This episode explores the complex dynamics of youth activism in postwar Japan. It highlights how both the far left and far right sought to harness the energy of disaffected youth to shape Japan’s future. The podcast aims to reflect on the generational dynamics of political activism, questioning what contemporary societies can learn from these movements’ successes and failures in shaping future values.

The AI-generated discussion is based on Christopher Gerteis’ Mobilizing Japanese Youth: The Cold War and the Making of the Sixties Generation (Cornell 2021), which the author has reviewed for accuracy.

Japanese Modernity @ Substack is a platform for presenting research in a clear, engaging, and accessible way. We aim to make historical scholarship enjoyable for a wide audience. We invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts on this innovative approach to communicating complex ideas. Contact Christopher Gerteis at [email protected] if you have a book or article you would like to contribute to the discussion.

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