Pandemic Governance & Civic Freedoms: Best Practices from Japan evaluates the approach taken to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. For the Japanese people, civic freedoms are a fundamental aspect of citizens’ rights. Hence, Japan’s approach during the pandemic was to balance civic freedoms while ensuring public health and safety. With a range of less coercive measures, such as a less coercive state of emergency and legislative amendments, transparent communication, collaborative efforts from state and non-state actors, and healthcare-led decision-making, the country’s fatality rate was among the lowest globally. Japan’s prioritisation of civic freedoms contrasts with the measures adopted by other governments in China and Cambodia, for example, where people’s freedoms were severely curtailed. Nevertheless, some areas for improvement are also underscored in the report in the form of recommendations: such as optimising social media communication and fostering stronger collaborations between state and non-state actors to improve the effective response to future emergencies. Overall, this report argues that Japan’s ability to balance civic freedoms and public health can serve as a role model for other nations to follow in the event of future outbreaks.