I'm really tired of American reactionaries glorifying Japan so I'm gonna go through Japanese domestic policy one by one to emphasize all the stuff they'd hate

Hello, it's me.

Japan is an imperialist capitalist nation in Asia that has been dominated by the right wing party 自由民主党 (The Liberal Democratic Party) almost entirely since the party's conception. The country has a reputation for harsh working hours, a repressive conformist culture, a huge and exploitative pornography industry, but worst of all: anime.

However, it's not all bad. Japan also boasts a rich cultural history, beautiful natural landmarks, and a deep culinary tradition. It's a place I've visited and stayed in many times. I really do have an appreciation of Japan. Not in a weeaboo kind of way, but I hope more genuinely in the things I like. I've actually taken the time to visit the countryside, to make friends, to interact with everyday Japanese people. I've made the effort to learn how to speak the language at a conversational level, and I've gone out of my way to have experiences beyond the normal tourist stuff. Not bragging but I've been to 38 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

But onto the main subject here: I hate, hate, hate how western reactionaries glorify aspects of Japan while also knowing jack and shit about Japan. In fact, I'd like to propose that if American white conservatives actually knew about Japanese domestic policy, they'd declare Japan to be socialist in the same way they refer to Canada or Europe as socialist. Here we go.

Also all of this will be off the top of my head because I'm exhausted from work and just doing this as catharsis because I had to listen to several shitheads today talk about how conservative Japan is and why it's a conservative based utopia blah blah blah ahhhhh. So if I get anything wrong or don't mention something just call me out as a dipshit because I am a massive dipshit. I don't wanna actually google statistics and stuff right now.

Don't get me wrong. Japan is not some utopia, it's a capitalist exploitative imperialist nation, but I'm just very sick of hearing American conservatives glorify things about the country that they exaggerate, misunderstand, or just fabricate.

Things American chuds care about:

• Gun control

Ok let's address this one first. Personal ownership of handguns and rifles in Japan is strictly illegal. My understanding is that shotguns are legal for specifically hunters or target shooters, but require an evaluation, regular accuracy tests, proof of what the gun is used for specifically, and you have to let the police inspect your home and gun whenever they ask. American chuds would absolutely bristle at hearing any of this. Honestly, Japan's gun control laws alone might be enough for the average American chud to declare Japan a dystopian socialist dictatorship.

• Labor laws

Japan doesn't have at-will employment. Every employer is required to give 30 days notice before firing someone, or issue payment in lieu of notice. Far more Japanese workers in the private industry belong to unions than Americans, I think it's around 16% of Japanese workers versus only like 3% of Americans. Japanese companies cannot fire employees without a specific reason. Minimum wage is pegged to cost of living in the surrounding area. It's also super common for companies to reimburse employees for public transportation costs. Employees are typically under contract with their employer, and all workers are legally obligated to pay into a national pension plan, which I believe starts to pay out at the age of 60.

• Immigration/Xenophobia/Minority rights

While Japan is notoriously difficult in terms of gaining full citizenship, immigrating and becoming a resident is about the same process as immigrating anywhere else. Japan's xenophobia is probably the most cited feature of the place that chuds seem to like. I hear so many stories about the "No Foreigners" signs in front of shops. Personally, I've only ever encountered one of those signs, but it was less a "no foreigners allowed whatsoever" and more like a "we don't speak English, sorry." I'm pretty sure denying foreigners service entirely violates several Japanese civil rights laws. I remember there were some Korean residents in Japan like 20 years ago who successfully sued a bathhouse for several million yen for its refusal to service them. It's just not as widespread as chuds like to say it is, and it's definitely not true of cosmopolitan areas like Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, etc. Maybe decades ago, but as far as Japanese cities are concerned, the yen is good no matter who's trying to use it. I could get into why I think Japan has a low percentage of immigration, but to cut it short I think it's primarily low wages for skilled labor compared to other industrialized nations. Xenophobia and discrimination are probably factors as well, but I really believe it's the lack of money and Japan's relative isolation that keep immigrants away. Like why would someone from neighboring countries China or Occupied (South) Korea immigrate to Japan at this point, other than an interest in Japan? They'd make far more money at home.

