J a p a n ’ s P o s t w a r M i l i t a r y a n d Civil Society i SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan Series Editor: Christopher Gerteis, SOAS, University of London (UK) Series Editorial Board: Steve Dodd, SOAS, University of London (UK) Andrew Gerstle, SOAS, University of London (UK) Janet Hunter, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) Helen Macnaughtan, SOAS, University of London (UK) Timon Screech, SOAS, University of London (UK) Naoko Shimazu, Birkbeck, University of London (UK) Published in association with the Japan Research Centre at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan features scholarly books on modern and contemporary Japan, showcasing new research monographs as well as translations of scholarship not previously available in English. Its goal is to ensure that current, high- quality research on Japan, its history, politics and culture, is made available to an English- speaking audience. Th e series is made possible in part by generous grants from the Nippon Foundation and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. Published: Women and Democracy in Cold War Japan, Jan Bardsley Christianity and Imperialism in Modern Japan, Emily Anderson Th e China Problem in Postwar Japan, Robert Hoppens Media, Propaganda and Politics in 20th Century Japan , Th e Asahi Shimbun Company (translated by Barak Kushner) Contemporary Sino-Japanese Relations on Screen, Griseldis Kirsch Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan, edited by Patrick W. Galbraith, Th iam Huat Kam and Björn-Ole Kamm Politics and Power in 20th-Century Japan , Mikuriya Takashi and Nakamura Takafusa (translated by Timothy S. George) J a p a n e s e T a i w a n , edited by Andrew Morris ii Japan’s Postwar Military and Civil Society Contesting a Better Life To m o y u k i S a s a k i Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc iii Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10018 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2015 © Tomoyuki Sasaki, 2015 Tomoyuki Sasaki has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as Author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. British Library Cataloguing- in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: HB: 978-1-4725-2555-0 ePDF: 978-1-4725-2955-8 ePub: 978-1-4725-2964-0 Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data Sasaki, Tomoyuki. Japan’s postwar military and civil society : contesting a better life / Tomoyuki Sasaki. pages cm. — (SOAS studies in modern and contemporary Japan) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Japan—Armed Forces—Social aspects. 2. Civil–military relations—Japan. 3. Sociology, Military—Japan. 4. Japan—Military policy—Social aspects. 5. Hokkaido (Japan)—Defenses. 6. Hokkaido (Japan)—Politics and government. 7. Japan—Armed Forces—Public opinion. 8. Public opinion—Japan. I. Title. UA845.S356 2015 306.2‘7095209045—dc23 2015005185 Series: SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan Typeset by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk iv For all those who looked aft er me in my childhood v vi C o n t e n t s List of Tables and Maps ix Abbreviations x Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Militarization in Democracy 1 Th e Peace Constitution and rearmament 1 Militarization as a useful concept 6 Th e SDF in Hokkaido and the US forces in Okinawa 9 Democracy as a background 11 Organization of the book 15 1 A Promised Opportunity: Th e Self-Defense Forces in the Labor Market 19 Absorbing surplus population 20 Recruitment since the 1960s: old and new trends 32 Building a network 35 Th e volunteer army in capitalism 40 Conclusion 49 2 Becoming an Army for the People: Th e Self-Defense Forces in Hokkaido Communities 51 Th e idea of an army for the people 52 Colonial Hokkaido 57 Building and rescuing Hokkaido 60 Becoming service members 70 Settling service members in Hokkaido 74 Conclusion 82 3 Peace in Dispute: Anti-Military Litigation and the Constitutionality of the Self-Defense Forces 85 Th e Eniwa case 86 Conceptualizing the right to live in peace 91 Th e Naganuma case 96 vii viii Contents Th e aft ermath: the ruling reversed 103 Conclusion 106 4 Overcoming Crises: Th e Emergence of the Defense Facilities Administration Agency 107 Th e Defense Facilities Administration Agency as a mediator 108 Th e New Improvement Law 113 Military town Chitose 119 Toward “harmony” and the institutionalization of objection 126 Conclusion 131 5 “Th e Th reat from the North”: Fear-Mongering and the Making of Military Base Hokkaido 133 Formation of the northern threat 134 Reinforcing defense autonomy, silencing Hokkaido 140 A right- wing turn in national politics 146 Military base Hokkaido 150 Conclusion 155 Conclusion: Where is Militarization Headed? 