Civil society, remembering and un-remembering: Two faces of grassroots action in Japan

This chapter looks at two faces of civil society in Japan, particularly as it has evolved over the past few decades. It looks at examples which illustrate both sides of the coin of grassroots 'memory work' in Japan. The chapter presents a brief overview of the history of grassroots reconciliation in the Japanese context. It illustrates a trend towards the growth of what might be called 'grassroots anti-reconciliation': the emergence of nationalist groups whose structure and even rhetoric seems quite closely to mimic that of earlier grassroots reconciliation, but whose dynamics are diametrically opposite. Both in the case of 'reconciliation' and 'anti-reconciliation' grassroots activism, chapter focuses particularly on action by women's groups which address the 'comfort women' issue – the issue of women recruited by the Japanese military into wartime brothels, where many suffered extreme sexual abuse.