Comparison of Japanese and American Culture

A comparison of Japanese and American culture reveals a wide range of societal differences. Japan is a fairly homogeneous, middle class society. In contrast, the United States is characterized by increasing ethnic diversity and income inequality. Although different, each country has its share of successes and failures.

One of the distinguishing features of American culture is its numerous subcultures which exist within the macroculture. In the United States, the different subcultures are as follows: age, gender/sex, ethnic or national origin, religion, class, geographic region, urban/suburban/rural location, and exceptionality (disabled, special abilities, etc.). Each subculture has certain aspects in common with the macroculture. All American citizens are members of multiple subcultures.

Although Japan has subcultures the number are not as diverse as those found in the United States. Minimal ethnic, religious, or racial variation exists: "Japan is not a nation of immigrants. Only a small fraction of its population (less than 1 percent) are not ethnically Japanese" (Rohlen, 1995, p. 120). For instance, most Japanese are adherents of either Buddhism or Shinto, the ancient Japanese and former state religion. Confucianism is also widely influential. The population of Japan is predominantly urban, which gives it one of the highest overall population densities in the world.

America and Japan exhibit divergent cultural thinking styles. Americans tend to use in

ut an analysis of Japan's economic success, which is based on a system of management that encourages efficient production operations. One of the features of Japan's management philosophy is commitment to the employee. Japanese employees are involved in all phases of organizational processes and decisionmaking. In Japan, the emphasis is on group consensus rather than decisionmaking by decree of top management. Japan's focus on human resources extends to recruitment and selection of employees as well. Many employees are hired directly after graduating from college. The employees are selected based on their ability to fit in with the specific management culture of the company at which they are hired; they are expected to be team players. In return, Japanese employees are offered lifelong employment, once they pass a probationary period. Lifelong employment encourages company loyalty, but it comes at the expense of temporary workers, most of whom are women. Japanese companies still cling to the national policy of lifelong employment, even in the face of Japan's worst recession since World War II. Massive layoffs would erode consumer confidence, leading to further economic decline. Corporate Japan's solution to the country's

Category: Psychology - C