The Japanese anti-nuclear protest movement’s failure: dysfunctional civil society or structural bust?

The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident revitalised Japan’s anti-nuclear power protest movement. The summer of 2012 saw large protests in front of the parliamentary building. As a result, public opinion moved away from support of nuclear power to opposition to nuclear power. Many protesters believed that the nuclear debate would impact the 2012 lower house elections. This however proved not to be the case, proving to many onlookers that civil protest in Japan does not lead to political change. Indeed, many commentators believe that civil society in Japan is weak in comparison to the power of the bureaucracy. Yet, as this research shows, civil society is not by any means necessarily weak. This research argues that civil protest is quite viable in Japan if organised within a specific framework. The success of the ‘Article 9 Society’ provides an example for other civil protest movements looking to impact Japan’s political process. It is within the framework of the Article 9 Society...Show moreThe 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident revitalised Japan’s anti-nuclear power protest movement. The summer of 2012 saw large protests in front of the parliamentary building. As a result, public opinion moved away from support of nuclear power to opposition to nuclear power. Many protesters believed that the nuclear debate would impact the 2012 lower house elections. This however proved not to be the case, proving to many onlookers that civil protest in Japan does not lead to political change. Indeed, many commentators believe that civil society in Japan is weak in comparison to the power of the bureaucracy. Yet, as this research shows, civil society is not by any means necessarily weak. This research argues that civil protest is quite viable in Japan if organised within a specific framework. The success of the ‘Article 9 Society’ provides an example for other civil protest movements looking to impact Japan’s political process. It is within the framework of the Article 9 Society that other movements ought to organize their civil protest. Consequently, this research finds that the anti-nuclear power movement’s failure is not the result of a weak civil society, but rather a failure in protest organization.Show less

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The Japanese anti-nuclear protest movement’s failure: dysfunctional civil society or structural bust?