ABSTRACT

This article explores the ways in which activism was performed and negotiated by Japanese celebrities and idols after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster that occurred in March 2011. Post-catastrophe, humanitarian works, particularly visits to the affected areas, by celebrities and idols such as AKB48 were widely reported by the mainstream media. At the same time, there had been a social tendency within Japanese showbusiness to keep celebrities silent from making public anti-nuclear claims. While most celebrities kept their ‘neutral’ stance, there were a few instances where celebrities expressed clear anti-nuclear messages. Comparing idols’ politically ‘safe’ humanitarian work with other cases of celebrity activism, my article aims to examine the ways in which the nature of idols impacts the form of their activism. Aligning with the notion of ‘celebrity citizenship,’ ‘affective intimacy’ shared among celebrities/idols and fans plays a crucial role in identifying celebrity/idol activism. I argue that idol activism in particular mirrored the existing characteristics of the relationship between idols and fans.

摘要

本文探讨了2011年3月发生的东日本大地震和福岛核灾难之后，日本名人和偶像采取的行动和进行谈判的方式。主流媒体广泛报道了像AKB48这样的偶像。同时，日本演艺界内部存在一种社会趋势，即让名人保持沉默，以免公开提出反核主张。尽管大多数名人保持“中立”立场，但在少数情况下，名人表达了明确的反核信息。将偶像在政治上“安全”的人道主义工作与其他名人激进案件进行比较，我的文章旨在研究偶像的性质如何影响他们的激进形式。与“名人公民身份”的概念保持一致，名人/偶像和粉丝之间共享的“情感亲密关系”在确定名人/偶像行动主义中起着至关重要的作用。我认为偶像行动主义尤其反映了偶像与粉丝之间关系的现有特征。