Japan: a Persuasive Research Paper

As some Japanese strive towards modernization, others are obstructing their efforts my remaining narrow-mindedly adamant upon their obsolete values. One of the major distinguishing characteristics of Japanese society has been the lack of individualism. Japanese people need to justify their existence on the grounds of membership to some sort of group. Be it family, club, or company. Japan is a collectivist society. A collectivist society is concerned with the good of all of the people, and not concerned with the individual’s desires or needs. Everything that the homogeneous country of Japan does strives to benefit the entirety of the community. Unfortunately, their efforts are futile. Their views are completely unrealistic. The Japanese view the family as a source of strength, and believe that a person cannot succeed or reach their full potential in the outside world without the family. In their narrow-minded, antiquated way of living, they strive to “keep social balance and harmony” (Buckley). Sounds great when it’s put that way, but when is this group-oriented mindset taken too far? According to the Japanese Civil Code (Part I, Part II, and Part III), everything that occurs in Japan must benefit the community in some way. This outdated way of thinking perfectly accompanies the lifestyle that the unvaried country of Japan lives today. A hectic, stressful lifestyle, with many adverse effects, people suffer from damaged health due to stressful conditions. Also, people are highly pressured to conform to social norms. Ultimately, the uniform society has ignorant views on how to be in society, and they conform to ancient traditions, which are no longer applicable to life in today’s information era. The traditions, which heavily influence today’s life in Japan, were mostly influenced by ancient Confucianism, which helped in shaping ethical and political philosophies and values. Confucianism was not a religion; rather, it was a set of ethical and moral rules

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