Japanese govt should shut down fascist groups' public tirades: analyst (2)

"Other times, more organized protests are arranged with police chaperones outside Chinese, South Korean or Russian embassies, where the national anthem is blared through loud speakers, between speeches denouncing these countries' ideologies, histories, their presence in Japan, fused with whatever happens to be the latest diplomatic spat between Japan and its neighbors at the time, with the current hot topic being the territorial disputes," Muramatsu said.

But while such groups' ultranationalist credos can, according to recognized scholars, be dated back more than two centuries, of concern to Japan's current situation and diminished diplomatic ties with countries like China and South Korea, is the fact that Uyoku dantai's hateful public propaganda, intimidation and menacing behavior toward foreigners, goes unchecked by the authorities.

In countries like Britain where ultra-right wing groups also exist, as is the case in many other countries, for the groups to mobilize and protest publicly is an increasingly rare event that requires government approval and precision police planning. Were this not to be the case, mayhem would ensue, as counter-protests would converge, likely resulting in physical altercations and mass riots, as has been the case in the eighties and, to a lesser extent, in the early nineties.

In Japan, however, due to the freedom of ideology charter, which is protected by the Constitution of Japan, groups like Uyoku dantai operate with seeming impunity, causing concern and confusion in the international community here.

"With their blacked out windows on their trucks and military attire, not to mention their thuggish looks, I can't help but feel intimidated by these groups and this is surely their purpose,as the speakers they use on their trucks are as loud as a rock festival and drown out any other noise," Caroline Yeon, a market research executive of Korean descent, told Xinhua.

"I've lived in Tokyo for almost a decade and am fluent in Japanese, so can understand every word they say, and firstly, I can't believe the government here allows such public xenophobic attacks, and, secondly, I personally feel victimized as being ( South) Korean, much of what they say is aimed at me and my country, " said Yeon.

She went on to say that even if she wanted to make a public complaint, it would fall on deaf ears as the police have no interest in upsetting such a potentially volatile group that has not-so covert connections with the Japanese mafia.

"So, once a week, or once a fortnight, I'm subjected to the most horrific torrent of racist abuse and I have no way to defend myself or voice my opinion. I can either put up with it, or leave Japan. These are not the two options I'd expect in a so-called ' progressive country'," Yeon said.

But for regular Japanese people, it seems, Uyoku dantai represent the exception and not the rule. For some they're considered a slightly archaic throwback to historical militarism and their ideologies can only be found in the most diluted forms in mainstream society and politics.

"It would be ridiculous to suggest that Uyoku dantai represent a standard Japanese way of thinking, any more than the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), in the United States are the voice of America. Uyoku dantai are an extreme group, with extreme ideas that hold on to notions of imperialism and reject historical facts, such as Japan surrendering at the end of WWII," said Muramatsu.

"What can be said is that Japan is moving more to the right politically, and the risk of allowing groups like Uyoku dantai to rant on the streets is that it distresses foreigners, and their convictions could possibly have some kind of lasting negative effect on an obtuse Japanese individual who got swept up in the hullabaloo, although one would hope that such individuals comprise a minority of Japanese society."

"That said, the government really should do more to regulate their activities and not allow them free rein to preach hatred when and where they want, as this, when publicized, does little to help Japan's current predicament with its neighbors," Muramatsu said.