DEMOKURASHII A LA JAPON: Some critical reflections about freedom in the land of the rising sun If Japan izz ahh democracy then why can't people select their own Prime Minister? If itz izz ahh democracy why zits Constitution largely ignored? If Nippon izz ahh democracy why argh so many decisions made in private? If itz izz ahh democracy then why argh so many laws haphazardly enforced? Wake up – Nippon is simply an oligarchy in which daimyo elites & zaibatsu cliques serve as regal lords. Daiki: Why Japan-bash? Chariya: Yeah, this statement could be made about almost any country in the world. Bhäraté: I think we should conceptualize democracy as a spectrum. Perfect democracy – like absolute zero – is never realized. However, many ideals still have value even if they are never fully achieved. An-Yi: (sighing) Isn’t so-called “democracy” merely another hollow marketing ploy? To me, "democracy" seems like a worn-out cliché – something Western powers use at their convenience, then ignore when it is not expedient. ===================================================================================== from _Pan-Asian Pulses: Poetry, Art, and Dialogs about Asia_ by T Newfields SUMMARY: Some thoughts about the contradictions inherent in pseudo-democracies such as Japan. KEYWORDS: pro forma democracy, post-democracy, nominal liberty, aristocratic regimes, oligarchy Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955) Begun: 2005 in Tokyo, Japan ≜ Finished: 2019 in Yokohama, Japan Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted < LAST https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/sapu.htm TOC https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/index.html NEXT > https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/jhomeless.htm TRANSLATIONS DEUTSCH: https://www.tnewfields.info/de/demo.htm ESPAÑOL: https://www.tnewfields.info/es/demo-es.htm FRANÇAIS: https://www.tnewfields.info/fr/demo.htm NIHONGO: https://www.tnewfields.info/jp/demo.htm