Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
From an insider
erently from Okamoto.
Although he agreed that outsiders might view Komeito
'
s point of view, Arita saw it di
s decision as going
along with the LDP to stay in power, this perception was, according to Arita,
at least partly due to lack of press coverage about the actions taken by
Komeito to try to
'
find a diplomatic solution. Arita, like Komeito, saw the
party as having tried various strategies, however imperfect, to
find a peaceful
solution, and that it was important to evaluate such actions against the given
reality and not according to a set standard. It was these di
erent perceptions
that played out in the minds of supporters who were less sure of how Komeito
had tried to a
erent outcome.
Yet the question remained for young supporters whether there had been a
subtle rede
ect a di
nition arising with a changing concept of identity, nation and a
new presence of Japan in world politics. Supporters were unsure about
whether this meant the role of Komeito also had to change and how much
they could agree with this. They asked themselves if Komeito was leaning
away from the ideals of Soka Gakkai members, its core supporters, function-
ing independently in a very political sense. Although many Komeito politi-
cians were admired and seen to be maintaining their belief in a certain
political agenda, supporters perceived a shift; decisions that Komeito made
had become more politicised, and certainly not more transparent. People
from the outside saw a singleness of purpose between the LDP and Komeito;
supporters looked at this relationship in a sense in quite similar ways
-
as
currently the only way to political expediency. However, with the invasion of
Iraq, Komeito
'
s role as de
ned by its supporters had clearly entered a di
er-
ent political territory that was fundamentally di
cult to reconcile for sup-
porters. While Toyama acknowledged that at the current juncture everything
played out against the Japan
USA Security Alliance, which was something,
according to Toyama, that Komeito would like to see changing towards a
more balanced relationship in the future, for supporters this created serious
ethical dilemmas about which they were forced to make a choice. Thus how
much of a
-
the role
Komeito kept telling its supporters that it was carving out for itself
'
brake
'
or
'
balancer
'
Komeito really was on the LDP
-
-
remained a part of the regular questions that Komeito supporters were asking
themselves during this time.
11
The young Soka Gakkai members I spoke to often talked about (either in
conversation with me or at their gatherings) working for peace as an objective
of their organisation. Soka Gakkai members derived their political motiva-
tion from ideals of tolerance, compassion, respect for others, and wishes for
peace and social equality on a collective level. They use such language in their
everyday speech and at meetings, and they invocate their aim of peace and
happiness for humankind as part of their twice-daily prayer,
'
I pray for peace
'
throughout the world and for the happiness of all humankind
(sekai no heiwa
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