Japan: A Society That Looks Free, But Isn’t

Japan is often seen as a country with relatively few explicit prohibitions.

At first glance, this suggests a society where people are free to decide for themselves.

But is that really true?

In reality, the empty space left by the absence of written rules is filled by something far more powerful:

“Common sense.”

People are expected to know what is “normal.”

They are expected to understand what others expect without being told.

Expressions such as:

* “Everyone knows that.”
* “You should be able to read the room.”
* “That’s just common sense.”

function as an invisible rulebook.

In other words, Japan is not simply a society with a short list of prohibitions.

It is a society governed by an unwritten positive list of expected behaviors.

This invisible structure works surprisingly well among people who have shared the same culture for many years.

But for newcomers, especially immigrants, the rulebook is invisible.

If something is not explicitly forbidden, they naturally assume it is acceptable.

Yet their behavior may still be judged as inappropriate because it violates expectations that were never explained.

As a result, they may become isolated without ever understanding why.

Eventually, people stop seeing an individual and begin seeing only a category.

Not “this person.”

But “foreigners.”

This shift—from a unique individual to a general category—is where misunderstanding begins.

I often summarize this idea with the following sentence:

General categories sustain society.
Being treated as a unique, irreplaceable person sustains the individual “me.”

Every society needs categories.

Governments, laws, insurance systems, and public administration cannot function without them.

But people do not actually live as categories.

No one wakes up in the morning thinking,

“I am a taxpayer.”

“I am an elderly person.”

“I am an insured citizen.”

We live as unique individuals—with our own memories, relationships, hopes, and fears.

The real challenge is not immigration itself.

The challenge is whether a society can recognize people as unique individuals before reducing them to categories.

Ironically, Japanese people themselves also live under the pressure of this invisible rulebook.

They constantly try to avoid standing out.

They quietly adjust themselves to what everyone else is expected to do.

Perhaps this is why someone who does not follow the unwritten rules feels so unsettling.

A truly free society is not one with fewer written rules.

It is a society willing to explain its invisible rules, question them, and make room for people who see the world differently.

Only then can structure support human beings instead of silently overwhelming them.

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Afterword

In recent years, many discussions about immigration have focused on economics, labor shortages, or public safety.

These are important issues.

But I believe another question deserves equal attention:

Can we see people as unique individuals before we see them as categories?

A healthy society certainly needs structure.

But structure exists to support human lives—not to replace them.

Perhaps the future of multicultural societies depends on how well we can balance these two perspectives.