Hserv 482 Session 9

Japan

United Nations Human Development Report 2007

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

JapanIceland

SwitzerlandAustralia

SpainSwedenCanada

IsraelItalyFrance

New Zealand

NorwayAustriaSingapore

NetherlandsGermany

MaltaCyprus

United Kingdom

FinlandGreeceBelgiumCosta Rica

Ireland

Luxembourg

United Arab Emirates

Chile

DenmarkKorea

United States

Life Expectancy (years)

510

1520

25

30

HEALTH OLYMPICS 2005

Yanagishita & Guralnik 1998

% P

opul

atio

n

Murray 2001

Mu

nn

ell 2

004

Mu

nn

ell 2

004

Nakaji

Smoking Prevalence Rich Countries

Demilitarization, DecentralizationDemocratization

Abolish the military "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes”

Free universal education,

Right of workers to organize and bargain collectively

Right of everyone "to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living."

Break up corporate conglomerates (zaibatsu)

Land reform jinushi (landlords) kosakumin (tenants)

Democratization (Revise constitution )Feature a peace clause

– "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes”

Academic freedom, Free universal education, Right of workers to organize and bargain collectivelyRight of everyone "to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome

and cultured living."

Decentralization

Break up corporate conglomerates (zaibatsu)– "concentration of economic control enabled the zaibatsu

to continue a semi-feudal relationship between themselves and their employees, suppress wages, and hinder the development of independent political ideologies. Thus the formation of the middle class, which was useful in opposing the militarist group in other democratic countries, was retarded.” (US mission)

Land reform jinushi (landlords) kosakumin (tenants)

MacArthur MedicineAcademic freedom,

Free universal education,

Right of workers to organize and bargain collectively

Maximum Wage (65,000 yen in 1947 ~ $4333)

Decentralization including breaking up zaibatsu

and land reform (father had advocated in Philippines)

"Controlled revolution"

Cultural InfluencesNorth America East Asia

INTERDEPENDENT SELF Texts: "Confucious, TaoNarratives: story of benevolence, diligenceMoral imperatives: compassion of Buddha, modesty

INDEPENDENCE OF SELF make CHOICES

Texts: "declaration of

independence-"all created equal"

Narratives: story of Mayflower

Moral imperatives: "God helps

those who help themselves"

和 wa In Japanese society acting untrue to one's inner beliefs is not only

accepted but is it's own moral virtue. The most important of all Japanese social values is "wa," or harmony. If achieving wa requires a bit of play-acting, then so be it. The Japanese distinguish between "honne"--one's true feelings--and "tatemae"--the face one wears in public. When your honne is at odds with the harmony of the group, a mature, virtuous person is expected to rise above his or her own selfish feelings and, for the welfare of the majority, put on a good face. To "stick up for what you stand for" is not a Japanese ideal. Most Japanese understand there's a difference between this public play-acting and reality, but nearly everyone is agreed upon its importance. In other words, what Americans may perceive as hypocritical, dishonest behavior is not only tolerated in Japan, but esteemed as good citizenship.

Robert Levine: Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics,

Professor of Psychology, California State University Fresno

和 wa Some of the subtleties might be lost by an American

reader. My understanding is that the tatemae is not "faking it" but more, adhering to an understood social code. The other person also understands the code, so the true feelings are not really the issue, but rather the choice the person is making to uphold the code and honor the group connection rather than the personal if they are in conflict. That choice in itself is a true personal statement. It's not "fake" if everyone knows the code.

Ann Glusker PH S/KC Japanese father, English mother

West-East ThoughtSocial Cognitive Systems

USA JapanAge 232 years 140 years

(or 2669 years)Health Olympics Ranking (2004) 30 1

1960 13 231950 top 5 <35th

Health Care system% of GNP spent on Health 16.2 7.1

% of world health bill ~50 11 (% world population) 4.6 2.1

Health Behaviorsmale smoking prevalence (%) 26.7 52.8

Smoking Attributable Deaths (1999)male aged 35-69 (%) 33 16

CEO-Boss/Average Worker Salary Gap (2003)531 to 1 10 to 1

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, Table 2.1, Personal Income and Its Disposition.

