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Episode 569 – The Revolutionary, Part 4
This week: Miyazaki Manabu goes from the Sodai struggle at Waseda to an active participant in the violent clashes of the late 1960s student movement, as a part of the “action corps” of the Communist Party. We’ll take an up close and personal look to see: what was it like to be a radical student in the 1960s?
Sources
Andrews, William. Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture from 1945 to Fukushima.
Miyazaki, Manabu. Toppamono: Outlaw,, Radical, Suspect. My Life in Japan’s Underworld. Trans. Robert Whiting.
Images
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9791" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b-300x225.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Student radicals during the Todai struggle. You can see the “gewaruto bo” piled up in the front of the frame.
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-9792" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/東大闘争3-2-300x213-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="213" />Another photo of the library battle.
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-9790" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/東大闘争3-1-300x225-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />A photo of the clash over the library of Tokyo University in November, 1968, where Miyazaki directed the communist “troops.”
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-7969" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1-300x208.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="208" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1-300x208.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1.jpg 680w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Armed students occupying a building on the Tokyo University Hongo campus. Unfortunately, I can’t read the signs well enough to see which faction.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-7973" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-300x196.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="196" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-300x196.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-768x503.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />One of the odd stories I didn’t have time for: Mishima Yukio actually went to Tokyo University during the occupation to have what turned out to be a pretty respectful debate with the students! Here’s a photo from the discussion.
View all episodes
This week: Miyazaki Manabu goes from the Sodai struggle at Waseda to an active participant in the violent clashes of the late 1960s student movement, as a part of the “action corps” of the Communist Party. We’ll take an up close and personal look to see: what was it like to be a radical student in the 1960s?
Sources
Andrews, William. Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture from 1945 to Fukushima.
Miyazaki, Manabu. Toppamono: Outlaw,, Radical, Suspect. My Life in Japan’s Underworld. Trans. Robert Whiting.
Images
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9791" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b-300x225.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f7a1cf2b.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Student radicals during the Todai struggle. You can see the “gewaruto bo” piled up in the front of the frame.
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-9792" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/東大闘争3-2-300x213-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="213" />Another photo of the library battle.
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-9790" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/東大闘争3-1-300x225-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />A photo of the clash over the library of Tokyo University in November, 1968, where Miyazaki directed the communist “troops.”
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-7969" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1-300x208.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="208" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1-300x208.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dly1511220001-f1.jpg 680w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Armed students occupying a building on the Tokyo University Hongo campus. Unfortunately, I can’t read the signs well enough to see which faction.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-7973" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-300x196.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="196" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-300x196.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-768x503.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />One of the odd stories I didn’t have time for: Mishima Yukio actually went to Tokyo University during the occupation to have what turned out to be a pretty respectful debate with the students! Here’s a photo from the discussion.