The following essay, written by Vanessa Bramwell, introduces Civil Society Organisations in China and Japan. CSOs are non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and exist separate from family, state and business organisations.

Civil Society Organisations are gradually becoming more significant and influential around the world, and especially in the Asia Pacific, which is experiencing a general democratic transformation. However, East Asia faces unique challenges regarding the growth of these organisations and the maintenance of transparency and effectiveness in the same. These challenges are the result of specific cultural and political aspects that have shaped the societies of these nations throughout history. The following essay is a comparative analysis of the development of CSOs in both Japan and China; the problems they face in these countries; and the likelihood of their influence increasing to a level on par with CSOs in the modern Western world.

Although Japan and China have experienced very…