people behind them in each election. Its one of the world's largest marxist-leninist parties.

Atleast there is some good news then. I thank you for all your help with my questions comrade.

[Dimentio]

In the 1960;s, the leader of the social democrats was murdered by a 17-year old right-wing extremist in TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4KROpdUkrM

[Primus_Raven]

In the 1960;s, the leader of the social democrats was murdered by a 17-year old right-wing extremist in TV.

D4KROpdUkrM

Wow...thats real bad. I don't even know how to respond to that..

[Raúl Duke]

I don't know...when I was in Tokyo not each street had a cop...actually I could walk and walk and not see one. Although maybe in the smaller towns.

If it helps, note that a book written by a socialist about horrible conditions for sailors/workers in a boat is a best-seller and they are making a manga (comic book) that is "related" to Das Kapital.

[MarxSchmarx]

Most Japanese don't really care too much about politics. The mainstream parties in their country are uninspiring and inept to a majority of the population.

And in many respects Japan is very hospitable to leftists. For instance, unemployment is very low and Japan is one of the most fiercely economically egalitarian societies on earth. Yes there is deep poverty among a few , but homeless children are unheard of. Except for housing, a relatively high standard of living is enjoyed by all people, and housing has been somewhat lackluster but is improving.

Culturally, at least in the urban areas, Japan is very hospitable to young leftists. Religion is basically non-existent. Leftie subculture thrives for example the DIY culture is huge, there is a very lively experimental arts scene. About the only thing there isn't much of is a drug culture but that's compensated for more than adequately by a hard drinking culture - the finance minister famously showed up to a press conference at a G7 summit in Italy drunk recently :D. Young Japanese are very open minded to people of different races and, unlike earlier generations, don't particularly care about people's ethnicities. If you're Iranian or Brazilian or possibly Chinese it might be tougher, but if you're one generation removed from these countries things are fine. English is not widely spoken, so you should learn Japanese if you want to talk about leftist ideas.

As far as the uyoku dantai go, they leave most foreigners alone. The important exceptions are Koreans, Chinese and, in the north, Russians. But plenty of Koreans and Chinese make Japan their home and don't experience much or any trouble.

Unfortunately the leftie scene is difficult to get too excited about as a foreigner. Activism is either over issues that leftists in Europe and America worry about but most Japanese don't care about (like the mid east). Or it is about hyper-local issues that often have a NIMBY flavor to them, and are respectable but are of little interest to people who are there for the short term. There is little in the means of "movement building", although whatever your ideological stripe there is probably a tiny circle operating out of someone's apartment in Tokyo. University environments in particular a ripe with this sort of thing, as are even high schools. However, there is occasional sectarian violence between leftist factions (much less now than in the past), and dogamtism is rife. It also goes without saying that learning Japanese is critical to effectively participating in these groups - otherwise, you will be unable to contribute anything.

The mainstream left is best avoided. There are the old-line labor unions and the JCP, but neither of these are very hospitable towards young leftists from abroad who are only in Japan for a short time. They are largely dinosaurs, and the JCP has a passable line and respectable support but is going nowhere, at least in the forseeable future. Moreover, the JCP's focus is on electoral matters, and foreigners meddling in electoral affairs can get very touchy.

An important exception is the General Union. They were formed by Japanese and foreign workers a few years ago, and frequently deal with employment issues that arise out of companies screwing foreign workers. They are affiliated with the national trade union federation, but like in America, most people deal with the local of the General Union directly rather than through the national federation.

It goes without saying that for all the rosy picture I've painted, Japan is still a virulently capitalist society. One should not forget who is in charge, and the government knows who is buttering their bread. As in being an immigrant in any capitalist country, being active in a union in a workplace can be very risky.

All in all, if you're only going to spend a few years I think you'll find it very hospitable for a leftist. No doubt your stay won't be perfect, there will be instances of insane parochialism and provincialism that will drive you mad. That's true of living abroad anywhere. You'll make your peace with it.