Zengakuren

Zengakuren (Japanese全 学 连, abbreviation of全 日本 学生 自治 会 総 连 合Zen - nihon Gakusei jichikai sō rengō, dt Alljapanischer General Confederation of student self-government ) is a left-wing umbrella organization of students in Japan. It was founded in 1948 and organized marches and protests. In the 60s it was the separation of Zengakuren, so that today there are five organizations under their name.

The student unrest in 1960

In the battle of the political left against the security treaty with the U.S., the Zengakuren played a key role. At the height of the demonstrations and street battles with the police organized Zengakuren on May 20, 1960 storming of the parliament building. On June 10, led the visit by the spokesman of U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, James Hagerty, a mass demonstration of students at the Haneda airport, a scheduled visit by Eisenhower was canceled - but only after an employee of the Imperial Hofamtes had intervened because the safety of Tennō when visiting Eisenhower was in jeopardy. On June 15, over 500 students were at a mass demonstration on the campus of the University of Tokyo injured, one killed. On July 15, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi resigned.

In this phase of increasing radicalization is Zengakuren split into different groups, some of them associated with certain currents of the CPY and other communist groups.

Protests in 1968/69

1968 Japan had moved to third place among the industrial powers.

At the same time broke after scattered nationwide protests unusually fierce nationwide student unrest, took up the demands of the international student movement, but were also directed against specific Japanese issues. As 1968, the U.S. Student Mobilization Committee calling internationally to protest against the Vietnam war, 72 Japanese universities and colleges involved. But the protest was also directed against pollution and increasing urbanization, such as the expropriation of peasants. The democratization of higher education was demanded.

In the so-called attack on Tokyo in October 1968, there were days of unrest in which also participated workers: the parliament, the police stations, the U.S. Embassy and the Shinjuku train station were attacked and occupied by protesters.