The Skinhead International: Japan

Despite a paucity of hard information, some evidence has come to light of a Skinhead scene in Japan. Its ideological make-up, however, is not clear.

Foreign Skinhead zines have carried reports about Japanese Skinhead music. Among the bands mentioned are Sledgehammer, Bad Vultures, Ouka, Growl Strike, and Gruesome. Their views are not known, although Sledgehammer has been described as a "nationalist" band.

One skinzine suggested that SHARP - Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice - has achieved a following in Japan. It said that SHARP bands "attract a couple of thousand to each gig in comparision to a mere hundred to the right-wing gigs." (Anti-Defamation League, 52)

Work Cited

Anti-Defamation League. The Skinhead International: A Worldwide Survey of Neo-Nazi Skinheads. New York: Anti-Defamation League, 1995. Anti-Defamation League, 823 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.

Disclaimer: not all skinheads are neo-nazis or white supremacists. There are many skinheads who are non- or anti-racist, and who come from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds. Nizkor recognizes their achievements in anti-racism: they are part of the traditional, non-racist skinhead subculture and are not the perpetrators of the hate crimes discussed here.
Unless otherwise specified, the word "skinhead" within these pages refers only to neo-Nazi and white supremacist skinheads, the perpetrators of hate crimes and participants in racist organizations. We cannot edit the body of the text above, because it was not written by Nizkor, and to change the wording would be fraudulent. Please keep in mind that not all skinheads are racist.

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