Zenkyōtō Student Movement in Wakayama University, 1968–69 : Role of Ordinary Students

Previous studies on the Zenkyōtō Student Movement (1968–1969) did not elucidate the role of ‘ordinary students’ who did not participate in the movement or who participated in the movement reluctantly. This study, which examines the case of Wakayama University, reveals that these students had a great influence on the student movement.
In 1969, students of Wakayama University mounted boycott of their classes and blockade of university campus. The dissolution of the strike was largely prompted by ordinary students who voted against the strike in an extraordinary meeting of the student union held on June 26, 1969. The Zenkyōtō activists, who were also members of the student union, had no choice but to respect the results of the vote. This case study provides a new perspective on the history of the Zenkyōtō Student Movement, which has been mainly told based on the case of the University of Tōkyō.