Local media have been cautious in their coverage of the protest demonstrations that have materialized in recent years, but they appear to be intrigued by the college-age activists known as SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy).

Previously, they had pegged this demographic as being politically apathetic, and now some are taking to the streets and venting displeasure with government policy — specifically the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's move to allow the Self-Defense Forces to engage in collective security overseas. While the coverage has been mostly patronizing, it has nevertheless revealed to the larger public an articulate, passionate movement.

But it goes deeper, or, more precisely, younger. A recent Asahi Shimbun article pointed out that the government's somewhat cynical scheme to fortify its base by lowering the voting age to 18 could backfire, since a significant number of high school students know they are being used. As one 16-year-old told the Asahi reporter, if teens don't do anything to educate themselves on current affairs they won't know whom to vote for and, thus, will go for the "big party," which is what the LDP wants. The article profiles several high school-based organizations that have joined existing protest campaigns in front of the Diet building out of a feeling of resentment at being "underestimated and disrespected" by the legislative establishment.