Japanese civil society and Asian transnationalism: Bringing the region in

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the emergence, development, and outcomes of Asian solidarity movements and NGOs of the 1970s and beyond with particular attention to activist mentalities and the structural transformation of civil society in the country. It will argue that the awakening to Asia and subsequent transnational involvement in the region during the 1960s and 1970s had important ‘boomerang’ effects at the grassroots. Engaging with Asia and fellow Asians promoted a new sense of mission, responsibility, and proactiveness among Japanese activists quite different from the somewhat reactive nature of civic activism before. Furthermore, Asian solidarity movements and INGOs formed throughout the 1970s provided models for Japanese civil society, and contributed to the growth of a critical mass of actors committed to strengthening and growing the sector in the 1980s and 1990s.