Concept of Middle Class in Japanese Society

This study will consider a number of elements of the "submissive" middle class in Japanese society as described and analyzed in Karel van Wolferen's The Enigma of Japanese Power.

The basis of much of the power and order of Japan in the world in the late years of the 20th century is what van Wolferen calls the "submissive" nature of that society. As the author notes, "The post-war aims of the Japanese System have been entrusted mainly to the economic organizations. The System is preoccupied with industrial and commercial pursuits . . . " (p. 159). And industrial and commercial pursuits are successful because of submissive and obedient workers, who are modeled on the "salaryman" model.

As the author writes, " . . . The term 'salaryman' connotes much more than 'office clerk' or 'white-collar worker'; it stands for a behavioral norm to aspire to. The salaryman has such predictable concerns and habits that it has become common in Japanese to speak of 'salaryman culture'" (p. 159).

This culture is rife with conformity and indoctrination of a philosophy which calls for a near-mechanical loyalty to the corporation of which the salaryman is a part. Consider: "Even the angle of a bow is specified: 15 degrees for colleagues of equal rank met in the corridors; 30 degrees, with both hands held rigidly down the seams of the trousers, for superiors and important visitors; 45 degrees, accompanied by polite and apologetic phrases, when something has gone wrong or when special cour

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vel of fear, that is. It is also necessary that the firm and the System establish a number of positive steps for keeping the loyalty of the salaryman. For example, van Wolferen writes that "The salaryman's intensive involvement in his company makes necessary a reassuring symbolism, confirming that his time, energy and personal interests are being sacrificed for a worthy cause; the company must appear to be something more than an organization established for the purpose of making a profit or providing its employees with a livelihood. It is generally presented as having intrinsic value" (p. 167). In other words, the indoctrination which starts at an early age (especially for young males) in Japan and which leads the individual to develop a life-long loyalty for the firm is based on the belief that the firm is good, in and of itself. Once this belief has been established, it is easy for the firm to keep the loyalty of its salarymen. Another example of ways that the firm nurtures the loyalty of its salarymen: "The shared company culture is regularly reaffirmed by the communal singing of company songs. The employees of Hitachi Shipbuilding and Engineering sing: 'Fresh light at dawn. Peace country Japan is born . . . Let's bu

Category: Foreign - C