Which country that you have lived in has the most freedom?

[florida johny]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?

I am thinking of these areas:

1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble

It seams other than freedom to own guns and carry guns with a permit is the USA any more free than Europe or Thailand? In the USA the constitution keeps you from being arrested for speaking but you can get cancelled or fired at work for
saying none PC stuff. I am talking about reasonable non PC stuff not threatening or way out there extreme stuff.

[Tsar]

Most nations are more free than America. America is the least free compared to Europe and even Asia.

You should probably add "Freedom to buy pharmaceuticals like viagra, asthma medicine, etc without a doctor's prescription."

[jerryrigged]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?

I am thinking of these areas:

1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble

It seams other than freedom to own guns and carry guns with a permit is the USA any more free than Europe or Thailand? In the USA the constitution keeps you from being arrested for speaking but you can get cancelled or fired at work for
saying none PC stuff. I am talking about reasonable non PC stuff not threatening or way out there extreme stuff.

THE USA... You dont have any of these freedoms in SEA, not even #4, its just selectively enforced

[Cornfed]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?

I am thinking of these areas:

1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble.

Probably you don't consistently have those freedoms anywhere in the world. You would have to be in the right region of a country or know the right people. The closest I ever heard of in the past was Cambodia in the 1990s.

[MrMan]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?

I am thinking of these areas:

1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble

Nevada has 'freedom' to gamble and go to prostitutes. I don't think the prostitute 'freedom' is a good one to have. And gambling brings with it crime and people throwing away the babies milk money.

There are different types of freedom. One is freedom from regulations. I have thought Indonesia was free in a lot of ways. I think you have to choose one of the five legal religions, but it's mainly just for the ID card, and they may allow opt-outs now. Prostitution and guns are illegal, and so is gambling. Free speech is curtailed by blasphemy laws. Foreigners can only own 'air space' and private property rights do not include mineral rights. The government owns those.

What they do have is freedom, for the most part, from the enforcement of business regulations and a lack of health inspections. If you are poor and you can scrape up some wood, a couple of bicycle wheels and some cooking equipment (e.g. the cooking gas tank from your kitchen and some other stuff), nails and a hammer, you can put together a noodle cart and sell noodles in a neighborhood to support yourself. You can sell newspapers on the street. You used to be able to, at least. I say 'you'. I don't know if a white or black person could do so, but a local could, and earn a living. There is freedom from health inspections, etc.

Street vendors will take over lanes that are for cars, actually. After a while, police come through, confiscate their stuff, and they start filling in the place again.

So they are lower on some freedoms, but low enforcement allows for some economic opportunities on the low end. In the US, most people think they have to work for a business, working for other people.

[Winston]

If you mean freedom to do whatever it is that you want, then I would say Russia and Philippines. However if you are talking about political freedoms or freedom from corruption and scams, or freedom to make money and get a good job, that's another matter.

If you mean freedom to be yourself and connect with people who are alive, soulful, and lively, and freedom to flirt with women without taboo, then any country outside of North America and NE Asia has more freedom in that sense.

What I hate is that the US media knows there is no freedom in America, so they CHANGE the definition of freedom to mean voting in an election in our "sacred democracy". Every time they talk about freedom, they talk about it in that context. But that's NOT the definition of freedom. Freedom is the ability to do what you want and love without hindrance. But you don't have that in America, so the media has to change the definition to mean voting in a democracy, which doesn't even matter since voting doesn't change anything, and your vote is only one vote anyway. As Mark Twain said: "If voting could change anything, they wouldn't let us do it." So it's a USELESS freedom, but that is what the stupid US media focuses on. They cannot be that dumb, no one can, so they must be actively involved in DECEPTION.

[Yohan]

Most nations are more free than America. America is the least free compared to Europe and even Asia.
You should probably add "Freedom to buy pharmaceuticals like viagra, asthma medicine, etc without a doctor's prescription."

