Differences in Mentality Shape the Pacific Gulf : Culture: Japan could learn from the U.S. willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.

The unification of Europe after 1992 has caused great concern among many Japanese businessmen who fear they are building a “fortress.” But my view is different. We must appreciate and admire the willingness of Europeans to sacrifice sovereignty to create a greater economic region. Despite their many different cultures, languages and traditions, and their deadly conflicts over the years, they know now that to live together peacefully, every country has to sacrifice some of its own interests for the good of the greater whole.

Such a decision would be very difficult for the Japanese. The Japanese are completely isolated from others by water. Thus, throughout history, we have remained homogeneous and independent of others. We have refined our own culture, but never have had to live side by side, and interact with other cultures.

Very few Japanese understand just how different we are culturally from the rest of the world. And that is why so few can conceive of sacrificing some of our interests to have harmony with others. Undoubtedly, this is at the root of many of our problems today. It is why Japan has been accused of not playing a responsible role in the world.

The origins of community and society in Japan and America are also very different. American culture is mainly a Christian culture. When you (Americans) see someone in a difficult situation, you feel automatically that you must help. Japanese culture comes out of a Confucian mentality. The philosophy is mainly about self-control and behavior. One must be modest, and not too demanding. Confucianism has less to do with how you treat other people than about personal ethics. As a result, the Japanese tend to be generous to their own kind, to friends but not to strangers. Americans are generous, by contrast, to everyone.

The concept of the nation is also quite different. The Japanese people are born Japanese. America is made up of immigrants who arrived on its shores with the will to become American. Out of the necessity of creating order in a great and open space, self-reliant communities created their own rules and hired a sheriff. Historically, then, Americans know that rules are created by themselves in their own interests. Through the experience of self-government, they know that rules are not created just for the interests of others, but for their own good. The Japanese mentality has not been affected by such an experience. For millennia, we have been governed by a government that has forced rules and regulations upon us.

Here I must also comment on another Japanese cultural difference that led to some misunderstanding when the book “The Japan That Can Say No,” in which I was listed as co-author, was released. I often participate in international meetings and come away concerned that the Japanese are quiet and hesitate to argue. Seeing this, I again realize the difference of perception that comes from Japanese tradition: To argue with a friend is a vice. Because of the Confucian idea, if you are my friend, then we should agree. To have a difference of opinion is impolite. A conference means something different for a Japanese than for an American. Especially for the older generation of Japanese, going to a conference means listening to speeches and taking notes. There is no debate.

Once at a U.S.-Japan businessmen’s conference, I argued with an American and was later admonished by a senior Japanese colleague that “your friend came from a long way, you should treat him nicely.” That attitude has to change. We have to be frank with our friend so that we are understood. That was the thrust of my remarks in “The Japan That Can Say No.” That book, however, apparently gave the impression that the Japanese are always going to say no. That’s not true. My intention was to simply say that Japanese should not mind disagreeing with Americans and others.

As a leading economic power, Japan should be more bold about modernizing our concepts and become a world citizen. But Japan has jumped ahead at high speed, and it is very difficult to match this speed in changing our social system. We need strong leadership. But leadership has many aspects. It means not only that we must have the right to say “no” sometimes. It also means that when we say “yes” we must have the willingness to sacrifice our own interests for the greater good of the international order. The United States and Japan must learn how to share sovereignty. In Japanese we have a saying: daido shoi --it means “small differences are sublimated in a greater cause.” That is part of what leadership implies for Japan.