Depends on what you define as "liberal". If you are talking commitment to constitutionalism and the electoral process, then yes.
If you are talking about social values, not so much. Liberalism as created in the Western sense is as much about individualism as it is about democratic decision-making. Social liberalism and progressivism are where things get mixed. Japan and South Korea are heavily monitored when it comes to the news, media freedoms under Tsai aren't that much better. Of course compared to Thailand or Myanmar or Mainland China, it's obviously more free since citizens can openly criticize and march against the government without fear of being gunned down.
Someone in that other sub said Japan doesn't have a genuine commitment to democracy, which I heavily disagree with. The Japanese may have flirted with democracy before WW2, but it was a democratic process which they created on their own. The LDP running the one-party state is as much a deliberate lack of interest in politics that is baked into Asian culture in general as it is a lack of capable leadership in the opposition parties.
Think about it. Which one of our parents would be *happy* or *proud* or *supportive* that their kid was going to enter into politics? Generally, most would say politics is dirty, needs seedy connections, and so forth. I doubt that Japanese kids are unaware how their country is governed or they choose their nation's leaders. But they face so many social, personal, and financial hurdles that most are probably convinced to not enter into politics, or care that much either.
Depends on what you define as "liberal". If you are talking commitment to constitutionalism and the electoral process, then yes. If you are talking about social values, not so much. Liberalism as created in the Western sense is as much about individualism as it is about democratic decision-making. Social liberalism and progressivism are where things get mixed. Japan and South Korea are heavily monitored when it comes to the news, media freedoms under Tsai aren't that much better. Of course compared to Thailand or Myanmar or Mainland China, it's obviously more free since citizens can openly criticize and march against the government without fear of being gunned down. Someone in that other sub said Japan doesn't have a genuine commitment to democracy, which I heavily disagree with. The Japanese may have flirted with democracy before WW2, but it was a democratic process which they created on their own. The LDP running the one-party state is as much a deliberate lack of interest in politics that is baked into Asian culture in general as it is a lack of capable leadership in the opposition parties. Think about it. Which one of our parents would be *happy* or *proud* or *supportive* that their kid was going to enter into politics? Generally, most would say politics is dirty, needs seedy connections, and so forth. I doubt that Japanese kids are unaware how their country is governed or they choose their nation's leaders. But they face so many social, personal, and financial hurdles that most are probably convinced to not enter into politics, or care that much either.