It depends on the health system of the country. Here in Japan you cannot buy any prescription medicine without a signature of a medical doctor.
However every Japanese citizen, who has a registered address in Japan and every foreigner with legal status in Japan (except tourists and diplomats) are covered by the Japanese national health insurance for any kind of accident and illness, including medicine. -

To visit my doctors near my home (dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, dentist, otolaryngologist, internal medicine) for advice and prescription costs only about USD 3,- to USD 6,- per visit (special medicine must be picked up in a pharmacy) to USD 20,- to USD 30,- (including many kinds of common medicine are available within the doctor's clinic), yearly general health checks and some vaccinations are free of charge.

The Japanese health insurance covers almost everything, even partially (60 %) medical emergency in case you stay abroad up to 2 months.
It covers dental treatment like crowns (I paid USD 60,- for root canal and colored crown), it offers support money in case of elderly care homes.

The Japanese health insurance however does not cover abortion and birth which are not considered as illness or accident. However it covers medical checkup and treatment during pregnancy. It also does not cover any beauty surgery. You have to ask for estimates and pay out of your own wallet.

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About USA, all and everything regarding to medical care is seriously overpriced, many people do not even have health insurance.
This is not the case everywhere worldwide.
I had two times eye surgery a while ago, (same medical problem both times) and was asking just for fun for an estimate from an eye-clininc in USA by email - the reply USD 2000,-

in Thailand in one of the most expensive private eye-clinics the estimate was USD 360,-. It took 45 minutes. Perfectly done.

Back in Japan, a year later, same problem with the other eye. My eye doctor in Japan was charging me USD 50,- any other fees were paid by the health insurance.

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About freedom, I do not need 'freedom' to buy medicine without prescription. Not in Japan for sure.

[MrMan]

The Japanese health insurance however does not cover abortion and birth which are not considered as illness or accident. However it covers medical checkup and treatment during pregnancy. It also does not cover any beauty surgery. You have to ask for estimates and pay out of your own wallet.

I seem to recall that Japan has had difficulty building up a population of working adults to work to replace the baby boomers, so considering how they order their society in other ways, I am surprise childbirth, at least in marriage, is not covered by health insurance.

[Yohan]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?
I am thinking of these areas:
1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble
It seams other than freedom to own guns and carry guns with a permit is the USA any more free than Europe or Thailand? In the USA the constitution keeps you from being arrested for speaking but you can get cancelled or fired at work for
saying none PC stuff. I am talking about reasonable non PC stuff not threatening or way out there extreme stuff.

The list needs some additional 'freedom requirements' - countries are not all the same...laws are different from country to country.

In my case, both countries are fairly good about freedom, no complaints.

About Japan,
1, 2, 3, no problem at all up to you, Japanese or foreign permanent resident (foreigner cannot own some kind of land - like forests, rivers, rice-fields etc. but can be owner in a land title 100 % condominium units (even as a tourist), own house+land, his own shop...)
4 - no problem if both are 20+ and if is done out of sight from public places in private rooms
5, 6, general prohibition of owning weapons (not limited only to guns, but swords etc. too)
7 no casino-style activity permitted in Japan, but your money might be gone for playing pachinko, slot machines, mahjong...plenty of such places everywhere.

About my native country in Austria (EU)
1, 3, 4 no problem
2 - not so easy to own property as a foreigner, especially not as a second home in tourist regions. Depends on your citizenship (EU or outside EU) etc.
5 - Guns, there are 2 kind of permits, to own a gun kept always within your home or your shop etc. (easy) or to be allowed to carry a gun with you ready to fire live bullets anytime (very difficult)
6 - self defence with your gun is OK in case of defending your own life in case of attack
7 - yes, also casino activity

---------------------------

About USA - freedom to leave USA is fairly good, the USA passport is not bad at all if you travel as an individual abroad, you can take your own money with you and the USD as a currency is accepted worldwide.

[jerryrigged]

What country that you have lived in (Not just visited for a few weeks on vacation) has the most freedom?
I am thinking of these areas:
1) Freedom of speech. Not only to be free of arrest for speaking but not being curtailed by political correctness.
2) Freedom to won Private property
3) Freedom of religion or to be atheist
4) Freedom to hire prostitutes
5) Freedom to own guns
6) Freedom to use guns in defense of death or great bodily harm, rape or kidnapping without going to prison or being sued.
7) Freedom to gamble
It seams other than freedom to own guns and carry guns with a permit is the USA any more free than Europe or Thailand? In the USA the constitution keeps you from being arrested for speaking but you can get cancelled or fired at work for
saying none PC stuff. I am talking about reasonable non PC stuff not threatening or way out there extreme stuff.

