By David Slater
Today, youth in Japan are more active than they have been in many years
(and as we have pointed out before, there have not been more
demonstrations since the 1960's and 70's). The recessionary image of
politically disaffected and economically alienated--the "lazy freeter"
image--- has to be reevaluated. In fact, it is in the context of a
political system that seems to show little concern for the situation of
this generation of young people (and now, not so young) and a labor market
that still does not provide meaningful work, job security or a living wage
to many, lots of young people are recently quite engaged.
Let me note two different and seemingly distant, but I think potentially
complementary forms of youth engagement.
As Tohoku Volunteers
Young people are the ones who have been primarily behind the huge influx of
volunteers in Tohoku. It was young people (esp. if you consider "youth"
going all the way to 32 years old) that constituted the main source of
volunteers since 3.11. These were the barely employed who cut back their
hours at the 7/11 (or quit the jobs altogether) and went up to dig. There
were also all sorts of other, older, foreign folks, etc, but both as
manual laborers and as innovative volunteer entrepreneurs, finding ways to
get information out and needed supplies into Tohoku, young Japanese
performed heroically.
As Anti-nuke Activists
The other group, much more visible today, are the networkers and street
activists of the ant-nuke movement. This group includes those who have been
organizing grassroots (digitally reconstituted) for years, and those others
who have only now turned out to march, dance, sing, play, yell, demand and
protest more recently in such huge numbers. They have mobilized resources
and media in the crafting of a message of industrial and political
indifference to widespread environmental and civic danger, of the need to
struggle, even for survival, against a threat that is almost as
frightening as a tsunami, and significantly, perceived as much more of a
threat to the rest of the urban population--nuclear power (and to some
extent, nuclear weapons and the industry as a whole).
Splitting the Differences
While both groups of young people share much the same economic conditions of
precarious labor, they are often looking in different directions
politically. Mud diggers do not often march--and look down to the Tokyo
protests and ask themselves--"If they are so concerned, maybe they should
come up to Tohoku to dig." In fact, to dig you have to be somewhat sanguine
about the danger of radiation, even to the point of assuring yourself and
others it is "safe" in Tohoku, as a way to showing solidarity with local
residents who do not or cannot leave, and as a way to recruit more
volunteers to dig. On the other hand, little of the anti-nuke message
includes appeals to go up and volunteer, a job that looks so big to many as
to be in vain (a perspective that is in fact shared by many of us who do
dig).
Common Ground in "Occupy Tokyo"? For those who are not following it, this
weekend Tokyo was full of "Occupy Tokyo" (links below) protests, smaller
than the 60,000 participants earlier, but still a start. This deserves an
entry itself, but it is rather early to understand their effects. Still,
that these protests should show up in Japan at a point when the volunteers
from Tohoku and the anti-nuke demonstrators are mobilized, open, active,
relatively optimistic, seems like a moment of opportunity in Japan.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20111016a1.html,
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111015002399.htm
http://www.japansubculture.com/2011/10/occupy-tokyo-another-good-excuse-to-come-out-and-hate-on-tepco/
If these two groups--diggers and marchers--can see the mobilization of the
other as another form of legitimate and meaningful activism, another way of
being committed and engaged, that will be a significant step forward,
expanding the base of activists in new directions. This seems to be the
challenge of the current movement today--to find a way craft a message that
links these diverse, but clearly connected, concerns and constituencies. Not
sure if "Occupy Tokyo" will do that, despite the shared economic instability
of both groups, and many others in society.
David Slater
Sophia U.
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/manage.cgi
