Debunking myths is a noble endeavor, especially for scientists who are in the business of separating fact from fiction. The belief that Eric Feldman here sets out to expose as myth is that Japanese culture is antithetical to the idea of rights.
It is a common perception, in Japan and abroad, that in Japan there is an unwillingness to assert one's rights, as well as a general reluctance to go to court. This has to do with the ideas of harmony and consensus that are usually used to describe the Japanese social system. The Japanese are averse to litigation and do not think highly of asserting their rights or of those who do. Conflict resolution before the courts is not favorably regarded -- or so the standard argument goes.
Feldman's project is to challenge this view. "Rights-based conflict," he says, "is not so anomalous in Japan." This judgment is possible only on a comparative basis; that is, if we have a standard for what is normal. The author's yardstick is the U.S. legal culture, which is widely perceived to rely heavily on the courts for social and political conflict resolution.