Right and Wrong in Japanese Culture

There are things that are right with the Japanese culture, and there are things that are wrong with the Japanese culture.

Probably the best feature of Japanese culture is their pursuit of excellence. This is something on which they have a lot to teach the rest of the world. In America we have people attacking excellence, claiming it to be snobbish or patriarchal. Whereas even the less educated and the less prosperous Japanese pursue excellence. This works to the credit of the Japanese, and this is something in which they stand to be a positive influence in the world.

Another good quality of Japanese culture is their willingness to work hard. That, again, is a virtue, and one from which many people stand to learn.

I have seen two wrong things about Japanese culture. One is that they are super-polite. This leads to insincerity and dishonesty. People cannot tell each other what they are actually thinking. This results in people not understanding where one another is coming from. It also leads to problems not being addressed.

Another wrong thing about Japanese culture comes from their Buddhist heritage. Supposedly you get what you send out; so you cannot say, or even think, anything negative. But there are times when you do have to say things that are negative. When a nuclear reactor blows up, you need to tell people what has happened, or else they lack the knowledge they need to protect their lives and their health. This, once again, leads to insincerity and dishonesty, and there is nothing enlightened about it.

A friend of mine who has spent a lot of time in Japan said that Japanese are a bunch of copycats. He said that that made them evil. I do not believe that to be the case. Someone initiates; others extend. Both are necessary. The Japanese did not invent the car or the robot, but they’ve improved on both, resulting in them making the world’s best cars and the world’s best robots. There is a need both for original ideas and for improvement on other people’s ideas, and all the technology that we have owes to both of the above.

Like with most cultures, there are good things and bad things about the Japanese culture. These things need to be understood and dealt with. Excellence and hard work are virtues, and ones in which the Japanese have much to teach the rest of the world. Insincerity and dishonesty in the Japanese culture need to be done away with. That being done, Japan will grow in respectability and accomplishment, and the things that are right about Japan will have more currency in the world.