Is Japan different
from other countries?
If so, what makes Japan
different?
Change
and
Continuity
Material and Non-material
Examples of Japan’s
Differences
Change
and
Continuity
Four Key Concepts
Culture
Group orientation
Individual self-expression
Universalistic principles
Readings: Text chapters 12-16
Culture
A process of transmission or
passing on of traditions
A process of innovation,
adaptation, and creation of
new traditions
Components of Culture
Material Things
Non-Material Things
Patterns of Behavior
Any resemblance?
Any resemblance?
Politics remains a family affair in Japan
Sons of parliamentarians account for many
election hopefuls
Talk of reform is dominating Japan's upcoming parliamentary
ballot, but is not affecting one long-standing political tradition -
children following in the footsteps of their lawmaker parents.
The tradition is deeply rooted. Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi's father and grandfather were lawmakers, and when
late prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffered a fatal stroke in
2000, his daughter Yuko ran for his seat and won.
This year will be no different. A quarter of the 480-seat lower
house is made up of second- or third-generation lawmakers,
and about 40 per cent of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's
candidates are descendants of parliamentarians.
Patterns of Behavior
A pattern of behavior is a way of acting
that is shared with few people or with
many and which ties them together.
Why?: Social Capital
Relationships have value enhancing productivity
and improve quality of life
Some benefits go directly to individuals others
are shared by society (externalities)
Creates norms of trust and reciprocity that
reduce cheating and other forms of opportunism
Bonding SC creates exclusive binds exclusive
groups into strong identities (e.g. ethnic groups,
families).
Bridging SC creates inclusive ties bringing
people from different backgrounds together (e.g.
professions, politics).
Structures of relations
are ordered and set linkages among people
Examples
Two way relationships among people
Networks
Hierarchies
Formal and Informal
Hierarchies
Organizations
Society
Patterns of Behavior
Are a shifting balance between group
orientation, universal principles, and
individual expression
Group Orientation
Group orientation is the tendency of
people in a society to see themselves
primarily as members of a group and
to behave according to the values and
rules of the group.
Japanese Groups
the family (kinship patterns);
neighborhoods and villages;
classrooms and schools;
sport clubs and art schools;
companies and inter-firm groups
(keiretsus);
Political parties and government
departments;
Alternative groups (e.g. Yakuza, motorcycle
gangs, cosplay, hip-hop, lolitas, etc.).
Universal Principals
Universal principles are the
common values and rules that bind
together the people of a society or
a nation.
Japanese Universal
Principals
Based on:
Confucianism;
Religion (Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism,
Christianity);
Scientific rationality;
Socialism and Capitalism;
Authoritarianism and Democracy.
Individual
Expression
Individual expression is the common need
of all persons to establish self-identity and
pursue their own interests.
Is individual expression
achieved alone or with
others?
Is individual expression
achieved alone or with
others?
The most important feature of
individual expression in Japan is
that strength of character is not
judged by how independent a
person can be, but by how they
can work with people.
What balance between
the group, the individual,
and universal principles?
In Hong Kong?
In Japan?
The Japanese Balance
“Universalistic principles, group orientation,
and individual self-expression are all three
present to some degree in all societies, but
the Japanese may differ from other
modernized peoples in recognizing more
openly their conflicting pulls and bending
more clearly than in most in the direction of
group solidarity” (Reischauer 1995:140).
Relation to the rest
of the course
The Setting
History
Society
Economics
Politics
Culture Review
Japan is Different: why?
Culture: way of transmitting that difference over
time
Patterns of behaviour: most important difference
because they shape human welfare
They have value and structure
Patterns persist over time, but evolve
Three main influences: group orientation, universal
principals, and individual expression
Human behavior is a balance of these three needs
Next Section
The Setting
The Natural Environment
Agriculture and Natural
Resources
Isolation and Impacts