The definition of human rights in Japan is a little different from the Western definition
The idea of “human rights” came from the Western world around the end of the 19th century in Japan, but it was after WWII that the idea began to affect the people’s daily life. Even today, the definition of human rights in Japan is a little different from the Western definition because individual freedom is not basic human right under Japanese understanding. After the United States won the war in 1945 and acquired some control over Japanese politics and economy, Japan created a new constitution under the guidance of the United States government. It was then that the notion of human rights began to influence Japanese thinking. By the time I grew to adulthood, human rights had become a common concept in Japan.
