Brief history of Basic Income in Japan
If we follow an explanation of the history of basic income at the homepage of the Basic Income Earth Network, at the same time if being liberated from Eurocentric knowledge, China in 6th century and Japan in 7th century already had an embryo of basic income, although it explained that the embryo appeared firstly at Leuvain in 16th century. These ancient regimes in East Asia tried to supply the “means of livelihood” before taxation and in a secular way, though the homepage saying this idea first appeared in Thomas More’s “Utopia” which was published 1616 in Leuvain.
Apart from this historical episode, modern discussion of basic income was introduced at the mid-wars era, though the translation of John Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, and C.H. Douglas.
The serious academic discussion of basic income started a decade ago, and now the discussion go spread not only to politicians but also to street level activism by feminists, the disabled and precarious workers.
Are Neo-liberals and Autonomists in the same boat?
As far as politicians is concerned, MPs in the largest opposition party invited me to speak for BI, and it can be seen one example of spreading interest for BI proposal. However, it can be said in general no further than just “interest”. The exception is one small party “Shinto Nippon”. The leader of this party (only MP from this party) was famous writer and fascinated by the idea of BI, and adopted BI as his party’s manifesto this year. The background of this move was rapid and intense discussion at a cyber space. There are several famous “blogger economists”, and one of them read my article on BI and introduced the concept in his blog. A famous ex IT enterpriser read this blog and wrote in favor of BI in his own blog, and recommended the idea in TV show. There are good discussions around them in cyber space. Although I cannot sum up there discussion because there are good variances and diversities, I could say that main concern is economizing administrative costs of the government, not ensuring decent life to the disadvantaged. So one could say the discussion here is in line with Neo-liberal rationale.
The street level activism for basic income has a sharp contrast against the Neo-liberal rationale. Some single mothers’ organization and women’s trade unions call Basic Income with Pay Equity. Some precarious workers’ movements call Basic Income with regulation of labor protection.
The common logic being emerged from Europe and Japan
From this street level activism’s point of view, what I would like to emphasis is coincident commonalities between European activisms for basic income in 1970’s and Japanese activism by the disabled in 1970’s. At the height of street protests around 1968 and following years, radical activism by the disabled in Japan expressed almost the same logic with what feminists, autonomists and anarchists who demanded basic income tried to theorize. Both insisted we were producing values whatever society labeled us (as housewives, the disabled, the unemployed, etc). For this fascinating commonalities, Please see my “Una Sola Moltitudine: Struggles for Basic Income and the Common Logic that emerged from Italy, the U.K., and Japan”.
The Basic Income Japanese Network
The Basic Income Japanese Network is about to launch. The launching gathering will be held at 27th March 2010, at Doshisha University, Kyoto. A kind of a pre-event also will be held 13th November 2009 at the same place. Everyone is welcome!
Toru Yamamori is a Coordinator of the provisional Basic Income Japanese Network, a member of the Claimants Union for Guaranteed Basic Income, and an Associate Professor at Doshisha University. (the contact address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
