Digital Asia and Activism

To what extent is celebrity activism in Japan effective?

Katayama's paper explores idol-led and fan-led activism in post-3.11 Japan. While celebrity-led disaster recovery efforts can provide hope and an escape as well as increase exposure for victims, their activism has been criticized as boosting idols' own image. The substance of fan activism and fan engagement in political movements driven by their idols is also debatable. Even the few celebrities who voiced a political stance and influenced their fans to protest might be insufficient for sustaining a serious interest in such political issues. Fan-led activism and idol activism can both be performative in that it utilizes media attention and is used to perform a role as a fan or idol. We should also differentiate between humanitarian work and political activism, since the former has less social stigma in Japan and can thus more effectively mobilize and achieve its goals. Furthermore, the state endorses the celebrity in Japan, and political issues remain unresolved and seldom addressed. Katayama justly questions whether or not celebrity driven activism can actually address political issues.

"Tokyo Idols" explores a more specific subculture of this idol/fan culture, or otaku culture, focusing on young female idols and adult male fans specifically. A lot of these fans seem to have felt alienated by Japan's heterosexual patriarchal society and turned to fandom as an escape and coping mechanism, possibly similar to the way celebrity activism offered 3.11 victims an escape. We see the power these idols hold as well as the lack thereof. The documentary explores the social dynamics behind these fans' objectification of young female idols, and challenges us to think about how toxic masculinity feeds into this specific kind of idol-fan relationship. Gender plays a huge role in idol culture, and these idols are expected to maintain the purest image possible especially for male fans and thus avoid the political statements Katayama states could be detrimental to idols' career. However, by not talking about the idol system and its extreme regulation of these female idols' bodies as well as the narrative of female fans, this documentary misses out on further enriching this conversation about idol culture.


-Michelle

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