Net boards venue for
faceless rightists
By ERIC JOHNSTON, Staff writer
The Japan Times: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Courtesy
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?appURL=nn20060314f1.html
OSAKA -- They are called "Net uyoku," or Internet rightwingers.
Unlike their more vocal colleagues, who are highly visible in their
huge sound trucks, blaring slogans at full volume, Net uyoku are
usually anonymous and rely on a computer mouse rather than a megaphone
to get their point across.
Since the late 1990s, Net uyoku have flooded electronic bulletin boards
with their views on issues such as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's
visits to Yasukuni Shrine and Japan's wartime role.
Since 2002, they have often vented their spleen at North Korea over its
abduction of Japanese nationals, and at Japanese who swoon over South
Korean dramas.
The Internet bulletin board Channel
2 ("Ni-channeru"), which allows anonymous messages, is the
best known home of the Net uyoku.
Between 1 million and 2.5 million messages are posted daily, and most
of those dealing with politics or Japan's relations with other
countries in East Asia reflect views that range from moderately
conservative to far right.
Other messages are simply racist or libelous. From early 2004, Sapporo
activist Debito Arudou, who has been fighting discrimination in Japan,
was the
subject of attacks on Channel 2 by Net uyoku, who posted messages
calling him a racist and spreading false information about his views,
according to Arudou.
After repeated attempts to get Channel 2 to remove the offending posts
were ignored by site founder, Hiroyuki Nishimura, Arudou sued for libel
at the Sapporo District Court's Iwamisawa branch.
Nishimura ignored all orders to appear in court and on Jan. 20 the
judge ruled summarily in Arudou's favor, saying his honor had been
illegally infringed upon by information that affected society's view of
him. The court ordered Channel 2 to take down the offending posts and
to pay 1.1 million yen in compensation. The judge also ordered the IP
addresses of those who posted the offensive messages to be made public.
But so far, Nishimura has not complied with the order.
Attempts to reach Nishimura proved unsuccessful -- he did not respond
to e-mail inquiries from The Japan Times, and no phone number for him
or Channel 2 could be obtained. Arudou's lawyer, Toshiteru Shibaike,
said his office has also been unable to contact Nishimura.
Such a lack of communication, legal experts say, illustrates the
problem of trying to sue Internet bulletin boards like Channel 2 and
the Net uyoku who post on them.
"What can you do if you win a civil suit for libel against one of these
Internet bulletin boards and they simply ignore the court ruling? Not
much," said Tetsuya Kimura, an Osaka-based human rights attorney.
"Because it's a civil suit and not a criminal suit, police probably
won't get involved."
Another victim of Net uyoku attacks was "manga" cartoon artist Hiroshi
Motomiya.
In 2004, he found himself under attack on Channel 2 and elsewhere after
he drew a cartoon portraying Imperial Japanese troops carrying out the
Rape of Nanking. To fight back, Motomiya's supporters started their own
electronic bulletin board, to discuss the tactics of Net uyoku.
But if Channel 2 is home to crude, anonymous and libelous rants,
Channel Sakura is the place where Net uyoku post more thoughtful and
polite messages. Channel Sakura posts require a pseudonym at least,
although many posters use their own names, or the name of their group.
Channel Sakura states on its Web site that it is dedicated to
preserving traditional Japanese culture. It opposes revising the
Imperial House Law to allow a woman to serve as a reigning empress, and
supports a wide variety of rightwing causes.
Posts on its bulletin board often reflect the views of one of Channel
Sakura's biggest supporters, the Japan Conference.
This powerful nongovernmental organization was formed in 1997 and
claims 500,000 members nationwide. It works closely with lawmakers to
promote policy issues dear to conservatives and many with rightwing
views. Foreign Minister Taro Aso is a former chairman, and former
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma is the current
chairman of a group of lawmakers that communicates regularly with the
NGO.
Unlike Channel 2, personal attacks are rarely seen on Channel Sakura,
and when individuals are named, it is usually a politician whose
policies the poster disagrees with.
But although Channel 2 gets a lot of mainstream media attention for its
extreme comments, Internet experts believe the more sophisticated Net
uyoku of the kind who go to sites like Channel Sakura are more
influential with policymakers.
"Issues discussed on the more sophisticated rightwing Web sites reflect
the views of rightwing politicians and bureaucrats more than those of
the anonymous Net uyoku," said Junko Ikegawa, an Osaka-based freelance
writer who writes on Internet issues. "These sites spread their views
quickly among like-minded Japanese, creating a politically active,
vocal support network of rightwing activists on whom rightwing
politicians rely."
The Japan Times: Tuesday, March 14, 2006