Do not forget the state! The supposed state free self-regulatory system in post-war Japan

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of the state in the self-regulatory system in postwar Japan. While the New Censorship Theory argues that censorship is an essential and ubiquitous part of everyday communication, this paper contends that the state retains the power to impose punitive measures against authors and publishers even when censorship appears to bypass the state by becoming self-regulatory. The case of the self-regulatory system in Japan confirms that censorship in Japan is indisputably imposed externally by the state. The paper concludes that the persistent power of the state in regulating thought, speech, and discourse should not be overlooked, and it discusses some implications of this power in our everyday lives.