Hajime Matsumoto, PPRG, Poor People's Newspaper (Street Edition), No. 3

Shinjuku, Tokyo, 2004
7 1/8 x 10 1/8 in.

Hajime Matsumoto is a Japanese activist, author, and shop proprietor best known for founding the anti-consumerist collective Shiroto no Ran (Amateur’s Rebellion). A graduate of Hosei University’s Faculty of Law, Matsumoto began his organized activism in 2001—immediately after a seven-year undergraduate tenure—by establishing the Poor People’s Rebellion Group (PPRG). Rooted in the earlier "Hosei University Poverty Protection Society," his work advocates for a shift away from neoliberalism toward a communitarian lifestyle. In the early 2000s, Matsumoto gained attention for distributing the Poor People's Newspaper Street Edition, a handmade, self-illustrated publication that he handed out personally to passersby.

Matsumoto expanded this philosophy through Shiroto no Ran, which operates as both a recycle shop in Tokyo and a hub for political agitation; he also authored a book of the same title. The group is characterized by its creative and often humorous approach to civil disobedience, organizing "rent is free" uprisings and protests against rent increases. Notable among their tactics are the "bicycle return request demonstrations" and public "hot pot parties" held in high-traffic areas like Shinjuku Station. These gatherings are designed to reclaim public space and facilitate casual political engagement with the public over shared food, embodying Matsumoto's "survival" strategy against modern economic pressures.

Self-published in an unknown edition size; 62 pp; saddle-stapled in pictorial photocopied wraps.

Good overall; toning; signs of handling.