Japan's young turn to Communist Party as they decide capitalism has let them down

[alicia454]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/3218944/Japans-young-turn-to-Communist-Party-as-they-decide-capitalism-has-let-them-down.html
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo; Date 18 Oct 2008

With its gleaming designer stores, the world's second largest economy and an insatiable appetite for luxury labels, Japan has long been regarded as the land of the rising capitalist.

But a wave of discontent among its younger workers is fuelling a change in the nation's political landscape: communism is suddenly back in fashion. What many young Japanese view as an erosion of their economic security and employment rights, combined with years of political stagnation, are propelling droves of them into the arms of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), the nation's fourth largest political party.

New recruits are signing up at the rate of 1,000 a month, swelling its ranks to more than 415,000. Meanwhile a classic proletarian novel is at the top of the best-seller lists, and communist-themed "manga" comics are enjoying soaring success.
More...

The plight of the McWorker generation, with low paying service industry jobs replacing higher paying manufacturing jobs is a big problem among all developed nations, including Japan. As long as workers get shafted by corrupt governments and multi-national corporations engaging in unfair business and exploitive labour practices, younger people in particular will jump onboard any fringe and even lunatic ideology that provides more than lip service to their plight. Support for communism, anarchism, and religious fundamentalism is growing world wide as powerless individuals seek simple solutions. The current global economic crisis and the pumping of trillions of dollars of public money benefiting primarily the wealthy elite is going to make things much worse for youth sentiment.

[james]

it amounts to a lack of vision from those at the helm of developed economies all the way "down" to consumers.

and therein lies part of the problem too - this shift in thinking; we are no longer "citizens" but "consumers".

everyone bitches about all the cheap fucking crap dumped on the market made in chinese prison camps yet what does everyone buy? who these days will spend $10 on a screwdriver made locally, with local labour supporting family run businesses that give good service and provide better jobs to the local economy, when you can buy one for $1.50 and throw it out when it breaks in two weeks?

the american economy (as an example) was set on a direct path to the shitter when they started paying mexicans 50 cents a day to build nissans back in the 90s.

no one these days thinks beyond their next paycheque. investors, companies and CEOs can't see past their next financial quarter results and the long-term thinking and "saving for a rainy day" and being part of a local community that was the pervasive mode of thinking in pre-war north america was supplanted by a culture of entitlement and instant gratification when the boomers came of age.

[GuyJean]

.. the american economy (as an example) was set on a direct path to the shitter when they started paying mexicans 50 cents a day to build nissans back in the 90s.

:lol: Those were the days.. Can't get a deal like that anymore..

GJ

[Osakadave]

Hmmm... interesting, interesting...

Time had a good article last year on the JCP: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1636115,00.html

[aljones15]

is there a scanlation of the manga form of Kani Kosen anywhere? or a pdf or the original book? The UNESCO library has an English translation of the novel.

-
A

[Behan]

[SIZE="5"]Four legs bad[/SIZE]




[SIZE="6"][color="Red"]But two legs very BAAAAAADDDDDDD![/color][/SIZE]



Well, I'm assuming she has two legs, anyway.

[Greji]

[Iraira]

Do I hear Greji shifting over to the left?

[pheyton]

Even I was going to say these kids are moving too far to the left, until I saw the picture above! Communism and chicks in uniforms for all!!

[hundefar]

Communism: Prison camps and standing in line all day for loaf of broad. What's not to like?

[prolly]

wake me up when <i>this</i> fad passes.

[xenomorph42]

wake me up when <i>this</i> fad passes.

Yes, I totally agree! Let's jump on the bandwagon of entitlements, government income redistribution and the distribution of wealth and property, wow! Now that's the kind of life every hardworking person should look forward too.
The government should take care of everyone, it's their responsibility to make sure I'm covered, in every situation.

[prolly]

Yes, I totally agree! Let's jump on the bandwagon of entitlements, government income redistribution and the distribution of wealth and property, wow! Now that's the kind of life every hardworking person should look forward too.
The government should take care of everyone, it's their responsibility to make sure I'm covered, in every situation.

what i mean is; this month "japan's young" are checking into communist groups; next month, a new ketei will arrive and they'll be joining clubs for that

[Greji]

[quote="prolly"]what i mean is]

You're exactly right. However, certain writers want "japan's young" to think this way and these articles appear from time to time. It never seems to happen. Although the JCP sometimes show a rise in membership (it may just be their own stats), as a whole they have been in a pretty steady decline from the 1960's, even with these occasional peaks. They continue to lose seats in the diet. I think it might just be a personal hope for a come back by these writers.

[TFG]

Communism: Prison camps and standing in line all day for loaf of broad. What's not to like?

