Occasional offline signs of dissent parallel the online activity. Posters protesting the war in Iraq can be seen here and there in the ordinarily politically bland Tokyo cityscape -- primarily at the offices of politicians who oppose the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power in Japan for 50 years. On a recent morning, commuters on their way to Meguro Station were surprised to see a homemade flyer depicting Bush as a terrorist pasted on a telephone pole. Such grassroots expressions of protest are extremely rare in Japan.
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The actual political impact of Japan's anti-war activism has been minimal, partly because protest groups have been unable to raise money. |
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But the actual political impact of Japan's anti-war activism has been minimal, partly because protest groups have been unable to raise money online. Unlike their U.S. counterparts such as Move On, which can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars online in days, Japan's anti-war groups must rely, quite literally, on passing the hat."Unfortunately, we are almost completely unsuccessful soliciting contributions online," says Takayoshi Kise, 35, a full-time volunteer with Peace Boat. "In the United States, almost all the online fundraising is done with credit cards, but in Japan a lot of people simply don't have credit cards, and many of those who do are reluctant to use them online. Instead, we collect funds by passing the hat at rallies and other gatherings. People throw in 100-yen coins. It's the traditional, low-tech way to do it, but that's how we gather most of our contributions." Without the big money needed to get their messages out via newspaper and TV ads, peace groups have a hard time making politicians take serious notice. Meanwhile, Japanese newspapers -- which are cautious about exhibiting any political leanings -- have been slow to cover their activities. "Japanese traditional media were very slow to cover domestic anti-war demonstrations. They waited until the overseas demos became big news before paying any attention to the domestic movement," says Uchiyama at World Peace Now. "In spite of long-standing protest activity, until 7,000 demonstrators gathered in Tokyo, they provided no coverage." Activists say the nature of the coverage they do get is disappointing. For example, a small article in the Asahi Shimbun, the world's second-largest newspaper, covered the March 8 demonstration but mentioned nothing of the protesters' political reasoning or aims. Instead, it focused on how a teenager's desire to participate prompted her mother and father to join her in the peace march, "bringing the family closer together." With little expectation of support from a traditionally conservative press, some are turning to alternative news sources, both to publicize their cause and to learn about the conflict in Iraq. Told through an alternative news Web site, the story of Masahiro Imamura -- who became a human shield in Iraq after backpacking through Europe and the Middle East for eight months -- has galvanized some young protesters here. On the same site, the Japanese translation of a peace appeal from Rasha Ali Abdul-Rheem, a high-school senior in Iraq, moved others to act. "Participants are using the Web to gather detailed information, understand and think carefully about the issues," Uchiyama said.
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