Abstract
There has been considerable discussion of residents' movements in recent social movement research. Studies have indicated that community-level political structures and issues affect such movements. However, these aspects have not yet been sufficiently evaluated.
This paper reports on a movement opposed to the construction of a new goods line in Yokohama and attempts to analyze the geopolitical aspects of the residents' movement. It will show when, where, and how the term “residents' movements” (jyumin undo) arose.
In this paper, the origin of the term “residents' movements” (jyumin undo) is connected to a rapid increase in the population of Yokohama in the 1960s. Almost all the citizens of Yokohama came from other cities, and hence did not know each other. As a result, they found it difficult to foster a sense of solidarity. The term “residents' movements” was therefore regarded as a means of avoiding partisanship. In other words, this term was self-enforced. In addition, it has been shown that the term was initially used by progressive forces in Yokohama that had organized new residents around housing developments and were in support of the construction of a new goods line in Yokohama. We argue that the movement could appropriate this term because of the relevant geopolitical conditions there. This issue will be discussed in connection with the history of residents' movements (jyumin undo) and citizens' movements in late twentieth century Japan.
