Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
start asking about why this and that, people listen but I feel most think I
am being a nuisance and should get on with it.
(conversation with Kazu, 29/10/2003)
He thought other people probably considered him a bit of a troublemaker.
This did not stop him from voicing his opinion, something he had seen as a
matter of course in the SGI European organisation. However, it was a
stressful process. He did think that some leaders listened to his request for
more discussion and tried to bring this up at meetings, but people did not
generally respond to it in the way he liked them to. During a time when he
had felt particularly upset about this, Ikeda happened to be talking about the
importance of asking oneself, why support Komeito? This had greatly cheered
him up. Moreover, he found it refreshing that Ikeda himself had said he
would refrain from talking about the election (at the monthly meeting)
because,
'
Probably everyone was fed up with hearing all their leaders talk
(which had made everyone laugh).
6
There were issues with which Kazu did not agree: Komeito supporting the
Iraq War and their support for increasing the number of nuclear power plants
(by 30% by 2010), especially as this was to be done in the name of environ-
mental protection. Yes, he could agree that it would help diminish CO
2
emissions, but according to him, this was not an environmentally viable
solution. He had written several times to the then Upper House legislator
Toyama Kiyohiko. The reply he got to his inquiries about the Iraq War he
found quite satisfying, but as an environmentalist he could not agree with
the nuclear power plant issue. Despite his criticism of Komeito and what he
considered
about it
'
, he still voted for Komeito
because he generally agreed with their policies and had trust in the integrity
of the politicians. Indeed, he even talked to his friends and family (who were
not Soka Gakkai members) about Komeito and its policies. However, he did
not tell his leaders this because he felt,
'
too obedient support for the party
'
I do this because I personally agree
with Komeito policies and political agenda, not just because I am a Soka
Gakkai member
'
'
.
For many active young Soka Gakkai members, supporting Komeito was
regarded to various degrees, although not without tension, as a natural
extension of their religious activities. The signi
cance attached to this support
could be described as being almost methodologically Weberian in the way
they analysed the meaning and purpose of their actions (Weber 1968). For
active supporters, their personal e
orts were seen as instrumental to the
materialisation of the good society, and in this way believed to have a wider
impact on politics and society more generally. However, how was Komeito
viewed by the people they called? Contacting people for political support,
supporters not infrequently had to confront negative public perceptions of
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