The list needs some additional 'freedom requirements' - countries are not all the same...laws are different from country to country.

In my case, both countries are fairly good about freedom, no complaints.

About Japan,
1, 2, 3, no problem at all up to you, Japanese or foreign permanent resident (foreigner cannot own some kind of land - like forests, rivers, rice-fields etc. but can be owner in a land title 100 % condominium units (even as a tourist), own house+land, his own shop...)
4 - no problem if both are 20+ and if is done out of sight from public places in private rooms
5, 6, general prohibition of owning weapons (not limited only to guns, but swords etc. too)
7 no casino-style activity permitted in Japan, but your money might be gone for playing pachinko, slot machines, mahjong...plenty of such places everywhere.

About my native country in Austria (EU)
1, 3, 4 no problem
2 - not so easy to own property as a foreigner, especially not as a second home in tourist regions. Depends on your citizenship (EU or outside EU) etc.
5 - Guns, there are 2 kind of permits, to own a gun kept always within your home or your shop etc. (easy) or to be allowed to carry a gun with you ready to fire live bullets anytime (very difficult)
6 - self defence with your gun is OK in case of defending your own life in case of attack
7 - yes, also casino activity

---------------------------

About USA - freedom to leave USA is fairly good, the USA passport is not bad at all if you travel as an individual abroad, you can take your own money with you and the USD as a currency is accepted worldwide.

I was actually surprised to find out that there are actually quite a lot of firearm owners in Germany and Austria. However in terms of rights the best place is for the time being the usa. I heard that zambia has pretty lax gun laws but I maybe mistaken

[Yohan]

I seem to recall that Japan has had difficulty building up a population of working adults to work to replace the baby boomers, so considering how they order their society in other ways, I am surprise childbirth, at least in marriage, is not covered by health insurance.

Opinions are divided about that, Japan had 127 million people at peak, now about 125 million, still declining, but many urban areas are clearly overpopulated. Rent and buy a home is too expensive. Not so few Japanese people think, a slow reduction of the population back to not more than 100 million people is not bad at all for the small country and missing people can often be replaced by automatization in many places like farmers in agriculture or even nurses in hospitals.

Many areas in Japan are nothing but small islands or mountain forests etc., totally unfit for living.

Japanese health insurance is firm about that issue as both is legal - birth and abortion - and it rejects the suggestion that birth and abortion (and beauty surgery like breast implants etc) should be considered as 'accident or illness'.

However many cities and rural municipalities in Japan are offering some 'welcome cash bonus' after birth and offer otherwise support material for free in case of birth. Especially in rural areas, where population is very old and there are only few young people living there...but birth support is not the same everywhere in Japan, depends on the ward office, where you are living.

[WilliamSmith]

About Japan,
1, 2, 3, no problem at all up to you, Japanese or foreign permanent resident (foreigner cannot own some kind of land - like forests, rivers, rice-fields etc. but can be owner in a land title 100 % condominium units (even as a tourist), own house+land, his own shop...)
4 - no problem if both are 20+ and if is done out of sight from public places in private rooms
5, 6, general prohibition of owning weapons (not limited only to guns, but swords etc. too)
7 no casino-style activity permitted in Japan, but your money might be gone for playing pachinko, slot machines, mahjong...plenty of such places everywhere.

Thanks Yohan, good information about Japan.
I was surprised when I learned from Japanese property owners how easy it was for even foreigners to buy some real estate there, among other things.

Enlarging a bit on 5-6 about weapons and self-defense:
The native Japanese population is known for being mostly so law-abiding that the crime rates there are really low, so statistically there is minimal danger compared with places like urban US cities, and just about all other places I've researched for going expat (eg Latin and America or the Caribbean where crime tends to be high, and there was even a dead body of a gang member lying around in a Google street view pic for Brazil at one point). Even countries like Vietnam that are nicer than the US cities still have a lot more crime than Japan.

