Recently someone on social media asked me, “Does Japan experience government shutdowns, like the one currently going on in the U.S.?” I had to laugh: the closest thing Japan has come to that was a period where the main opposition party blocked an extension of a gasoline tax, allowing the law to expire, which resulted in 30% lower fuel prices for a week before the tax was restored.
Yes, one of the reasons I enjoy living in Japan is that it’s generally a well-run country. Let’s look at some things Japan does right…
- Low traffic deaths. Recent safety and enforcement campaigns by the police resulted in the lowest number of traffic deaths since records started being kept in 1948, just 3532 last year. Encouraging elderly drivers to turn in their licenses and the rise of auto braking safety features in cars has also helped.
- When there’s a disaster, Japan generally responds well. Last year was a rough one, with flooding causing a staggering 225 deaths and ravaging several regions. Emergency housing for displaced citizens went up in a matter of days.
- Healthcare. Japan has a U.K. style healthcare system that covers 70% of medical costs. When my daughter needed an eye operation, the hospital informed us it was totally free because she was still a student in school at the time.
- Uniform government institutions. The U.S. is a Republic made up of 50 different Republics, each with differing state constitutions and laws. Some important parts of society, such as how voting is carried out, can be quite different from state to state. Being a “top-down” country, Japan is able to make important things like voting or public education pretty much the same from Okinawa to Hokkaido.
- Lack of corruption. Important jobs in Japan are administered by a bureaucracy of 3.3 million public employees patterned after Her Majesty’s Civil Service in the U.K. In exchange for lifelong employment, these public employees fill important jobs in an upstanding manner. Everyone from employees in city hall to Japan’s tax office to the military is part of this system. There are some wise policies in place, too, for example, all city employees are shuffled around randomly every three years. All public employees get a generous bonus when they reach retirement age.
- No lawyers or lawsuits. One of my favorite memories was when my mother came to Japan and we went to Gunma Safari Park and posed for a picture with a full-grown lioness spread out across our laps. There’s no way anything so dangerous would be permitted in the U.S., with its litigious culture. Though one in 25 Americans is a lawyer, I’ve yet to encounter one here in Japan. Most legal services, like registering land purchases, are done by non-lawyer professionals, called “scriveners” in English.
While there are many things Japan does right, of course, no country is perfect. Maybe I’ll work on a post about things Japan does wrong for next time!
The recent Comiket is over, and J-List is brimming with gorgeous new doujinshi that were released at the event. Whether you have a fascination with the sexy feet of Fate/Grand ORder girls or want to sample full-color doujin artbooks by Japan’s up-and-coming artists, you should browse the new books now.
