The SEALDs: an indifferent image of youth in Japanese politics

Abstract

Young people in Japan are expected to be apathetic in political participation. However, mass demonstrations against the legislation of the collective security bill in 2015 projected an indifferent image of youth in Japanese politics. Large amounts of Japanese young people actively participated in the demonstrations through a youth political organization known as Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs). Their stunning protest styles and coordination skills have become the spotlight of social media and news, drawing worldwide discussions on Japanese youth politics. Under wide range of comments and debates, the emergence of SEALDs with active participation of young people seems to challenge the politically apathetic image of youth in Japan and also recalling our memories of the student movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, this essay will explore the implications of SEALDs to youth politics in Japan through observations, and then compare it to student movements in the 1960s and 1970s. It aims to prove that Japanese youth are not politically apathetic in nowadays.