Confucianism, Collectivism and Constitutions: Press Systems in China and Japan

Abstract

Political events and ideologies in the twentieth century account for most of the features of the modern press systems in China and Japan. The Maoist revolution and recent economic reforms have shaped the controlled press system in China, and the defeat in World War II and the adoption of democracy and capitalism help account for the libertarian press system in Japan. Although they are different in obvious ways, the press systems in these two nations also have similar tendencies that can be explained by centuries-old Confucian and Buddhist philosophies. Asian notions of the importance of the group and fixed truth are contrasted with western ideas that stress individualism and the pursuit of truth. The Asian philosophical emphases on collectivism, hierarchy and social harmony play into the kinds of overt information constraints in China and the more subtle self-imposed controls in Japan.