This paper examines how the editorial focus of the Japanese gay magazine Badi has shifted over time and how the magazine has shaped the identity of gay men in Japan. Badi is the most popular magazine for gay men in Japan today. Its creation in 1993 coincided with a period of marked change in Japanese society regarding views toward homosexuality as well as with several watershed events such as in 1991 when homophobia was first addressed in a Japanese court and in 1994 when the first pride parade was held in Tokyo. By examining Badi as part of the Japanese gay liberation movement of the 1990s, and dividing the magazine’s editorial run into four distinct periods, we show that although the editors shaped the new identity and lifestyle, they were bolstered by masculinity.

This study investigates how Japanese youth lost interest in politics after the 1970s. Previous research in youth studies showed great interest in and conducted research into youth culture after the 1970s. The author aims to demonstrate how the youth lost interest in politics through articles by editors and readers of the magazine Bikkuri House, published between 1975 and 1985. From the collected data, the author found that editors and readers mentioned political issues, but that youth interest changed after the 1980s. The youth supported or criticized political actors such as political parties and social movements in the 1970s. However, they came to caricaturize political actors after the 1980s because editors regarded some political topics as things of the past and expressed little interest in politics. This paper concludes that youth culture after the 1970s did not lose interest in politics, but that that interest was based on ridicule and a caricaturized view of politics.