The culture of

JAPAN….!!
A Business environment presentation
By
Research scholar
Indian Institute of technology Roorkee.
HISTORY GEOGRAPHY SOCIAL &
ECONOMIC

RELIGION &
BELIEFS
TECHNOLOGICAL
POLITICAL
Geography and History
GEOGRAPHY
• Island in east asia -  comprising stratovolcanic archipelago.
• Exists in southeast of Russian far east separated by the sea of
okhotsk;
• Slightly east of Korea separated by the Sea of Japan
• East-northeast of China and Taiwan, separated by the East China
Sea.
• Ranked 7th in the World in total population.
• Tokyo is the capital city.
 Few other facts
• Four principal islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku,
Kyushu.
• 72% of Japan is mountainous - Japan's
highest mountain is Mount Fuji.
•Located on ring of Fire- volcanic zone along the Pacific
deeps.
•Excellent fishing water, key resources.
• Lacks many natural resources.
 Geographical set backs:
• 1896 – Sanriku earthquake – Tohoku and Hawaii.
• 1923-The Great Kanto Earthquake-Tokyo and Yokohama.
• 2011- An offshore earthquake and tsunami
• Nuclear threat -power plant is severely damaged.
• The country has gone through many years of
natural disasters, affecting its economy,
development, and social life.
 HISTORY- the timeline
• Emergence of centralized government in Tokuhawa
era.
• Spread of Buddhism.
• Emergence of (Feudalism) Military dictators known
as Samurai (Shoguns).
• Cultural and Commercial exchange with the West
• Under Emperor Meiji, Japan becomes wealthy,
modernised and powerful.
War time
• Japan becomes an ally of Germany, Italy in World War II.
• On December 7, 1941, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the U.S. naval base in
Hawaii.
• The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders.
• China overtakes Japan as the world’s second largest economy
• Modern Era
• 1854- Convention of Kanagawa Japan–US Treaty of Peace and
Amity.
• Centralized state under the Emperor- Akihito.
• Early 19th Century Expansion and militarianism- dominance of
military.
• In 1947, adopted a new constitution.
Beliefs and religion
Membership defines religion in Japan….
 Contd….
• Buddhism- came in 6th century; belief in Buddha teachings
• Shinto – belief in action-centred religion focused on ritual practices to be
carried out diligently.
• Confucianism: Strong emphasis placed on filial piety ( loyalty to parents )
and loyalty to ruler.
• Many Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhism.
• Christianity- initiated due to Jesuit missions starting in 1549.
• Islam, Hinduism and Jainism- result of immigrations
Political
Multi-party parliamentary representative

Constitutional monarchy- system of civic

law.

• Emperor- head of the Imperial family

leads the state.

• Prime Minister- head of the govt. + head

of the cabinet

• DIET – (legislative power) incl. House of

representatives+ house of councilors.

• Supreme court – (Judicial power).

• Constitution – enables sovereignty

among people
 Facts……
*47th general election took place on 14 Dec 2014.
*LDP in power since 1955 except for 11 month period in 1993 and
1994 and 2009-2012.
* Japan has had 25 Prime Ministers since 1947.
* Political Confusion in Japan.
* People want a change (Political Parties like AAP emerging at state
level).

Liberal Coalition
democratic Komeito
Komeito
party

68.3%
 Political scenario..
* Territorial disputes with Russia over the Kuril
Islands.
* With South Korea over Liancourt Rocks
("Takeshima").
* With China and Taiwan over the Senkaku
Islands.
* South Asian nations receive heavy aids
from Japan.
* The United States : Japan's closest ally
and Japan relies on the U.S. for its national
security to a high degree.
Economic
• Currency – Japanese yen (JPY)

• 3rd largest eco. – nominal GDP.

•  4th largest- purchasing power parity.

• 2nd largest- developed economy.

• Leading industrial clusters and manufacturing centres.

•  World's largest creditor nation.

• Japan is a member of multiple international trade organizations such as APEC,

WTO, OECD, the G-8 and the G-20.

• Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) rather than Free Trade Agreements

(FTAs)
 Japan imports raw materials and pays for them by processing the raw materials, thus adding value to
them before exporting the output.

Top exports Top Imports

Vehicles excluding trains and streetcars Crude oil
Machinery: Electronic Integrated Circuits
Electronic equipment Computers, Printers & Storage Units
Optical, technical and medical apparatus Petroleum Gases
Iron and steel Coal
Organic chemicals Non Crude Oil
Plastics Copper Ores
Social
 Hybrid culture with the influence from Asia, North
America and Europe.
 The primary and the official language – Japanese.

 ‘Gaijin’ – outsiders or immigrants

 Greet by bowing before each other.

 Socially use the family name to call (like Mr. Mishra).

 Like more of singing than dancing

 Good listener than speaker..speak when they are

superneeded…
 Not known for being big smilers..
• Japan does not exhibit the deep ethnic, religious, and class divisions that
characterize many countries.

• The gaps between rich and poor are not as glaring in Japan as they are in
many countries.

• Collectivism rather than individualism, dominates many aspects of Japanese

life.
• Parent–child relationships characterise the hierarchical nature of inter-
organizational and interpersonal links,
such as government–industry,
large firm–small firm,
employer–employee etc.
Technological
Technology -History
Tokugawa era (Edo era): first centralized govt. (1603 – 1868)
• Guns – battle of Nagashino – between Tokugawa and rivalries.
• Imaging technology – inspired from Paris Ukiyo-e. – multi colored
wooden block.
• Socio technological infrastructures (Roads, ports and schools)- to
facilitate “daimyos”.
• Science and technology – mathematics, medicine, surgeons, tourism,
taxation, Bill notes (No barter).
• Recycling technology- due to depression (use of paper, waste as
fertilizers, habitual to low cost hobbies)
 Meiji era… (the shoguns) ( 1868 – 1912)
• Japanese scientist started gaining fame.
• Therapy for tetanus, chemical composition of ‘ajinomoto’, atomic based system of
Saturn ring, Vita B1 for Beriberi… etc.
• Nobel nominations initiated- Yukawa got nobel..
• Japanese westernization began completely
• Industrial Revolution 1st appeared in textiles – cotton and silk (competed with
British textiles)
• Capitalism implemented into technology and applied to military
• Western based education system implemented
• Private enterprises flourished
Present status
• Leading nation in scientific research, particularly technology,
machinery and biomedical research
•  700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion research and
development budget, the third largest in the world.
• 16 Nobel prize winners from physics, chemistry and medicine

Nuclear reactors
 Video games

Literature Martial arts

Biomedical sciences

Philosophy

Film and
animations Weaving Technology
Food technology
 Imaging technology
Audio technology

Mathematics

Storage technology Food technology

Robotics

Transportation Weapons
Environment
 Environment
 Pollution along with Meiji period industrialization
 Ashio copper mine(1878):Watarase river basin flood
 Cadmium poisoning in Toyama Prefecture
 Methyl mercury poisoning in Minamata
 Current issues
 Waste management: Lack of landfill space

 Global Warming:

 Nuclear power threat

 Whaling

• Urbanization
• Photochemical smog
• Eutrophication
• Nature conservation
• Chemical management
 Conclusions
• Japan’s geographical constraint does not hinders it overall growth.

• The history of Japan is the basis for its technological advancement

• Political confusion and coalition leads to delays in decision making.

• Japan has a well-developed industrial and service sectors, but at the same time budget deficit and poor
government finances pose a threat to the development

• The country is strong in terms of human development index and social welfare, but an ageing population
and declining labour force is an area of concern

• Japan has a strong technological base and significant R&D expenditure, but high wage costs are a concern

• The Japanese legal system is similar to that of US and Germany, but rigid and slow legal procedures could
turn away the prospective investors

• The country has strong environmental policies; but air pollution is a challenge the country will have to meet.