How Japanese welcome
foreigners in their
country!-----Uyoku are
Japanese ultra-nationalist
right-wing groups. They have a
strong influence upon domestic
politics in Japan, and can be
seen driving around major
cities in black vans and
trucks outfitted with
loudspeakers. The center of
the Uyoku movement is Yasukuni
Shrine in
more

How Japanese welcome
foreigners in their
country!-----Uyoku are
Japanese ultra-nationalist
right-wing groups. They have a
strong influence upon domestic
politics in Japan, and can be
seen driving around major
cities in black vans and
trucks outfitted with
loudspeakers. The center of
the Uyoku movement is Yasukuni
Shrine in central Tokyo, which
was the main war shrine during
World War II.Uyoku are often
purported to have ties to both
Japanese yakuza and some
right-wing politicians in the
ruling Liberal Democratic
Party. For example, Tokyo
mayor, Ishihara Shintaro, has
been linked to right-wing
groups such as the 'Seiryukai'
('Blue Dragon Society').
Foreigners often note the ease
with which the Uyoku operate
as a sign of police collusion
or sympathy. Uyoku do seem
more able to gain permission
for disruptive protests than
other activist groups. Their
signature black vans are a
fixture at the Shibuya train
station, a popular youth
hangout.To get their message
across, the public address
speakers were cranked up to
ear-splitting levels. You may
not notice them as you hurry
to work, but you have no
choice but to hear their
outdated ideology. The
fundamental beliefs that these
ultra-nationalists, or uyoku,
have is that, first, Japan
must return to its 1930's
'sacred values' -- including a
militaristic ideology,
deification of the Emperor and
Japanese as a pure and
homogenous people. There are
almost 1000 far-right groups
throughout the country with
membership of more than
100,000, with the majority
being affiliated with the
National Conference of
Patriotic Associations.
Mafia-style intimidation
towards media outlets that in
any way denigrate their sacred
view of Japan and the Emperor
has always been the oyoku's
main tool in getting their
way. For example, the Asahi
Shimbun, a national paper
known for its liberal views,
has faced many attacks from
the uyoku. In one instance the
attack was provoked by the
newspaper allegedly not using
the Emperor's name with the
correct honorific title. The
main office has been
surrounded a number of times
by the black vans of the uyoku
and have actually been rammed
into the Asahi Shimbun
building itself. The violence
escalated as far as murder
when Tomohiro Kojiro, an Asahi
reporter, was killed by a
shot-gun wielding rightist in
1987. The killer has yet to be
identified. Although only a
small group, Japan's right
wing seems to be gaining more
influence these days. In the
current political scene, they
have gained some momentum,
though not necessarily to the
extreme that hardcore members
would want. Take for instance,
the Ministry of Education's
approval of a certain junior
high school history text that
-- from the points of view of
China and Korea -- is painting
a much rosier picture of
Japan's role in World War II
than is historically accurate.
Atrocities are downplayed and
Japan's role in using sex
slaves from Korea and China
are excluded. The organization
responsible for the
contentious textbooks, The
Society to Write New History
Textbooks, is comprised of
nationalistic teachers and
writers. They argue that the
current texts -- the ones they
are working to replace -- are
'masochistic.' Nakamura Isao,
an associate of the group,
also helped fund a film in
1998. 'Pride: A Moment of
Fate' told the story of
General Tojo Hideki as a
victim during the Tokyo Trials
following Japan's defeat. Isao
was quoted as saying that 'It
is clear that our history text
writers' position is to just
attack [Japanese history] --
explanations of (Japan's)
successes don't exist in our
history -- our modern history
is written as a history of
crime.'

Category Travel & Places

Tags uyoku, party, bus, japan, japanese, yakuza, vacation, asia, asian, far, east, racist, racism, fascist, fascism, nazi