was a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and

anti-war An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...

daily newspaper established in Japan in November 1903, as the newspaper of the Heimin-sha group. It was founded by

Kōtoku Shūsui , better known by the pen name , was a Japanese socialist and anarchist who played a leading role in introducing anarchism to Japan in the early 20th century. Historian John Crump described him as "the most famous socialist in Japan". He was ...

and

Sakai Toshihiko was a Japanese socialist. He advocated opposition to the Russo-Japanese War, founded the Heiminsha and published the newspaper ''Heimin Shimbun''. He formed the Japan Socialist Party and the Japanese Communist Party, and became the first gene ...

, as a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

response to the approaching

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. When the newspaper that Kōtoku and fellow socialist Sanshirō Ishikawa had worked for, ''Yorozu Chūhō'', endorsed the war, they resigned in protest to form the group. Gaho-Nihon-Kindai-no-Rekishi-volume-6-2

Kōtoku Shūsui also served as one of the paper's editors. By the beginning of 1904, it was

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

's leading publication advocating socialism. Eighty-two people eventually expressed their allegiance to socialism in this publication. Multiple issues of the newspaper were banned by the

Meiji Meiji, the romanization of the Japanese characters 明治, may refer to: Japanese history * Emperor Meiji, Emperor of Japan between 1867 and 1912 ** Meiji era, the name given to that period in Japanese history *** Meiji Restoration, the revolution ...

government because they were deemed politically offensive, and editors were arrested, fined, and jailed. The paper ceased publication in 1905. The last issue, published in red, was printed on 18 January 1905. Kōtoku was imprisoned for five months starting in February 1905 due to his participation in the newspaper. In January 1907, five socialists, including Kōtoku, Sakai, and Sanshirō, renewed the publication, but it was to fold again in April 1907, after a split between advocates of parliamentary reform and advocates of

direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...

. It was replaced by two newspapers, one for each faction, including the direct-actionist ''Ōsaka Heimin Shinbun'' which was published bi-monthly from June 1907 until May 1908 (renamed in November 1907 to ''Nihon Heimin Shinbun''). Two

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

contributors to the initial newspaper,

Uchiyama Gudō was a Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest and anarcho-socialist activist executed in the High Treason Incident. He was one of few Buddhist leaders who spoke out against the Meiji government in its imperialist projects. Gudō was an outspoken advocate f ...

and Kōtoku Shusui, were later convicted and executed in the 1911

High Treason Incident The , also known as the , was a socialist-anarchist plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1910, leading to a mass arrest of leftists, as well as the execution of 12 alleged conspirators in 1911. Another 12 conspirators who were init ...

. In October 1914, the anarchists

Ōsugi Sakae was a prominent Japanese anarchist who was jailed multiple times for his writings and activism. He was murdered alongside his partner, Itō Noe, in what became known as the Amakasu Incident. Biography Ōsugi was born on January 17, 1885. ...

and Arahata Kanson attempted to revive ''Heimin Shinbun''. Most issues of this version of the paper were banned by the government, and it was discontinued in March 1915. Heimin-Shimbun 1946

After the Second World War, the

Japanese Anarchist Federation The was an anarchist organisation that existed in Japan from 1946 to 1968. Formed in May 1946, shortly following the Second World War, the JAF was plagued by disputes between anarcho-communists and anarcho-syndicalists. These divisions culminate ...

revived the newspaper in June 1946, but the group collapsed in 1950.

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See also

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Further reading