【Japanese Spirit of Harmony, “Wa”】Being Lost Japanese Values in the Age of Individualisation

Loneliness and group consciousness: what is the origin of the Japanese psyche?

There are large numbers of Japanese people who are becoming lonely due to individualization, such as in foreign countries.

Although they have family, friends and social networking connections, an increasing number of them have problems that they cannot confide in anyone. They have no one to talk about what they are thinking or to communicate with. There would not be a source of emotional support.

According to the Cabinet Secretariat’s National Survey on Loneliness and Isolation (December 2023), 40.3% of Japanese state they felt lonely. This figure is 3.9 percentage points higher than in the previous survey (December 2021).

*This survey has been conducted since 2021, so there are no results from earlier surveys.

What has changed from the old days when Japan was respected by the rest of the world?

Currently, I feel Japan has become more individualized and less united as a group. This means Japanese people behave like Americans and Europeans. Therefore, there seem to be fewer and fewer good services and products originating from Japan.

From a psychological view, I think this is due to a lack of respect and consideration for others and a focus on profit-loss decisions. In other words, this is the result of the transformation of a society that has become immersed in capitalism, as in Europe and the USA. The Japanese spirit of harmony, which we call “Wa”, has been missing.

Certainly, there is the fact that family and neighborhood ties are divided because of the progress of the nuclear family. Furthermore, the diversification of communication causes different levels of personal standards of judgment. Thus, Japanese people have less connection to others who used to be strongly bonded.

So, what is the Japanese spirit of harmony, “Wa”, which had been respected in the old days?

In the interpretation, the essence of Wa is to bond and trust, and care for others. It is about building relationships where people are comfortable, spend time together, and work with each other with values and respect for each other. There are various common values unique to Japan, such as modesty, humility, discretion and consideration.

Dissimilar to other countries, there has never been a culture in Japan that places individual competence and behavior at the center of its value. Japanese culture has always been concerned about bonds with others. So favors acting in groups have been nurtured as the center of value standards in Japan.

As Japan was an agrarian society, the value standards have been fostered.

Everyone had to work together to cultivate the limited land to make a living. In other words, in order to establish a society’s function in the village, villagers are required to pursue the needs of the village rather than individual needs and desires. Specifically, they planted and harvested rice in action with others. Without mutual help and cooperation, it would have been difficult to survive.

As a group, Japan is creating trust in each other and building organizational cohesion.

Japanese behavior moved and amazed foreigners

Here is the episode that probably best illustrates Japaneseness, the time of the earthquake.

In December 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan. The images of the devastating earthquake and tsunami were broadcast on SNS, TV and various other media. The nuclear accident was also broadcast to around the world as a major event.

Even during such chaos, it was similarly distributed the Japanese people’s concern for others, their disciplined behavior and the order in Japan.

A friend who was affected by the disaster said, that in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, shops in the affected areas were all closed. But there were long queues for vending machines lined up in the parking lots. Each person bought two to three bottles of drinking water and then changed their turn to the next person. Some people even queued again afterward.

Looking at the side of the vending machine, there was a small bucket with a pile of 100 yen coins and a sign saying ‘Please use freely. Manager” on a tag. However, few people use those coins. Some people put their own extra coins in there.

‘Japan is beautiful.’ Some medians told.

Even at the scene of a major disaster, there is no fighting for food, water or daily commodities, no chaotic looting. There is Japan’s calm, unruffled, disciplined attitude of consideration for others. This is the spirit of Japan that can be proudly shown to the world.

Interestingly, the earthquake happened over the weekend, which sent the Japanese economy’s stock index into the third-largest fall in its history. The yen-dollar exchange rate quickly depreciated against the yen immediately after the news. However, the following week, stock prices began to rise and have held their value ever since. The yen-dollar exchange rate also reversed course within hours of the disaster, with the yen strengthening sharply.

Although there seemed to be the prospect of special reconstruction demands, the nuclear power plant was in crisis and the US military in Japan was considering leaving the country. However, at this time, the Japanese currency was increasing in value.

The world must have been convinced by seeing the Japanese people confront the disaster that the world has faith in Japanese society and that Japan will recover.

Japanese spiritually upright

Foreigners may not understand this, but the Japanese are a group of people who all have a sense of camaraderie. They respect each other’s position, help each other and give each other over. It could be said that they prefer heart-to-heart exchanges in which the other party’s situation is considered.

In this respect, the Japanese are spiritually upright people.

Many Japanese are suffering alone and feeling lonely, but I would like to remember this. And we should consider how we have been caring for others and how we have been behaving as a human being. From there, bonds and trust in our neighbor are born. As a strongly connected group, Japan has become a beautiful country.

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