157 Notes 165 Bibliography 185 Index 203 L i s t o f T a b l e s a n d M a p s T a b l e s 1.1 Th e number of people who applied to the SDF, took the exams, received off ers, and enlisted 23 1.2 Former occupations of applicants (%) 26 1.3 Number of applicants from the seven Kyushu prefectures and percentage of total applicants 30 2.1 Civil engineering projects undertaken by the SDF in Asahikawa city and nearby communities, 1953–1956 62 2.2 Major disaster relief off ered by the Second Division headquartered in Asahikawa 66 4.1 Relocation of residents near the Chitose Air Base 123 4.2 Chitose city’s annual revenue and various subsidies from the DFAA (¥1,000) 125 M a p s 1. Map of Japan xi 2. Map of Hokkaido xii ix Abbreviations DFAA Defense Facilities Administration Agency LDP Liberal Democratic Party NPR National Police Reserve NSF National Safety Force SCAP Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers SDF Self-Defense Forces x Map 1 Map of Japan xi Map 2 Map of Hokkaido xii Acknowledgments First of all, I would like to thank Tak Fujitani, my advisor at graduate school at the University of California, San Diego. It is true to say that he is the reason that I decided to become a historian. He and his works help me recognize how history is not simply about studying the past but about scrutinizing and critiquing the present. His advice and suggestions guided me in a number of ways at various stages of conceptualizing and writing this book. Without him, this book would not have materialized. I also want to thank Stefan Tanaka, my other advisor at UC San Diego. He taught me how to think as a historian, that is, how to question and historicize what seems natural and timeless. Christopher Gerteis gave me the wonderful opportunity to contribute to the SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan. Emma Goode and Claire Lipscomb, editors at Bloomsbury, off ered me a variety of forms of assistance from the very beginning of this book project. It has been a great pleasure to work with them, and I am honored that my book should be a part of this new series. I am also grateful to the following mentors, cohorts, and colleagues, who provided me with inspiration and insight, read and commented on my writings, invited me to give talks, and/or simply remained good friends and accompanied me with beer: Micah Auerback, Gregory Depies, James Egge, Katsuhiko Endō, Steven Epstein, Adrienne Hurley, Ji Hee Jung, Su Yun Kim, Kitahara Megumi, Lee Rika, Michele Mason, John McCurdy, Ryan Moran, Mary-Elizabeth Murphy, Russel Olwell, Pamela Radcliff , Wesley Sasaki-Uemura, Satō Fumika, Philip Schmitz, Philip Seaton, Nayan Shah, Aaron Skabelund, George Solt, Tsuchiya Kazuyo, Noboru Tomonari, Tomi Tonomura, Rika Yonemura, Lisa Yoneyama, and Ken Yoshida. I want to thank all of them. Th is project was made possible by the fi nancial support of various institutions: the University of California; the University of California, San Diego; the Matsushita International Foundation; Eastern Michigan University; and the Association for Asian Studies. Th eir generous support allowed me to travel to Japan numerous times for archival research. During my research in Japan, I visited many facilities related to the Self- Defense Forces as well as local libraries. Among these, I particularly want to thank the following, which kindly helped me identify and copy sources xiii xiv Acknowledgments and/or provided me with useful information: the Northern Army (Sapporo), the Seventh Division Museum (Chitose), the Hokuchin Museum (Asahikawa), the Hokkaido Prefectural Library (Sapporo), the Asahikawa Municipal Library, and the Chitose Municipal Library. Finally, I would like to express my foremost gratitude to Michael Cronin. He has been (and will probably continue to be) my best supporter of my decisions, best interpreter of my ideas, and best reader of my writings. Like any author of a book, I faced many diffi culties during the course of writing, and because he has always been with me, I was able to complete it. Th ank you. INTRODUCTION M i l i t a r i z a t i o n i n D e m o c r a c y Th e military of any nation- state requires popular support.