ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a closer look at the remarkable institutionalization many Japanese environmental movement organization (EMOs) have undergone, starting in the 1990s, through an increased regularization of contacts with policymakers and a proliferation of government partnerships. It shows the institutionalization of EMOs not only brought them closer to national and local governments, it also created tension in relation to protest movements, which became especially visible after the eruption of popular protests in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown. The crucial impact of the post-Fukushima protests in re-politicizing environmental issues in Japan is evident if we compare it to factors that have contributed to a radicalization of global environmentalism outside Japan in recent years, such as the rise of youth activism and the proliferation of climate justice discourse. Campaigns like this, in which climate-oriented EMOs link up with grassroots in the south, enable the EMOs to engage in the climate issue while taking up an anti-establishment position.