Hang on a sec though, weren't the NOVA teachers working for food a while back before they got deported?

WHich is worse, standing in line all day for a loaf of bread or working all day for an onigiri?

[Iraira]

Hang on a sec though, weren't the NOVA teachers working for food a while back before they got deported?

WHich is worse, standing in line all day for a loaf of bread or working all day for an onigiri?

Depends...which conbini's onigiri are we talking about here? If it's just that konbu stuff inside, forget it. Man's gotta get some protein in his diet. Throw some shake or sake (for Greji) in there and we'll talk.

[sublight]

Of course, being a member of Japan's Communist Party just means being against whatever the LDP is doing.

I remember in the late 90's when the Yomiuri published each party's "manifesto" (I think that was when they were first required to produce one), the JCP was running on a platform of cutting government construction projects and increasing privatization.

[hundefar]

Hang on a sec though, weren't the NOVA teachers working for food a while back before they got deported?

WHich is worse, standing in line all day for a loaf of bread or working all day for an onigiri?

Wait, let me think..no, I still think communism is worst.

[soulboy]

Communism: Prison camps and standing in line all day for loaf of broad. What's not to like?

Communism doesn't equate Russia... which was never a communist country.
Infact the united states has never been a true capitalist country either. They are continutally paying out money to the rich and big companies... the banks are just the latest most extreme form of socialism for the rich.

[hundefar]

Communism doesn't equate Russia... which was never a communist country.

Yes, yes...all communist countries were not REALLY communist countries. If only YOU had been the dictator, it would have been a perfect workers paradise, and just because there has been severe opression in every communist country in the world, it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the glorious idea of communism...etc etc.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

excellent. i'll dig out my red young komsomol's scarf and wear it proudly!

[TFG]

Communism doesn't equate Russia... which was never a communist country.
Infact the united states has never been a true capitalist country either. They are continutally paying out money to the rich and big companies... the banks are just the latest most extreme form of socialism for the rich.

Indeed, however these hand outs for the rich can not really be considered socialism. This is Robin Hood in reverse!

Steal from the poor to buy more Lamborghinis for the rich while the poor families thrown out of their homes starve and live on the streets!

[Tengu Kid]

Id find the article believable if a single Japanese person Id met under the age of 50 had ever displayed an interest in politics, or even a knowledge of what the word meant...

[Osakadave]

[Greji]

more...

I suppose he's taking his figures from the JCP's press releases. They're few and far between in the salaryman ranks. A lot less than they claim. Their election results over the last ten years or so, would tend to counter these so-called learned arguments....

[Samurai_Jerk]

Communism on rise in recession-hit Japan

...

The Communist Party has always had a surprisingly large role in Japan, the world's second biggest economy.

But while it had been fading towards irrelevance, now as the recession bites it is on the rise again.

The party already has more than 400,000 members and people are joining at the rate of 1,000 a month.

In comparison, the membership of the Liberal Democratic Party, the largest member of the governing coalition, is twice the size. But its numbers are declining.

"Many people are beginning to think: 'Is Japanese capitalism OK as it is?'" said Akira Kasai, a Communist member of the Diet's House of Representatives.

"Living standards are going down. The gap between rich and poor is growing."

...

Communist ideology has been spread in Japan in unusual ways.

There was a book, Kanikosen - The Crab Factory Ship, which raced back up the bestsellers' lists.

A classic tale of proletarian fishermen uniting to rise up against their bosses, it had been almost forgotten since it was written in 1929.

Some new followers discovered Communism on the internet
Publishers have also produced a manga, or comic, version of Das Kapital, Karl Marx's treatise on how capitalism would collapse under the weight of its own contradictions.

...

Now Japan's economy, which relies for growth on sales abroad of cars, electronics and machinery, is struggling again.

Exports have fallen by nearly half compared to a year ago, and industrial production has dived.

The traditional Japanese dream of a job for life has been further undermined by reforms of the labour market in 2004 that allowed manufacturers to take on temporary workers.

The first stage is to solve problems of labour and living standards according to people's demand

About a third of the workforce is now on short-term contracts and their jobs are the most threatened

...

"Of course the final goal is a socialist, communist society in Japan, overcoming capitalism," said Akira Kasai.

"But before that we are taking a step-by-step approach. The first stage is to solve problems of labour and living standards according to people's demand."

[Tsuru]

I suppose Japan is one of those countries where communism could actually work

[dimwit]

I love looking back this story now after the election and noting that the Communist vote actually dropped by 0.3 percent. I guess all these new members were too busy waiting in the breadlines.

[Ketou]

I suppose Japan is one of those countries where communism could actually work

It could work here. Although only in the style of the Soviet Union with an LDP oligarchy.