Antiwar protest in post-9.11 Japan, 2001-2004

Abstract

This thesis used Asahi newspaper data for a protest event analysis of antiwar protest in post-9.11 Japan. Although the post-9.11 conflicts were wars by other COWltries in faraway places, the global anti-Iraq War campaign triggered substantial protest activity in Japan. By collecting protest event data from September 2001 to August 2004 using two keywords, "antiwar" and "Iraq War," the study was able to examine the broader context of protest activity and the interplay between protest issues. Post-9.l1 antiwar protests in Japan were framed and mobilized through a combination of domestic and international issues. Preexisting antiwar and anti-nuclear movements influenced anti-Iraq War protest by providing frames, resources, and opportunities for mobilization. At the same time, the anti-Iraq War campaign stimulated domestic political concerns relate to Japan's participation in the Iraq War. The protesters created some new cultur8I forms of protest in addition to conventional forms.