Asking a question like is Japan oppressive clearly means I am coming at this subject with an agenda, with the answer being that yes I feel that it is. Yet this is not something I previously thought, with it being my first trip here that led me to this conclusion.
So, what exactly makes Japan so oppressive, does the good outweigh the bad and is it better to have freedom with danger, or safety with oppression? Heres my 2 cents on the matter.
You can read about our Extremes of Japan Tour here.
The Japanese and the rules
The most striking thing you learn when you visit Japan is their affinity, dare I say love of following the rules. This can start of almost cute in some ways, but at times borders on the frankly ridiculous.
An example of this was when we visited Fukushima where 14 of the 18 people present were with my company Young Pioneer Tours. Yet despite this dropping off my group and their hotel was an impossibility. And the reason? Once upon a time a bus changed its route and some people died.
Similar logic was used for the lack of rubbish bins in Tokyo. This was because when there was the nerve has attack by the cult they had used trash cans. By this logic had they used a toilet would there now no longer be toilets in there capital?
Is Japan Oppressive? The passive aggressive signs
Now while passive aggressive signs are not just the domain of the Japanese, in Japan they go to a whole new level. Quite literally there are signs everywhere telling you not to do stuff, or what things are illegal.
Yet being Japanese they try overtly to be polite with them, which just comes across as passive aggressive. I actually saw a sign that showed that you should not piss on an electrical box. Hmmm do you think?
All this silliness was also very evident when it came to smoking, with the local populace only too happy to grass on their fellow man.
Japan is not actually a democracy
I personally feel the work democracy is banded about far too easily. And that is not to say that I think not being a democracy is always a bad thing. What do feel though is that the “democratic club” of nations are often times massive hypocrites.
In Japan they like to be led, with their main party being the Liberal Democratic Party who have ran the country in various forms for over 100 years, including during the war. This is a one party state that is ultra nationalist.
This also fuels the infamously well known racism in Japan. Honestly it drives me wild when I see people talking about how racist the UK, or US, when they cannot even compete with Japan.
And is the one mindset that I personally feel made them so formidable in the war. After all if you have a racist populace that think they are the best and do what they are told, then that is some fighting force.
Is Japan Oppressive? Look at the happiness level
The final point here about is Japan oppressive has to come from looking at how happy people are, with the overarching opinion being “not very much”. People typically work crazily long hours and are almost slave like to work.
And it is this that drives so many other ills that the country suffers from, such as people not leaving the house, girls running away from home and into prostitution and of course suicide. These few examples though merely scratch the surface of a country that is for all intents really quite off balance.
It is though very safe from crime, even having a very undemocratic 99 percent conviction rate. For me, who has been robbed in Port Moresby and Cambodia this made me think what is more important to me, being safe, but oppressed, or less safe and free? For me at least, the answer is very much the later.