Evening star., 1960-06-26
Rise Of the Zengakuren

This description of the Japan
Student Federation, which
boasts it's the most powerful
political element in Japan to-
day, is from Japan Report" a
bulletin issued by the InfOrma-
tiOn Office Of the Japanese Con-
Sulate General in New York:
The japanese student move
ment can be traced back so years
when young students began delv-
ing into the theories Of socialism
in an era when government and
police control on thought had
been strictly enforced.
The Emperor at that time was
considered omnipotent and sac
roSanct, and anyone with nom
orthodox learningS was stamped
as a threat to the very existence
of the country. Because of strict
police surveillance, interested stu
dents at first met and studied
furtively in small groups. Expand
ing their activities outside the
campus, they also infiltrated the
ranks of workers and farmers.
Many of the student leaders of
that period now hold prominent
positions in the Japan Socialist
Party, the Liberal Democratic
Party, labor unions and in the
fields Of literature and industry.
They have changed into opponents
of the Communist Party and COM
munism today, and only a few
students of those days remain
Communists.
Student Movement
The postwar student movement
shows marked differences. The
formation of the National Fedora
ton of Students Self Government
Associations (Zengakuren), en-
bracing practically all the univer-
sites and colleges in the nation,
has given the student movement
a more effective organization.
Zengakuren was inaugurated in
September, 1948, with a claimed
membership of 100000 students
from 266 college and university
groups. Its announced objectives
were to unity the students front
and to cooperate with democratic
forces both at home and abroad
in order to:
/. Stabilize and improve the life
of the students.
2. Preserve the edom Of
learning and student Self-govern-
ment.
3. Democratize the nations edu-
cational system.
e 4. Guarantee the livelihood of
teachers.
5. Garry out research and pro-
grams to enlighten the people on
the principles of democracy as
well as to fight for the realization
of peace.
Zenookuren Strikes
In its initial activities, the Zen
gakuren placed emphasis on i'm
proving the life of students which
had been thrown into confusion
after the war, and also on the
rehabilitation of universities and
the safeguarding of academic
freedoms. The organization
ordered large-scale school strikes
IN order to have the objectives
recognized by the government
and university authorities. Activi-
ties Of the Zengakuren in and
around 1850 were also directed
against Occupation policies. One
OF the major aims of the student
movement at that time was to
oppose Japan's conclusion of a
peace treaty to which the Soviet
Union did not subscribe.
In 1852, the students imple-
mented school strikes with mass
demonstrations. A series of
clashes with the police occurred
eliminating in the May Day riot
In front of the Imperial Palace in
which hundreds of students and
policemen were injured. The
Japanese people were completely
dlSilluSioned by the Zengakuren-
lnStigated May Day riot. In the
general elections held in the au-
tumn of the following year, no
Communist Party candidates were
elected. AS a result. the Zenga-
kuren, which had been under the
supervision Of the Communist
Party, was forced to change its
tactics from violent demonstra-