Also in regards to social xenophobia, that's probably true of the older generations, but the overwhelming majority of young Japanese people I've met have been obsessed with Korean media. K-pop, K-dramas, Korean idols, all of that. They also love American movies, especially slop like Star Wars and Marvel. If Japanese people are supposed to be based culturally isolated people who don't engage in foreign cultures, they're very bad at it. Go to anywhere in Shibuya and you'll hear the Billboard top 50 blaring all the time.

• LGBTQ+ Rights

Yeah it's not great, but Japan at least acknowledges gender transitions. I also know that GRS is covered by the state healthcare system, although I don't know if HRT is. I do have a trans friend in Japan and she tells me there's actually a pretty decent community for her and things are alright. Japan notoriously has no national recognition of same-sex marriage, however, cities and prefectures individually may have their own laws regarding recognition. Like I know that most wards of Tokyo will issue a certificate to same-sex couples that carries many of the same provisions as marriage. Also, Japan has multiple elected officials who are trans or gay. Setagaya, a ward of Tokyo, had an open trans woman elected to its council all the way back in 2003. I believe Japan has no specific laws regarding discrimination or hate speech, I believe certain prefectures have their own laws protecting against gender/sexuality discrimination, like Tokyo and Ibaraki. (my friend lives in Ibaraki and she's told me there are local laws against things like hiring discrimination in regards to sexuality/gender). Basically, it's complicated and queer people aren't fully protected or normalized, but that's similar to most countries in the world right now. Japan certainly isn't a fully anti-LGBTQ country like chuds would describe. Instead it's a mixed bag where acceptance can vary depending on where in the country you are and who you're interacting with.

• Healthcare

Japan's healthcare system is actually just about as good as you can get for a capitalist country. Japanese people have one of the longest life expectancies on Earth, the obesity rate is low, and access to healthcare is very high. The way it works is a public-private hybrid system, where 70% of healthcare costs are covered by the state and the remaining 30% is covered by private health insurance. After the age of 70, the state covers all costs. Most employers offer a health insurance plan, meaning the vast majority of Japanese residents enjoy widespread coverage at publicly funded hospitals. I know there are a lot of cases where the national healthcare system doesn't cover everything, or insurance won't cover certain conditions, but statistically Japan has a remarkably healthy population (at least in terms of physical health. There are a variety of widespread mental health issues.) Again, this is something else that American white reactionaries would bristle at, despite the obvious positive results. Also I think quack medicine is illegal, or at least, isn't covered by the national health system or something? I remember my friend saying something about it.

• Taxation

Japan has a progressive income tax rate that vastly out-paces the American tax rate. Its highest tax bracket, an income of ¥40,000,000 or higher, is a whopping 45%. The equivalent highest bracket in America is 37% for income of $609,351 and above. As I'm typing this, 40 million yen is $257,212. I don't even want to get into the inheritance, corporate, property, etc taxes because they're also higher than the American equivalents. Again, this is a feature chuds would declare as inherently despotic and socialist.

• Environmental laws

I actually don't know much about this, but I'm pretty sure every major party, including the LDP, acknowledges anthropic climate change is real. I know waste disposal laws are more strict than the US, and I think fines for pollution are harsher. I do know that most parties in Japan are against nuclear energy, including the Communist Party, which is kinda understandable given Japanese history.

• Conclusion

Ok I'm done rambling. I just really needed to get all that out. I don't think I hit every point I wanted to hit but you're all very smart and you probably understand where I'm going with this. The actual reality of Japan is something chuds would not want for themselves, since they can only look at certain aspects of Japan, namely its immigration policies and its ethnic homogeneity, and declare that's all that's necessary for a country to be based or whatever. Yeah except nearly every other feature of Japan is something they'd find unpalatable at best and grounds for declaring it a dictatorship at worst.

ok thank you for reading my bullshit.

death to America