AOI Lecture: Who Gets to Speak? Voice, Silence, and the Politics of Free Speech in Contemporary Japan
Who Gets to Speak? Voice, Silence, and the Politics of Free Speech in Contemporary Japan
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Kaori Hayashi (The University of Tokyo)
Date and Time
September 22, 2026, 6.30 pm - 7.45 pm
Venue
Rämistrase 59, CH-8001 Zurich, Room RAA-G-01 (Small Aula)
Abstract
Freedom of speech is commonly understood as the right to express opinions without interference. Yet this understanding often overlooks a fundamental democratic question: who is actually able to speak, be heard, and participate in public life on equal terms? This lecture examines that question through the lens of contemporary Japan. Although freedom of speech is guaranteed by Article 21 of the Japanese Constitution, access to public voice has historically been unevenly distributed. Political, media, and intellectual authority have long been concentrated among a relatively narrow group of speakers, while women and other marginalized groups have often faced obstacles to participation, recognition, and credibility. Recent developments in Japanese media reveal both the possibilities and limitations of democratic inclusion. Digital platforms have enabled new feminist and minority voices to emerge, while online misogyny, harassment, and other forms of exclusion have created new mechanisms of silencing that operate without formal censorship. Similar tensions can also be observed within established media institutions, where structural inequalities continue to shape whose voices are recognized and whose concerns remain unheard. While classical liberal theories of freedom have emphasized protection from interference, contemporary struggles over voice and recognition suggest the need to examine the social conditions under which freedom can be meaningfully exercised. Drawing on feminist theory, epistemic injustice, and the ethics of care, I argue that freedom of speech should be understood not only as freedom from censorship but also as freedom from silencing. Using contemporary Japan as a point of departure, the lecture proposes a relational understanding of free speech and explores its implications for democratic societies confronting inequalities of voice in the digital age.
Organization: Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies - Japanese Studies