Riding with the rightists

This is an especially interesting article on Japan’s enduring uyoku–(right-wing) political activists. Mishima is mentioned prominently.

Riding with the rightists.
Japan Times (Tokyo, Japan) Date: 22-OCT-06
Eric Prideaux
Accessed for free via http://www.accessmylibrary.com/

They are the (generally) black trucks that are the intimidating signature of Japan’s uyoku (rightwing) political activists — an element of society little understood by the average citizen, let alone foreign residents or visitors often moved to recoil in fear from the vehemence of the nationalistic passion they so stridently broadcast.

Today, many uyoku who call themselves minzoku-ha (ethnicity faction) regard themselves as patriots set on “restoring pride” in Japanese culture and history at a time when — as they see it — modern, Western-influenced values are eroding the time-honored fabric of Japanese society.
…

“Priorities vary from group to group, but overall the uyoku focuses on protecting the Japanese political order, a social order based on the Emperor,” explained Mitsuhiro Kimura, leader of the Tokyo-based shin-uyoku (new right) organization Issuikai.
…

Observers may wonder why any rightist need resort to coercion, considering former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s annual visits over five years to Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects to Japan’s war dead (including Class-A war criminals) — a key demand of the right. Add to that an incoming administration, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, that is committed to a staunchly conservative agenda, including a tough stance on North Korea and a commitment to bolstering patriotism in the nationwide school curriculum.

Yet, rather than sensing that their time has finally come, rightists seem to feel more embattled than ever. The reasons abound. In the area of gender relations, left and right have argued over the term “gender free,” implying a society free from sexual discrimination. To rightists of both sexes, these concepts represent a radical denial of natural differences between the sexes, and a rejection of family values at the heart of Japanese society.