Can democracy survive the rise of the right?
"What," demanded a protesting student at the height of the summer of protests just past, "is to become of democracy?" No question better sums up a year ending, as it began, with terrorist massacres. Can democracy survive unbridled terror? It faces other challenges as well, most ...
SEALDs members' next step — launching a think tank
Members of the student group that ignited a massive wave of youth protests last summer against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security bills are embarking on a new project. Six members of Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs) have announced the launch of a think ...
Security law protesters to kick off 20-million signature petition drive
Dozens of citizen groups behind the Diet rallies against the new security laws said Thursday they will try to collect 20 million signatures — around a sixth of Japan's population — by May 3 to demand action. "Such activities have traditionally been conducted separately by ...
Anti-war student organization to close shop after Upper House poll
SEALDs, the group behind youth protests against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s security legislation, announces it will disband after next year’s Upper House election.
OVERSEAs Japanese show solidarity with activists back home
OVERSEAs is a loose collective that aims to unite Japanese-speaking people who want to support specific domestic causes from outside the country.
Bookstore's Twitter account supporting 'pro-democracy book fair' ignites online controversy
An "unofficial" Twitter account operated by a Tokyo bookstore employee that promoted a "pro-democracy book fair" has sparked an online controversy, resulting in cancellation of the event by the chain's head office. Criticism erupted when the Twitter account, purported to be run by an employee ...
Media vultures circle over battered SEALDs
That's it? It's over? "Scattered like leaves in the autumn wind," sighs Shukan Shincho magazine, speaking of the massive nationwide demonstrations that, through the summer, heralded (to some) a new political awakening of the Japanese masses (or something). The protesters' immediate target was new security ...
A founding member of the student protest group SEALDs has received a death threat against him and his family.
Nation's youth are attempting to establish a new political norm
"Tell me what democracy looks like!" "This is what democracy looks like." "Tell me what democracy looks like!" "This is what democracy looks like." Clamorous call-and-response chants such as this have resonated around the Diet in recent months, with thousands coming together to protest the proposed "reinterpretation" of ...
Abe government targets the liberal arts
Over the past several weeks I have received many emails from all over the world asking me if reports about government plans to pull the plug on humanities and social sciences departments at Japanese national universities are accurate or just a bad joke. At ...
Hashimoto gets typically Trump on protests
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is many things to many people, but nobody doubts his skill in the art of provocation. "There are 100 million voters in Japan," he said recently. "What percent of them are protesting in front of the Diet? The number is insignificant. ...
Student protests continue quest to block security bills
Student protesters continued to cry foul over what they call "unconstitutional" security legislation Wednesday in a last-minute effort before the bills' expected Diet passage later this week. Aki Okuda, 23, a founding member of Student Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs) — a leading student ...