But I noticed people who live in Japan warning people that not only are guns totally outlawed, it's even illegal to have a folding knife or knife over 5.5cm, and any kind of physical confrontation is considered very taboo.
(So I'd guess it's probably pretty tough to get away with self-defense with anything like police mace, 'tactical pens,' or tasers, in the unlikely event anyone's allowed to own them at all? I saw one guy saying you shouldn't even carry a tool that could be used as a weapon, but that might've been hearsay from a woke type, not sure...)

But even just for straight bare-hands physical self-defense:
I've heard you could get in serious trouble for any fighting, potentially even self-defense if you broke anyone's bones or caused a serious injury even if they were totally at fault for starting the trouble, so some actually said you should try to either run away toward the nearest police koban to try to get Japanese cops to save you (hehheh ), or else learn some grappling martial arts so you can try to take down attackers without causing them serious injuries.

Also, I've mostly heard Japanese police are often good quality, but way more likely to side with a Japanese native if there's any doubt at all about who's at fault. I personally see that as a good thing overall, since actual Japanese should be favored by law over foreigners, but obviously there is some risk you'll be one of the unlucky gaijins getting attacked for no good reason, and I've heard of guys who got drunk guys picking fights with them for no good reason, or a nutcase drunk salaryman who pulled an illegally large knife on the subway, stuff like that.

Also, I recall reading a blog by a rather crude but funny right-wing gaijin who beat up another gaijin in a bar fight, then had to spend a long time under arrest with tough Japanese police screaming in his face trying to wear him down to a confession in the interrogation room, but luckily for him he was fully fluent in Japanese and tough enough to weather the storm without ending up deported or serving a long prison sentence I guess (though he was in big trouble).

One other thing that was not on the OP's list, but which a higher and higher # of people in the degraded 'West' are heavily into: Drugs.
I personally strongly dislike drugs from watching friends screw themselves up (or at least get dumber and dumber from cannabis smoking ), but expats or tourists who are used to smoking pot (or whatever) all the time: Japan has way more strict laws not only banning "recreational" drugs, but also a lot of stuff that's over-the-counter in the US.
And they're unlikely to be impressed by foreigners trying to plead ignorance if they got caught with any substances they're not supposed to have.
So yeah, it's not a police state like Signapore where someone can get executed by hanging for having an illegal baggy of pot, and everyone else is under constant surveillance and chased around public areas by autonomous police robots that blare warnings against "“undesirable social behavior" and enforce "social distancing," but still: better be on your best behavior and not be into drugs in Japan!

[Yohan]

Thanks Yohan, good information about Japan.
I was surprised when I learned from Japanese property owners how easy it was for even foreigners to buy some real estate there, among other things.
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Enlarging a bit on 5-6 about weapons and self-defense:
The native Japanese population is known for being mostly so law-abiding that the crime rates there are really low, so statistically there is minimal danger compared with places like urban US cities...
-------------------
Also, I've mostly heard Japanese police are often good quality, but way more likely to side with a Japanese native if there's any doubt at all about who's at fault.
----
One other thing that was not on the OP's list, but which a higher and higher # of people in the degraded 'West' are heavily into: Drugs.
.....
So yeah, it's not a police state like Signapore where someone can get executed by hanging for having an illegal baggy of pot,

Wherever you go, no country is perfect. In general I can say, Japan is functioning well, for sure one of the best countries in all Asia.

Prices might be high in hotels, restaurants, taxi and otherwise service related businesses, but it should also be mentioned that this is really a tipless society, something what is surprising for visitors from the USA.

Keep in mind however, that Japanese people are not very communicative, often do not understand any foreign language and if you are unable to read Japanese you will find yourself as an illiterate wherever you go - especially outside of the larger cities.

Further, this country is not a cheap place, you need to work regularly with a proper visa to avoid to run out of money for a living - taxes etc. are not low.

To own property in Japan - and to be eligible for long stay visa/working permit are two different matters.

