by Hana Iwaki

In the world, there are many social movements come to arise.  For example, in Greece, about 13 million people joined the demonstration parade against the government’s tight fiscal policy.  This is very huge demonstration parade and it considerably affect to its policy. While, in Egypt, about hundred million people joined the demonstration and it made the president reignited.  This is called Egypt revolution.  According to these facts, the huge demonstration has power to change any situation.  However, in Japan there is less demonstration than other country.  Of course, I do not mean there is no demonstration in Japan. But its scale is very small.  I know that it doesn’t matter how small it is, if it could change the situation.

The most of the cause of social movements are dissatisfaction to life. But most Japanese people don’t develop this dissatisfaction to the demonstration. There are some reasons why Japanese people do not take action. First, it is said to Japanese character is one of reasons. Basically, people are gentle and they don’t like make a noise.  To say something badly, people are obedient.  They do not claim and just watching what happened in front of them. Many Japanese people are onlookers. And they have mind “self-responsibility” fundamentally; so many think the dissatisfaction to life is one’s entire fault not the government or social situation. Second, this is connected to the first reason, the lacking of interest in the politic of Japanese people.  This is big issue in Japan.  Many people think that the government won’t listen to our voice so the interest decrease and even if we took action and do the demonstration parade, it would no help for them.  And the government should reflect our voice but it doesn’t. It takes time for public opinion to be reflected in the Diet.  So people think the government doesn’t have ability to deal with and they do nothing just watching other people doing the demonstration parade. It’s none of their business.

I wrote about who don’t take action but there are surely many people who doing social movement.  However, it’s a minority group.  I think we have to take action because “Nothing action, nothing started.”

Reference

凛. (2011, 10 21). Why there is less social movement in Japan? Retrieved June 9, 2012, from Something connected to the politic: http://blog.livedoor.jp/amuro001/archives/3620949.html