The Shadows of Those Who Did Not Change Their Beliefs: Takaaki Yoshimoto and the Issue of Non-Conversion, 1930s–1958

Takaaki Yoshimoto approached the topics of conversion and non-conversion—which had been discussed from the prewar period through the postwar era—by separating them from the simplistic moral narrative of those who upheld their convictions versus those who betrayed them. Even in his writings, the issue of non-conversion is discussed in connection with prewar literary movements and the intellectual climate of the time, and he presents a critical perspective suggesting that the mere fact of refusing to change one’s beliefs does not guarantee the correctness of those beliefs. In his 1958 essay on ideological conversion, Yoshimoto did not explain conversion solely as a capitulation to power; rather, he viewed it as a shift in the thinking of intellectuals who had failed to grasp the structure of modern Japanese society as a whole. Of particular importance is the issue of isolation from the masses. Not only those who defected, but also intellectuals who remained steadfast in their refusal to defect, risked shutting themselves away within their ideals rather than confronting the reality of mass society. Yoshimoto saw in this the paradox that refusal to defect itself could become a different form of defection. His 1958 essay on defection challenged the self-justification of postwar intellectuals and argued that ideology is not about holding fast to one’s beliefs, but rather the constant process of examining one’s relationship with reality.