The Rise and Fall of Japan's New Far Right

How Anti-Korean Discourses Went Mainstream

Bibliographic Data

ID2317482
AuthorsSharon J Yoon (0000-0003-4003-7687, University of Notre Dame, corresponding author), Yuki Asahina (0000-0003-1848-0754, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)
Year2021
Volume49
Issue3
Pages363-402
Publication date2021-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Politics and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1531-426X • E-ISSN: 1548-2456
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00323292211033072
OpenAlexW3193082103
LanguageEN
Citations received10

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

China · Extreme right · Far right · Framing (construction · Ideology · Mainstream · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Radical right · Right wing · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

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