Sorry, Charlie

Recently, a video of Charlie Kirk speaking about Japan during his visit to Tokyo has been getting a lot of attention from Sanseito and other right-wing Japanese groups.

While I still don't think he should've been shot, I must observe he speaks from a position of profound ignorance when it comes to Japan. He presents a contrast between the U.S. and Japan by saying that the U.S. is primarily a "propositional" country while Japan is not. However, much of the modern Japan that he praises is a product of a series of propositions that have occurred since the Meiji Restoration in 1868, or even since the early 17th century if we're to include a timeline of changes instituted with philosophical rather than immediately practical intent.

Nominally, the "Restoration" was meant to restore absolute authority to the Emperor after the Edo period in which the country's governance was managed by a shogunate and "bafuku", a system in which regional lords maintained partial residency in Edo as a means of centralising policy formation and execution in the realm. But the Restoration is described by historians more accurately as a renovation. The country adopted a Charter Oath which presented a radical proposition for societal reform:

By this oath, we set up as our aim the establishment of the national wealth on a broad basis and the framing of a constitution and laws.

1. Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by open discussion.
2. All classes, high and low, shall be united in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state.
3. The common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall all be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there may be no discontent.
4. Evil customs of the past shall be broken off and everything based upon the just laws of Nature.
5. Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule.

The last item was assiduously pursued by government officials and scholars who spent extensive time in Europe and America, observing social and government institutions. As a result, the fundamental framework of Japanese society was reordered, including the educational system, in which free public education was established modelled on western examples. It's in this period that the famous "sailor suit" school uniform was adopted in schools.

In some ways, it could be argued that Japan is more propositional than the U.S. as the Charter Oath and institutional reforms were less influenced by the culture's endemic religion than the English colonists were influenced by Puritan heritage and the ideological conflicts of 17th century England.

Of course, Japan's identity is inextricably bound to a culture that has evolved for over a thousand years but the policies pursued during the Meiji Restoration as well as during the occupation of Japan following World War II have shaped the country profoundly and are just as inextricable. Certainly there's tension between the two elements but less so than in other countries that have undergone similarly profound changes such as France or Mexico. One might attribute this to a culture that is extraordinarily suited for adaptation and progress.