Society & Culture

— Latest update: May 2024 —

Japan is one of the world’s leading cultural superpowers, with some of the greatest contributions to animated film, art, and fashion. However, Japan’s unique society and culture is both a product of centuries of isolation and separation from the international community and a result of a specific selection of Western and modern aspects since the 19th century. This means in practice that Japanese cultural norms and social mores are exceedingly difficult for Westerners to understand. This page shall provide a brief overview of some of the specific characteristics relating to Japanese society and culture, which will hopefully be of some assistance in increasing your understanding of and interest in investing in Japan.

Table of Contents

• Religion
  • The historical background and influence of Shintoism in Japanese society
  • The interconnectedness between Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism through history
  • The perceptions of Japanese people on Shinto and religion
  • The perceptions of Japanese people on other religions 
• Class
  • Social Class (society)
  • Historical background of Japan’s social class (society)
  • The creation of Japan’s middle class
  • The effects of the corona pandemic on poverty, inequality and the middle class
  • Japanese Social mobility
• Ethnicity
  • Japan’s views on ethnicity and mixed Japanese people
  • The difficulties of mixed Japanese people in Japanese society
  • Japan’ view on racial homogeneity myths and collectivism
• Gender
  • Gender disparities in contemporary Japanese society
  • Gender disparities in the work force
  • Non-regular employment and its disadvantages for women
  • Government measures to reduce Japan’s gender gap
  • Current trends
• Harmony & Social Cohesion
  • Social harmony and cohesion through collectivism
  • Rising inequality and poverty in contemporary Japan
  • Political stability
  • Japanese youth, (the lack of) protests and maintaining the status quo
• Conflict Resolution
  • Dispute resolution in Japan
  • Maintaining social harmony through apologies and politeness
• Social & Corporate Hierarchy
  • Japan’s seniority system and its (dis)advantages
  • The abolishment of the “seniority system”
  • Hierarchical relationships between seniors and juniors in Japanese society and business culture
  • The importance of business card (exchanges) in Japanese business culture
• E-Learning Video
• Relevant Organisations