The Japanese model of capitalism has tended to be conceptualized within the extant literature in terms of a transition from a model characterized by coordination towards one in which neoliberal reforms have produced greater levels of instability, competition and inequality. This article argues that these trends raise the question of what patterns of resistance have been part of this transition. The article highlights how the neoliberalization of Japan's model of capitalism has also been accompanied by intensified class antagonism. Although the impact of such contestation on policymaking and actual policies has thus far been limited, Japan's neoliberalization has nevertheless been (and seems likely to remain) far from uncontested.