Japanese Society essays

Japanese Society essays The Japanese are a society based almost entirely on groups. Whether it is in the home, at school, or at work, the Japanese are always in a group. Just as in America, there is ranking system that establishes the group. The oyabun is the leader of the group, and has the parent status. The kobun are the other members of the group, and they are seen as the ones with the child status. Any person can play both roles, depending on the group that he/she is in. The father may be the oyabun to his son but at work, he is the kobun to the boss. Success and failure is shared by everyone in the group, but disgrace and honor fall to the leader. When problems arise, the leader is the first to take responsibility for the actions/problem. One of the reasons why Japan was able to make such a great recovery after World War II was because the country as a whole, came together as a group to rebuild their home. Villages were very close, and in this way, the group became more important than the actual individual. Now, this is the case in places besides villages, such as work and school. When one is accepted into a certain school or workplace, he automatically becomes a member of the group for life. The people at these places become his tight knit friends. No matter where a Japanese goes, he is followed by the group mentality. When he is out at dinner with his fellow colleagues, he must order what the others, particularly what the boss, or highest ranking person that is present, is ordering. During decision making, the Japanese never say no. They always have to come to some sort of conclusion where everybody in the group agrees, or come to a consensus, no matter how long it may take. If the group decides on something and one person seems to disagree without actually saying that he does, the group must somehow get him to conform to their idea. The group, or groupism, comes wit...