Female Nationalist Activism in Japan: Truth-Telling Through Everyday Micro-Practices

Abstract

There is an emerging debate about the role and importance of women in right-wing nationalist movements. Drawing on research that highlights the need to study such women as active and complex political agents, this article examines a phenomenon that has previously received little attention—the activism of female Japanese nationalists. We approach the question of how such activism is practiced by analyzing a group interview with female nationalists, a nationalist manga centering on women’s experiences, and autobiographic books on such activism by and for Japanese women. The article contributes by arguing that female nationalist agency in Japan is a complex phenomenon, which is enacted through everyday micro-practices. It outlines how female nationalist activism draws upon and enhances, as well as challenges and transcends, a traditional Japanese “housewife identity.” As such, the female Japanese nationalist is imagined as having access to certain truths. She takes on the role of “truth-teller,” who is playing a strategic role in “waking people up” to the nationalist cause by voicing anger but also making space for a more “joyful,” “cute,” and inconspicuous everyday activism.

Vaccine Hesitancy and Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Misinformation in Japanese Youth: The Contribution of Personality Traits and National Identity

“…Unlike within many Western societies, the division of social roles and expectations based on gender remains readily apparent within Japanese society and relates to historical duties in service of the nation. In short, males have almost exclusive moral responsibility for dealing with threats to the nation (i.e., fighting in wars and protecting the economy), whereas females have the responsibility for raising children, supervising education, and ensuring the next generation is ready to serve the nation [116,117]. Given the relationship between nationalism and vaccine hesitancy, it was also expected in the current study that vaccine hesitancy would be greater among male participants than female participants (β = 0.10 *).…”