''Shukyū-ha'' (守旧派 or 守舊派, lit. "Old Guard") refers to the power and idea of existing traditional values or systems in opposition to any
reform
Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
movement.
In
Chinese history
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
, when the
Hundred Days' Reform movement broke out, those who supported it were referred to as
洋務派, and those who opposed it were referred to as
守旧派. In
Korean history, those who opposed
開化派, who insisted on independence and modernization from the
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
, were called
守旧派.
Translation
守旧 commonly translates to "
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
" or "
reactionary
In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...
". However, it doesn't have exactly the same meaning as 保守 (lit. "conservative") or 反動 (lit. "reactionary"); 守旧 focuses more on maintaining the stubbornly defending the
status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
. 派 can be translated as "faction" or "group".
In Japanese politics
In Chinese or Korean politics, 守旧 may mean "
ultraconservative
Ultraconservatism refers to extreme conservative views in politics or religious practice. In modern politics, ''ultraconservative'' usually refers to conservatives of the far-right on the political spectrum, comprising groups or individuals wh ...
" depending on the context, but in Japan, "shukyū" or "Shukyū-ha" is not usually translated as "ultraconservative", as right-wing nationalists/conservatives are also used to criticize politicians who oppose the
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
''Shukyū hoshu''
In
Japanese politics, there is also the term ''Shukyū hoshu'' (守旧保守), which has the opposite meaning to ''
Kaikaku hoshu'' (改革保守, lit. "reformist conservative").
Junichiro Koizumi, the former prime minister (2001 – 2006), was called ''kaikaku hoshu'' because he pushed for
neoliberal
Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...
reforms, unlike ''shukyū hoshu'', which has a traditional bureaucratic nature.
See also
*
Negative campaigning – ''Shukyū-ha'' is often not used in a positive context, and can be used to blame certain conservatives.
Notes
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Conservatism in Japan