The Emergence of Affective Polarization in Japan: The Interplay of Right-Wing Movements and Political Leadership

In recent years, affective polarization, which inhibits civic communication and erodes democracy, has intensified in many democratic countries. Even in Japan, where the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) one-party dominance has persisted for decades, emotionally charged confrontations over controversial political issues such as security-related legislation and constitutional amendments have markedly escalated since Shinzo Abe’s second administration in the 2010s. As in other countries, both Abe and his supporters, as well as his opponents, have used moralized political discourse that describes their own and opposing groups in black-and-white terms as good and evil. Thus, this presentation explores the social and historical context that influenced Abe’s adoption of moralized political discourse. The presentation employs a historical discourse analysis, focusing on Abe’s parliamentary speeches and publications, alongside publications from key members of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform (Tsukuru-kai), a right-wing social movement organization that significantly affected Abe. The findings reveal that in his pursuit of solidifying the LDP’s position as the leading conservative party, Abe adopted the moralized political discourse of Tsukuru-kai, which gained prominence as a new conservative force in the 1990s. Tsukuru-kai, which focused on reforming postwar education to compete with other countries, rapidly expanded its membership, developing moralized discourse that portrayed domestic left-wing forces as submissive to foreign interests that undermined Japan. During the same period, Abe was acutely aware of the need to rebuild the LDP’s conservative principles to counter the rise of emerging parties. These included the New Frontier Party, which took conservative votes away from the LDP, and the Democratic Party of Japan, which was strong among swing voters. Consequently, Abe integrated Tsukuru-kai’s discourse into his own, thus embedding antagonistic sentiments toward left-wing forces within the broader political system. The presentation demonstrates how social movements can supply moralized discourse to political elites, potentially driving democratic backsliding.