Saisons rouges: Isao Moutte's Graphic Novel on Japan's Violent Far-Left

Isao Moutte, a Franco-Japanese comic artist born in 1983 and a graduate of the Beaux-Arts d'Angoulême, has released a new graphic novel titled 'Saisons rouges' (Red Seasons), published by Éditions Sarbacane. The work is 'freely inspired' by the Asama chalet incident, a pivotal event in 1970s Japan. The narrative begins with the October 21, 1969, attack on Shinjuku Station, part of the Japanese student protests against capitalism, the US military presence, and Japanese logistical support for the US during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Moutte, whose mother suggested the idea, uses black-and-white ink drawings to depict the rise and fall of a group of communist students who joined the Japanese Red Army (renamed 'Purple Army' in the book). The story follows their descent from idealistic pacifism into armed struggle, including ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and internal violence marked by psychological, verbal, and physical abuse, culminating in executions and the siege of a chalet where revolutionaries held an innkeeper hostage. The affair, widely covered by media, discredited the Japanese left, as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated government since 1955, except for brief periods in 1993-1994 and 2009-2012. Moutte drew inspiration from writings of imprisoned protagonists to portray secret meetings and the leaders' certitudes as well as militants' doubts. The book is part of RFI's podcast 'L'art de raconter le monde'.