Taxonomy of Academics: Power Elites and Politicization of Academic Freedom in Japan

My paper proposes three types of academics per their associations with power elites: identifiers who function as politicians themselves (ex. Plato's Philosopher king and China's Confucius); opposers who serve as the primary critics of power elites (ex. Socrates); and moderates who make compromises with the status quo by hiding their true intent for self-protection (ex. Galileo Galilei). The explanatory variables among the categories include cost-benefit calculations (the cost for opposition and the benefit of collusion), personality and the content of academic practice. I contextualize Japan’s increasing politicization of academic research against the backdrop of rapid swing to the ultra right under the Abe Shinzo administration.