However you can, even as a tourist, own 100 % in your foreigners name (no loan, must be fully paid) in the land title a condominium unit everywhere in Japan and visa free stay up to 3 months x 2 times is permitted for visitors from many countries.

If you qualify for long-stay permit you will soon notice that the Japanese national health insurance is really good, considered as one of the best worldwide.

Also worth to mention Japan is clean - water quality is very good, clean restrooms for free use everywhere, no garbage around in the streets, no slums...etc.

-------

About personal safety, I am living in Japan, in Tokyo and after retirement in Okayama, since more than 40 years and I and all my family members never had any confrontation so far, no hooligans, no burglars, no beggars - just nothing. I can go out day and night, to everywhere, just nothing...
no street criminality.

Japan is not crime-free of course, but it is really crime-low and most crimes are among people who know each other. Within the family, or school, workplace and so on. Crimes against foreigners like myself (white man from Europe) is almost zero.

Japanese prison population is less than 50.000 people out of 126 million, in USA it is about 2.2 million out of 330 million people. Very big difference.

The only what I carry with me always is my mobile phone, I never used it for calling the police because of a crime. I called police only in a few cases of traffic and other accidents (fire etc.)

In general I cannot say that a Japanese police officer on the way with his bicycle is of 'good quality', often acting rather helpless -

Only some of them undergo a strict special training (for example motorcycle police) and know what they have to do - however an ordinary Japanese police officer, regardless if young or old, male or female, is very polite and patient and honest, will never take a bribe etc.
Conduct is really good, not aggressive at all.

Illegal drugs are not such a big issue in Japan (problem is more about alcohol) and Japan is not Singapore - however if they catch you entering Japan with drugs for sale expect about the same in years what you get in Europe in weeks.

It really depends on the individual foreigners, however foreigners I know in Japan from Europe (and the States) like myself as a permanent resident are few, almost all of them are men and all with Japanese family.

Most others, often with contracts related to a foreign company with a Japanese branch office, leave Japan within 3 to 6 years.

There are less than 3 million foreigners in Japan, mostly from Asia. Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos and also Brazil Japanese....

[publicduende]

@Yohan

I have come to the conclusion that Japan is one of the least free countries in the world. Sure, architecture and infrastructure are first-class, well-maintained and clean. Everything a Japanese does, any Japanese, from the public toilet cleaner to the members of the latest punk rock band, is an expression of the very best of their skills, their efforts, their passion. The moment a gaikokujin lands in Japan, they are embraced, submerged by this intelligent, industrious and resilient people, and all they managed to produce, for themselves and the whole world to benefit, since at least the early post-WW2 years.

Or so goes the narrative.

In reality, freedom in such a collectivist, rank-obsessed, highly normative society is just an illusion, a weekend affair, a hobby. Those who are free to be and do whatever they want, whenever they want, like the hikikomori, are those who pay the highest price: that of stopping belonging, of being outcasts.

More and more Japanese, young and not so young, are realising that a lifetime of servitude to the Greater Good, at the expense of the Self, is not worth it. At least, in the not so recent past, one could hope to graduate from a good university, climb the corporate ladder and retire as a director, paid bucketloads to sit at a desk and see his minions do all the work. Those days are long gone and that lifetime of sacrifice won't even guarantee a living wage anymore.

Japanese society is growing more free and creative everyday. However, in my opinion, this will also sow the seeds of its demise. As more and more ants refuse to conform to the social contract that binds them all, for the colony's greater good, the magnificent edifice will soon come apart at the seams. It's what is already happening in South Korea, after all. Only, it looks like South Koreans are more honest about their demons and the bleak future that awaits their growth model.

Japan, South Korea and the other super-repressed societies (Singapore comes to mind) are living on borrowed time, not just borrowed money.

[Yohan]

@Yohan
I have come to the conclusion that Japan is one of the least free countries in the world.

I have no idea how you go this impression.
Long long have you been in Japan?

I am here since 40 years and never had the feeling to be in a country which is one of the least free ones in this world.

I really have to think it over if there is something which I could consider as 'not free' ...

What might be my restrictions? Honestly, I don't know....