Freedom of Expression in Comparative Perspective: Japan's Quiet Revolution

Abstract

Of late, Japan has captured the fancy of both Americans and Europeans who hope to emulate Japanese business success by imitating Japanese management techniques. At the same time, Japan has reportedly become one of the freest nations in the world, equaling the United States and Switzerland, and surpassing France, Germany, and Italy.' Both of these developments are examples of Japan's historic success at incorporating foreign ideas into Japanese culture, and creating a different, frequently better product. To date the accounts of Japan's success story have appeared primarily in mass market paperbacks touting the superior ways of Japanese-style management.2 Now, however, Lawrence W. Beer, a political scientist who is the Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights at Lafayette College, has produced a volume that describes Japanese freedom of expression.3 Beer's study paints a de-