Japan As A Collectivist Country

Japanese people regard schooling as one of the most important aspects of the growth and development of a child and therefore their entire school system is more competitive and higher achieving. Before beginning this task most of my knowledge on Japanese schools was based upon small pieces of information provided from class activities, previous teachers, or stereotypes.

Often in America, the public is educated about the victories of the nation, such as in World War II (WWII); however, they are unaware of the after effects it imposed onto other parties (enemy nations). Specifically, Japanese people lost their defenses, and the lifestyles of the citizens were significantly modified. Moreover, Japan was part of the Axis powers during the war and gained worldwide attention when the island attacked Pearl Harbor, a United States Naval base. This event caused the Americans to join the battle and eventually overwhelm the Japanese and forcing a surrender in 1945. Post WWII, Japan’s failure in the war was responsible for a cultural change in the country that is still present in modern day, which led to reform in family dynamics, mentality adjustments, and perceptional alteration of women. Also, whether young or old, all were exposed to this change, and those that lived in family styled households together, were the first to experience their relationships shift.

Japanese and American culture differs in a plethora of ways, but also have several similarities, Showing that no matter how different people are they still have some sort of common ground. Japanese culture is based off of long held traditions that are derived from ancient Japan. American culture, however, is ever changing due to the nature of American society. Japanese culture favors those who conform, while punishing those who are different. On the other end of the spectrum, American culture applauds those who are different. Japanese and American cultures have drastically different social hierarchy and family roles while still having similarities in pop culture.

Having a brother in law who married a Japanese girl, Japan seemed a fitting choice for this assignment. The Japanese culture is a world apart from the United States literally and figuratively.

Other than religion, there are many other aspects of their society that the Japanese care about, many very different from those of the US. Family always comes first in Japanese culture; however, in the US it is very rare to see that family is put first. For example, in Japan if a father or mother wanted to move, they would consult the rest of the family, both young and old. In America however, families will move because of the father or mother without even consulting their spouse at times. In the US people often put personal growth over family almost every time. In

China and Japan are two unique civilizations that went through similar, yet vastly different changes throughout their histories. Their growth and response to other nations differed in many ways in government, lifestyle, and general well-being. One of the main causes for such difference between the countries is the way the West influenced each region, and the way China and Japan responded to this influence. China focused more on the idea of being a "status oriented" society, while Japan was more "goal oriented" based. In China, anyone had the ability to better themselves and change their status through civil examinations given by the government. Western impact however slowly changed this old age system. Japan's caste system viewed

Studying cross cultural differences, it would be acceptable to analyze two different cultures: American, which represent West (not in geographic, but in cultural sense), and Japan, which is one of the largest and widely known East culture.

Westernization, which primarily spread in the mid to late 19th century, brought forth a profound change of ideas and cultures across the world. Both Japan and India were affected greatly as Western practices and ideologies seeped into the minds of individuals throughout various societies. Influential individuals, such as Thomas Babington Macaulay and Fukuzawa Yukichi wished to reform India and Japan by introducing Western ideas into these countries. Artists such as Honda Kinkachiro and Werner Forman showed the effects of Westernization on Japan. Through the writings and artwork of Macaulay, Yukichi, Kinkachiro, and Forman, we are able to understand that Europe’s colonizing mentality, as well as Asia’s acceptance of new ideas, were both supported by the belief that the West is superior.

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times.

With both of these countries scoring high numbers ( Japan 95, and Canada 52) , this means that they are both masculine societies driven by high competition, women are lesser found in management and they have a larger gender wage gap.(Hofstede (2001), Culture’s Consequences). One factor that separates Japan from Canada is that in a workplace, Japanese are highly motivated together as a group rather than working as individuals.

In many ways, Japan has been looked upon as a strangely homogeneous society for much of its modern history. And for some, it stands as one of the most homogeneous nation in the world. However, when looking at Japan as a whole, and considering whether or not it homogeneity is a problem, or just another cultural phenomenon, one must look towards the root cause of homogeneism in Japan. In Japan’s past, it has has been questioned, as well as assumed, that the growth of Japans homogeneous viewpoint was put forward by the government of Japan, and was done so by circulating false accusations of its lineage. Which these false stories of lineage, Japan has grown in its ethnocentric views and ways. Ethnocentrism, or

The culture of a place is an integral part of its society whether that place is a remote Indian village in Brazil or a highly industrialized city in Western Europe. The culture of Japan fascinates people in the United States because, at first glance, it seems so different. Everything that characterizes the United States--newness, racial heterogeneity, vast territory, informality, and an ethic of individualism-- is absent in Japan. There, one finds an ancient and homogeneous society, an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups, and a tradition of formal behavior governing every aspect of daily living, from drinking tea to saying hello. On the surface at least, U.S. and Japanese

     The Japanese culture has allowed for very little diversity. This started very early in their history. The social controls used to eliminate diversity are the family, the power of gender, the poor treatment of minority groups, the corporate Japanese mentality, and the respect required by people in authority. However, due to globalization and the shrinking of the world, Japanese society is starting to make the change to diversity. The individualistic mentality shared by the new technology driven younger generation is putting pressure on the old Japanese status quo. The transformation is happening very slow, but as the population ages and the old conservatives are being replaced by the new liberals, the old way

In addition, Japan is homogeneous in terms of social cohesion. Japan is homogenous in terms of ethnicity and linguistics. It has high cohesion, untrusting and no apparent increase in political participation, but it has a low tolerance for difference (ethnic, language, etc.). Japan is best represented with the social democratic and Nordic model, where among Japanese people there is equality, but among different ethnic people there is inequality and a low tolerance for them. This also results in Japan having a segmented cohesion because although, there is a low tolerance for people with ethnic and cultural differences, Japanese people are mixing with other races like Japanese and Korean people. The society of Japan also fits in with the competitive race relations model because people who are of different ethnicities and cultures face discrimination, prejudice, segregation and stereotypes. The Koreans who live in the Japanese Society are experiencing this.

The nation of Japan, even more so than other countries, has a long, long history behind it. It's a country dating back as far as the B.C. Era, and that has experienced various powerful events that has shaped the country since its birth. As with other nations, an important part of their past lies in their religion. Before they were introduced to Buddhism and other outside religions, which had a large impact on their society, the Japanese followed something known as Shinto. As the one religion that can truly be called “Japanese,” it follows that its influences would still remain in the eyes of the people and only aided by a traditionally xenophobic view of the world.