I signed the petition Media and democracy in South Korea: Save Mediact. My comment:
I come from a country, Japan, which is relatively underdeveloped in terms of the freedom of press and political activism. Mediact has been something we've aspired to. I hope it will continue to be a role model for all of us in Asia.
3 comments:
Thanks for more insight into Japan, via this post. I wasn't aware that there was a restriction on freedom of the press there, or on political activism. I suppose I had just assumed that since the US had such a heavy hand in arranging modern Japan's political system, there would be a similar allowance for those freedoms.
Actually, just after the WW2, American liberals came to this country to create a constitution that was among the most democratic at the time. But then the cold war broke out, and the Americans chose a different policy regarding this country; they practically reversed the progressive reforms.
The problem is, I think, the Constitution, despite its democratic principles, was not something people here struggled for. That was just a gift from some good Americans, and people weren't ready to defend it. The result is contemporary Japan as it is; here the freedom of expression is guaranteed on paper, and yet people are afraid to speak up (for understandable reasons, given what happens to those who do).
Ok. Now I'm excited for a story. What happens to those that do speak up?
Also, I'm interested how you put it: "from some good Americans". I wasn't aware that the Japanese saw the Americans as good at that point in time. The war really took a toll on Japan, and the bombs had to have left a bad impression. Or, were people so grateful for the war to be over they were glad the US finally broke the Emperor?
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