Blackwell Reference Online

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Local residents’ movements expanded greatly in Japan after the mid-1950s. Their names – such as “students’ movements” and “women's movements” – designate types of participants. The term “residents” indicates the local inclusiveness of the movement: anyone who lives in the area, if they are interested in a local issue, can participate. No other qualification is required. People of any age beyond high school, including senior citizens, male or female, people of any political affiliation or ideology, are welcome to participate. The boundary of the local area depends on the issues. In many cases it corresponds closely to a geographical area like a local school district, city, town, or village. But when pollution comes from a large-scale project like the bullet train or an airport, the movement can even extend beyond prefectural boundaries. In the Japanese context, local residents' movements are completely distinct from existing labor union movements and political movements led by political parties, such as the “progressive party,” the Japan Socialist Party (now the Social Democratic Party), or the Japan Communist Party. Major characteristics of local residents' movements include being (1) single issue or issue limited, (2) spontaneous, (3) non-partisan, and (4) stressing democratic values like participation, self-autonomy, freedom, and transparency. In this meaning the term “self-limited ... log in or subscribe to read full text