U . S . P e r s o n a l S a v i n g R a t e , 1 9 4 9 - 2 0 0 6

1 9 4 9 : 5 . 0 %

1 9 8 2 : 1 1 . 2 %

2 0 0 6 : - 1 . 1 %

- 2 %

0 %

2 %

4 %

6 %

8 %

1 0 %

1 2 %

1 9 4 9 1 9 5 4 1 9 5 9 1 9 6 4 1 9 6 9 1 9 7 4 1 9 7 9 1 9 8 4 1 9 8 9 1 9 9 4 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 4

Japan Wage Diff. Rank, Gender 90-04Wages (1000 yen)

1990 1995 2000 2004 90-04 % inc

General Mgr 573 628 636 633 10.5

Manager 459 512 517 515 12.3

Section Chief 346 386 401 389 12.3

No rank 20-24 174 198 204 203 16.6

General Mgr 522 531 575 585 12

Manager 361 404 437 429 18.7

Section Chief 290 332 344 346 19.3

No rank 20-24 157 183 191 192 22.2

Japanese unions and wages"Firms leveraged cooperative relations with workers

Unions organized at company level, so strong sense of purpose with management

Firms have preserved employment security in exchange for wage restraint

Firms have maintained sense of equity by restraining compensation for managers even more than for blue-collar and clerical workers so wages have varied inversely with rank"

Vogel (2006): Japan remodeled : how government and industry are reforming Japanese capitalism Cornell University Press

Pik

etty

200

6

Japan: boss and managerresponse to economic downturn in the late 1990s

1 5 3 9 8 19

79 91

164172

0

50

100

150

200

Tax in $1,000

'$45K '$63K '$89K '$270K '$446K

Income levels in $1,000(K)

Comparion of tax burden on a married couple with two dependents by income levels between Japan and

U.S.A. in 2001Japanese Americans

Note: Tax includes federal, state and local income taxes.

Sources: Motohide Hashimoto from http://higashimi.ld.infoseek.co.jp/zeikokusaihikaku1.htm

Tax burden Namekata

Mea

n P

erce

nt C

orre

ctM

ean

Per

cent

Cor

rect

Percentile Rank of Father’s OccupationPercentile Rank of Father’s Occupation

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1 11 22 26 38 42 53 69 71 81 91

JapanCanadara ce

dew ZealanThailandU.S.A.

92

Mean Score on Total BatterySecond International Mathematics Second International Mathematics

StudyStudy

Health Olympics Age 80

Manton NEJM 1995

Whites

Willcox 2001

Health Olympics Age 80

Manton NEJM 1995

Whites

Health Olympics Age 80

Manton NEJM 1995

Whites

Willcox 2001

Life Expectancy for males

*USA

Life expectancy for females

*USA

12 month prevalence of DSM disordersAmericas Anxiety Mood Impulse-Control Substance Any Serious

United States 18.2 9.6 6.8 3.8 26.4 7.7Asia

Japan 5.3 3.1 1 1.7 8.8 1.5

JAMA June 4, 2004.

Depression in Japan (Inaba 2005)

US has more depression

US and Japanese women more depressed than men

Related to income in both countries

Not inversely related to level of education unlike US

US: education is route to increased income and status with complexity and autonomy linked to education

Japan: education gains entry to firms & occupations

advancement depends on size, status of company with age, seniority, family needs (married, dependents) determine promotions, earnings, (have strong in-house training in job skills, not education)

Japan Status: (Inaba 2005)

Japan a status inconsistent society (education, income, occupational prestige not closely tied to subjective class identification)

"nenko" system (upward mobility with seniority), in-house welfare services, corporate support for families (sweeper invites boss to child's b-day party)

National social programs (social security, pension plans, nursing insurance) act as safety nets for most citizens lessening vulnerability to stressful life experiences

Health Care & Public Health in JapanMedical School training

– No patient contact throughout entire period– Can go out and practice, never having touched a patient

Average doctor sees 75+ patients a day– No appointments (3 hour wait, 3 minute consultation)

Hospital stays– Very long (~ one month)– Must supply own cup for a drink, chopsticks for meals– Men shower on M, W, F, women the other days– Toilets down the hall, must supply soap, towel and shampoo

Appendectomies (more common than in US)– 60% of appendices removed were normal

Public health: 1000 measles deaths in 2002

PEACE CLAUSE US desired revision

Features a peace clause (Article 9)– "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a

sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes”

SINCE END OF COLD WAR, US trying to get Japan to revise Article 9 of constitution which bans military or waging war

"NEW JAPAN NATIONALISM, unilateral revision of Article 9 would isolate Japan from all of Asia" (Fukuyama 0704)

Health Olympics Age 80

Manton NEJM 1995

Whites