Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
This topic is about the political activities of young people in a Japanese reli-
gious movement. It explores the political engagement of young members of
the largest Buddhist organisation in Japan, Soka Gakkai, or Value-creation
Society. As members of Soka Gakkai, many of the young people canvass for
the political party Komeito, or Clean Government Party. Young Soka Gakkai
members make up potentially as many as 7%
8% of young people in Japan;
1
exploring the nature of their political engagement means exploring a sig-
ni
-
cant part of Japanese civil society. Komeito grew out of Soka Gakkai and
became an independent political party in 1964. It continues to receive the
religious organisation
'
s electoral support during elections. The canvassing of
Soka Gakkai members has allowed Komeito to de
ne itself as an enduring
political force, but it has caused a number of controversies over the years.
Komeito became particularly prominent during its 10-year coalition (1999
-
2009) with the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP. In the 2009
election as Minshut
-
(Democratic Party of Japan) was swept to power,
Komeito lost one-third of its Lower House seats. Yet, it is proving to continue
to be an important political force.
Japanese people have seldom been seen as constituting active civil society
groups, nor as very interested in or involved with politics. Japan has never
been described as home to a signi
cant number of young social activists who
work for an alternative political vision. The view of Japan has been of a cul-
ture dominated by conservative ideologies and social norms that a
ect a
homogeneous social consensus and a strong national identity. Few studies,
however, have explored
firsthand political activities at the grassroots level.
There have been few anthropological studies of political participation that
link people in local communities to national-level politics other than dis-
cursively in terms of exploring dominant discourses. In recent years, how-
ever, a number of studies have appeared about young people. These studies
often show a lived experience that is either so socialised that young people
cannot but reproduce an overly controlling adult world or feel such social
pressure that they end up isolated or dropping out of the system altogether. In
