The New Japan: Debunking Seven Cultural Stereotypes (Paperback)

by David Matsumoto (Author)
Key Phrases: interpersonal consciousness, collectivism scores, vidualistic cultures, United States, World War, Asahi Shimbun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In The New Japan, David Matsumoto sets out to describe the anxiety and unrest that plague current Japanese society: the rift between the older and more traditional generations and the younger, more cosmopolitan and Westernized generations. He draws upon a wealth of Japanese and Western sources to compile a thorough exploration of both classic and contemporary views of Japanese culture.

About the Author
David Matsumoto is professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Emotion Research Laboratory at San Francisco State University. He has studied emotion, human interaction and culture for more than 15 years, and is a recognized expert in the field. The author of approximately 250 works on culture and emotion, he also serves as an intercultural consultant to many international corporations. He is the chairman of the development committee for the U.S. Judo Federation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Intercultural Press (March 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877864935
• ISBN-13: 978-1877864933
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #955,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very useful in explaining how Japan is changing, July 25, 2005

By	Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Every social, business, and travel guide you read regarding Japan, and most of the fiction written in this country with a Japanese setting, perpetuates certain stereotypes about the Japanese people and their culture: They're collectivist in their basic psychology, not individualistic, preferring consensus to majority rule and trying not to stand out in the crowd; they think of themselves as interdependent rather than independent, which has most of the same historical roots and social effects; they're highly interpersonal, considering others before themselves in decision-making, again for the same reasons and with the same effects; they're "inscrutable," meaning they suppress their emotions in the company of others, smiling and maintaining an appearance of dignity even in the most uncomfortable circumstances; the Japanese "salaryman" expects lifetime employment by his company, giving absolute and enthusiastic loyalty in return, even to the point of almost never seeing his family because his social relationships even after working hours are all with his colleagues (this has an enormous effect on the educational system, too); and the man is the master in his marriage, expecting obedience and support from wife and children, while the wife runs the house and manages the finances (and divorce is to avoided at all costs). And not only have these long been the key Japanese attributes as seen by outsiders, this is also how Japanese have seen themselves, and how they still prefer to.

Drawing on decades of social-psychology studies and scientific surveys, Matsumoto convincingly shows that, while these stereotypes were true in the past, even up into the economic boom days of the 1970s and even the 1980s, they are all absolutely inaccurate in describing Japan at the beginning of the 21st century. This is true to some extent all across society, but overwhelmingly so in the younger generations. Younger Japanese, especially, are more individualist and less collectivist than Americans. Employees are more in more in favor of pay and advancement based on ability, not merely seniority, and lifetime employment is very much a thing of the past. Young people no longer suppress their emotions and have rejected arranged marriages in favor of marriage-for-love. Because they are far more individualistic than previous generations, younger Japanese are also far more likely to commit violent crimes; the "shame culture" is also rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In other words, any outsider who lived in Japan even in 1990 would find a greatly changed country and culture if he returned there today. This book ought to be required reading for any novelist setting a story in Japan, for all writers of travel books, and for thoughtful Japanese themselves.

2 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blazing New Ways of Understanding Japan, May 12, 2002

By	David Matsumoto (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

The New Japan alone evokes modernity with the old ways shaken and the new ones moving at a rapid pace. The book paints a picture of Japan's next volcano not erupting from the cone of Mount Fuji, but from a generation of people in search of a new miracle.