This week, something a bit different: the start of a history of conspiracy theories in Japan. This first episode is mostly framing: what is conspiracism as a mindset, and how is it different from actual conspiracies?

Sources

Dickey, Colin. Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy

Popper, Karl. The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume Edition

Natalie Wynn (a.k.a. Contrapoints) on Conspiracy (Note: not suitable for minors or workplace environments!)

And now, the pile of sources I used to learn about YamatoQ….

A Houchi Shinbun article on Okazaki Jiro (father of YamatoQ founder Kuroda Hiroyuki) apologizing for his son’s behavior. (Japanese)

Asahi Shinbun coverage of YamatoQ, from the time of Kuroda’s sentencing in December, 2022 (Japanese)

Kyodo News coverage from the initial arrests (English)

Asia New Network coverage (pulled from The Japan News) shortly after the arrests (English)

Asahi Shinbun coverage of YamatoQ from May, 2023 (English)

A general overview of the history of conspiracism in Japan, from the Bundeszentrale fur politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education in Germany (English)

Images

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