Japan
Japan is a bicameral parliamentary democracy. The parliament is known
as the diet. The emperor is the constitutional monarch.
Following the election for the house of representatives on 20 October, the
government continues to be formed from a coalition led by the Liberal Democratic
Party. Ryutaro Hashimoto holds the office of prime minister; he has held
the health and welfare, transport, finance, and international trade and
industry posts during his twelve-term membership of the house of representatives.
Concerns were raised over a dramatic increase in voters' apathy at the October
poll. Only 59.9 per cent of voters turned out on polling day, a decrease
of more than 10 per cent over the last six years, and 8 per cent over three
years. Main opposition parties include the Social Democratic Party of Japan
and Sakigake (New Party Harbinger).
The trial of Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth)
cult (see PARTIES, ORGANIZATIONS, MOVEMENTS), began in April and continued
through the year. Asahara is accused of seventeen counts of murder and felonies
relating to the orchestration of the sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway
in March 1995. The first attack killed twelve people and injured 5,500,
who were treated for the ill effects of the gas.
The reconstruction of the city of Kobe, which was shattered by an earthquake
in January 1995, continued in 1996. The earthquake left over 5,000 dead
and 300,000 people homeless, and it will cost an estimated $400 billion
to reconstruct the city.
Japan's economy continued to lag behind the USA in 1996, continuing a modest
growth rate of approximately 2.5 per cent of real gross domestic product,
as in fiscal year 1995. Residential investment rebounded from a negative
figure the previous year, although commercial investment fell.
There has been a Jewish population in Japan since the mid-nineteenth
century. Nagasaki had an early Jewish mercantile settlement, and Jewish
communities were present in Yokohama and Kobe in 1860. The population grew
in the early twentieth century with the passage of refugees from the Russian
Revolution through Siberia and Kamchatka, and during the late 1930s from
Nazi Germany. In 1940, 5,000 Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland arrived
in Kobe, subsequently leaving for the USA and Shanghai.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was translated into Japanese
following the Russian Revolution, and numerous antisemitic books and magazines
were published in Japan. During the mid-1980s the antisemitic and Holocaust-denying
books of Masami Uno, a fundamentalist Christian, entered the best-seller
list, making more than 1 million sales. Uno (and several others) claimed
that an international Jewish conspiracy was the cause of Japan's economic
difficulties. Although sales of such books had declined by the late 1980s,
antisemitic articles were published in Japanese magazines from mid-1992.
A survey commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL)
in 1988 found that the Japanese attitude to Jews was largely negative. Terms
such as "unfriendly" and "greedy" were used to describe
Jews, and a small percentage even termed them "unclean and deceitful".
In 1992 the Chikyu Ishin-to (see PARTIES, ORGANIZATIONS, MOVEMENTS) received
over 11,000 votes in the July parliamentary elections for the upper house
of representatives.
Japanese society is very homogeneous, with only a small number of ethnic groups. The strong cultural and religious concentration on conformity and tradition generates attitudes of suspicion of foreigners. For instance, there are approximately 700,000 persons of Korean origin living in Japan and they are subject to deeply entrenched social discrimination. The 100,000 indigenous Ainu who live mainly on Hokkaido also experience various forms of discrimination, such as restricted access to private housing and employment.
There are an estimated 100,000 right-wing nationalists in Japan. Like
the militias in the USA (see page 50) the camouflage-wearing, ultra-nationalist
right-wingers are fiercely conservative, organized in a loose military structure,
well armed and committed to violence to press an agenda they equate with
patriotism. The groups, united by a sense that Japan is not what it used
to be, believe that Japan has apologized too much for the Second World War.
The groups are vocal, using "sound trucks" to convey their message
through the streets.
The Chikyu Ishin-to (World Restoration Party) is a small antisemitic party
headed by Ryu Ota, who has written several antisemitic books.
Small neo-Nazi parties also exist in Japan. They are represented under an
umbrella organization, the Kokka Shakaishugi Domei (National Socialist Alliance).
Total membership of these groups is estimated at 300-400. Their activities
are limited to occasional protests and they are largely rejected by the
mainstream parties.
None of these parties obtained electoral representation as a result of elections
for the house of representatives or local councils during 1996.
The Aum Shinrikyo cult (see GENERAL BACKGROUND) extols antisemitism as part
of its doctrine. In early 1995 one of the cult's publications contained
an article entitled "A Guide to Fear: The Jewish Aspiration Total World
Conquest". The article claimed that Jews promoted their aim of global
dominance by taking advantage of Japan after the Second World War. Aum Shinrikyo
also believed that the USA is controlled by Jews and Freemasons. Several
Japanese leaders, including the Japanese ambassador to the UN, were described
by Aum Shinrikyo as puppets of the Jews. Since the arrest and trial of its
leader in 1996 the cult has ceased its activities.
Some shops in Tokyo continue to sell Nazi paraphernalia, including SS insignia
and uniforms. Clients for such symbols are not necessarily supporters of
Nazi ideology, and ignorantly view them as fashion accessories. Japanese
counter-culture continues to accept the glorification of Nazi symbols and
uniforms. Young Japanese can be seen on the streets of major cities dressed
in elaborate SS and Gestapo uniforms. It is doubtful, however, that the
symbolism that these uniforms and Nazi accessories have for westerners is
understood by Japanese youth.
There were no major incidents of antisemitism in the mainstream Japanese
media during 1996.
Antisemitic works are available in Japan, although major bookstores generally
refrain from displaying them in prominent positions.
The US-based Institute for Historical Review (see United States of America) opened a branch in Japan in June 1994. Its inaugural lecture was given by Ryu Ota (see PARTIES, ORGANIZATIONS, MOVEMENTS), and its supporters include many of the small neo-Nazi parties throughout Japan.
A Holocaust education centre was established in Tokyo in 1995, attracting more than 80,000 Japanese visitors, and thousands more in 1996.
Antisemitism in Japan is based largely on ignorance of Jews and Judaism
and a general xenophobic attitude amongst the populace, but does not pose
a significant threat to the Jewish community. In recent years education
campaigns and wide publicity surrounding the 1995 closure of the magazine
Marco Polo following its publication of a Holocaust-denying article
may have increased Japanese understanding of Judaism.
Yet philosemitism, which manifests itself in a Japanese reverence for Jews
and Jewish success in business, has set up an aura around Jewish power.
© JPR 1997