 The Rise and Fall of Japan’s New Far Right: How Anti-Korean Discourses Went Mainstream*Sharon J. Yoon and
Yuki Asahina
Politics & Society, 2021, vol. 49, issue 3, 363-402 Abstract: Why has right-wing activism in Japan, despite its persistence throughout the postwar era, only gained significant traction recently? Focusing on the Zaitokukai, an anti-Korean movement in Japan, this article demonstrates how the new Far Right were able to popularize formerly stigmatized right-wing ideas. The Zaitokukai represents a political group distinct from the traditional right and reflective of new Far Right movements spreading worldwide. In Japan, concerns about the growing influence of South Korea and China in the 1980s as well as the decline of left-wing norms opened up a discursive opportunity for the new Far Right. By framing Korean postcolonial minorities as undeserving recipients of social welfare benefits, the Zaitokukai mobilized perceptions of threat that has continued to powerfully influence public perceptions of Koreans even following the group’s organizational decline. While past research has focused on the new Far Right’s political influence, this article stresses their roles as ideological entrepreneurs. Keywords: right wing; netizens; Zaitokukai; Zainichi; anti-Korean; new Far Right; nativism; xenophobia; ultranationalism; populism; historical revisionism; comfort women; Asahi Shimbun (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:49:y:2021:i:3:p:363-402 DOI: 10.1177/00323292211033072 Access Statistics for this article More articles in Politics & Society |
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