PHOTOGRAPHY | TOSHIYUKI MAEDA: THE 80S MICRO PIRATE RADIO MOVEMENT IN JAPAN
Pirate radio was once the primary area of counterculture, contributing to the growth of rock, punk, hip hop, afrobeat, and even mainstream culture and politics. In the 1980s, Japan experienced a massive, or as it is sometimes called, a “micro” pirate radio movement. Countless radio stations that could only broadcast within walking distance appeared; they were deeply experimental, doing things like hanging microphones from the ceiling or making portable radio stations by putting their equipment on bicycles. FM Koenji, KIDS, Boss-FM, Two & A Half, IBS-FM, Radio Home Run and others had a certain “local” and “DIY” aesthetic, with the use of self-published papers, stylized verification cards, and some even experimented with “cassette magazines”. Many of them even attempted to turn listeners into active participants and would let anyone broadcast on the show. This mini-FM movement was pivotal to radio culture in Japan and has never been thoroughly explored. Mini-FM did not last forever. It seems that it started to decline in the late 80s and fell off completely around the 90s.
