Japan is an island nation that is made up of over 6,000 different islands (Japan Facts 2016). Japan like many island nations is shaped by the uncertainties of island culture and hard work in order to survive. Japan is one of the most masculine cultures in the world receiving a rating of 95 on Hofstede 6D model. Even though it is one of the most masculine countries in the world it is also a collectivist nation and according to Hofstede “Japan has been a paternalistic society and the family name and asset was inherited from father to the eldest son. The younger siblings had to leave home and make their own living with their core families.” This societal norm has been adopted in Japans corporate world and has lead to a nation known to work excessive hours and made it extremely difficult for women to gain positions of power and maintain employment after having their first child.
Due to the harsh corporate environment and economic times in Japan many of the youth are living at home at not placing the same priority on family life and long term career success. Sex and relationships for the youth of Japan is no longer a high priority and according to the government’s population institute, women in their early 20s today have a 25% chance of never marrying and even worse, their chances of remaining without children are even higher at almost 40% (Hayworth 2013) further worsening the already low birthrate. Japan is projected by experts to lose over 34% of their population by 2100 and currently has one of the lowest birthrates in the world at 1.4%
Change requires learning, learning from past mistakes and learning from others. Japan as a nation is on the verge of being forced to change or accept their fate as a nation on the decline. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has publicly declared the population problem a priority for the nation and has addressed it with what is being called Abenomics and is trying to target the 1.8% birthrate for the nation in addition to a three pronged approach to boost the economy and spending (Hutt 2016). Only time will tell if Japan is really a nation ready to learn and embrace change allowing them to solve the current decline in population that is forecasted to only get worse.
Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html
Haworth, A. (2013, October 20). Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex? Retrieved November 27, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex
Japan Facts. (2016, October 13). Retrieved November 23, 2016, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/japan/facts.html
Carl Alberici says
Hi Kore , I really enjoyed reading your Japan post.
I wanted to comment on something that you mentioned concerning exceptionally low birthrate statistic within Japan.
This may seem to be a simplistic viewpoint but , I think the overwhelming level of stress that exists within the island nation has begun to take its toll on the common citizens.
According to our textbook the following problems may arise “ mental health problems are rising in the workplace, and the country’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world. Many Japanese still die each year from “overwork” – a medical condition in Japan”Moran,2014).
Additionally according to our text the Japanese culture” in context of social relations, Japanese tend to be clean, polite, and disciplined sociology and soft control disguise a highly emotional quality of the Japanese character and relationships. While the Japanese are sensitive to what others think or expect of them, and have a sharp sense of right and wrong”(Moran, 2014).
From a general societal viewpoint, it seems that far too many expectations, especially regarding achieving the nearly perfect level of existence have been placed upon the common Japanese citizen. Further, the stress of those expectations has dramatically affected the mindset of the population.
Therefore it is no surprise that the number of marriages has dramatically decreased as well as the number of women having children whether in or out of wedlock.
Hopefully a level of common ground will arise within the Japanese society, and they will be able to adopt a more balanced method of existence.
The nation of Japan possesses a culture that has benefited from their dedication, refined management and manufacturing processes. Some of which could be applied to other island nations in seek of successful business enterprises. As stated in our textbook by Moran in reference to the Japanese mindset “In their organizations, the goals are product quality and superiority; teamwork and consensus; corporate growth in social responsibility”(Moran,2014).
However the above business model does require some guidance and prudence, since according to our textbook the following problems may arise “ mental health problems are rising in the workplace, and the country’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world. Many Japanese still die each year from “overwork” – a medical condition in Japan”Moran,2014).
References:
Moran, R. Abramson, N. Moran, S. (2014) Managing Cultural Differences, 9th edition. Routledge Publishing New York, NY.
Alexander: Career Decision Making in Island Communities
Shima, The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures
Volume 9 Number 1 2015
–
CAREER DECISION MAKING IN ISLAND
COMMUNITIES:
Applying the concept of the Aquapelago
to the Shetland and Orkney Islands
Retrieved from: http://www.shimajournal.org/issues/v9n1/e.-Alexander-Shima-v9n1-38-52.pdf