Change in Japan is usually visible only with hindsight. The mood, as one disenchanted civil servant puts it, recalls the moment before the end of the second world war when many Japanese soldiers and civilians realised the generals were leading their country to disaster, but dared not speak out. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident have been the biggest shock to Japan since those dreadful days. But if the people find a voice, there may yet be hope of revival.

The Economist