Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
support Komeito politicians.
The teaching of Nichiren is that each person
can become happy based on faith
'
but it also teaches that
each person creates their own environment and as a consequence is responsible
for changing it
'
, Kubota stresses,
'
(interview with Kubota, 8 July 2010). Politics are not seen as
separate from this.
At
'
s position on the base issue seems to have changed
over the years. Indeed, some previous Komeito supporters were arguing this
and had stopped supporting the party. Young supporters learned that the
history of the struggle over the bases was for a long time placed between
conservative and progressive forces, between right- and left-wing politics.
They also learned that ideological positions had become insu
first glance, Komeito
'
cient to solve
the issue. Komeito as an opposition party at
first worked for reform in a
similar fashion to the socialists and communists in Okinawa, proclaiming its
opposition to the bases
existence. As Komeito began cooperating with the
LDP, its position began to change. Komeito says that its position of wanting
to get rid of the bases never changed, but that the approach to achieving this
did. There was a time when whether or not to support the Japan
'
USA
Security Alliance (Anpo) was central to politics. Until the collapse of the
Soviet Union, this was the most important struggle in each era. During that time,
Komeito, as a party that sought to realise peace, while taking a centrist posi-
tion, also framed its stance within this ideological struggle between right and
left, and was more to the left, in a position of opposition. During this time, to
promote peace meant to want the bases removed from Okinawa. That is part
of Soka Gakkai
-
'
s history in Okinawa, and it was through this position that
Soka Gakkai engaged in peace activities previously.
However, during the 1990s it was becoming clear that such a struggle had
not led to the bases being removed, or to improving the many other problems
facing people in Okinawa. Other problems than issues related directly to
'
were becoming more prominent, such as unemployment, health care and
wider economic problems. There was a rising emphasis within Soka Gakkai
that besides issues that were directly focusing on peace, such as removing the
bases, it was important to improve each person
peace
'
s daily life. Many people had
no work, no health insurance, no access to medical treatment, no social
security
'
traditional issues that Komeito wanted to improve. It became more
and more apparent that it was not only an issue of being against the bases,
but about being able to realise policies that improved people
-
s daily lives. It
was with this argument that Komeito in Okinawa entered the coalition with
the LDP. The
'
first step that Komeito took was to switch their support for Ota
Masahide, Governor of Okinawa from 1990
98, to Inamine Keiichi, the LDP
supported candidate. Until now, as part of the opposition it had supported
Ota, a peace scholar and historian of Okinawa. Yet although there was a
strong sense that something else needed to be done, Komeito and Soka
Gakkai were at a crossroads.
There were mixed opinions about this within the organisation, followed by
various discussions and heated debates. Some members even left or stopped
-
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