Does new PM Kan still carry on spirit of civil movement?

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Does new PM Kan still carry on spirit of civil movement?
Akahata ‘current’ column

“Ichikawa Fusae” and “civil movement” - these are always mentioned in newspapers and TV programs to introduce new Prime Minister Kan Naoto.

The media wants to portray as if Kan’s inauguration is the emergence of a leader who started his career in a civil movement, similar to U.S. President Barack Obama, who used to be an activist supporting the poor in Chicago. In the 1974 House of Councilors election, Kan was a head of the campaign for the late Ichikawa Fusae, Japan’s foremost advocate of women’s suffrage.

Ichikawa founded the civil movement for women’s political involvement as well as for the purification of politics. Kan used to frequently mention in his own election, “I will carry on Ms. Ichikawa’s spirit.” However, Ichikawa seemed to be uncomfortable with his use of her name.

For instance, she expressed in her book published in 1977, “I have heard that he uses my name everywhere and requested donations and other support for his election campaign from those who had donated for my own election […]. His was very different from the ideal campaign I had called for and carried out.”

“There are still many U.S. military bases in Okinawa and rest of Japan. […] To this day, Japan allows the U.S. to intervene in its internal affairs. We need to be aware of the fact that we have the right to control our own destinies by ourselves.”

This is the statement published in June 1970 by nine women, including Ichikawa and Hiratsuka Raicho, calling for the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. Prime Minister Kan has just promised the U.S. government to carry out the bilateral agreement on construction of a new base in Henoko as an alternative to the U.S. Futenma base in Okinawa. It seems that he has divorced himself from the civil movement he purportedly represents and Ichikawa’s spirit of defiance.

- Akahata, June 9, 2010