SOCIETY｜CULTURE

The Peer Pressure Effect: Why People Are Frustrated in Japan Despite Its Beauty

Analysis of education, business, and the mindset of the Japanese

Born and raised in Japan, my fondness for Japanese culture, food, security, and most of all — people—is indisputable. That explains why I live in Japan today, even though I ponder whether I should migrate to another country at least once a month.

The reason I consider abandoning this country is neither due to the withering economy nor the earthquakes.

The real root of my dissatisfaction is that I loathe the standardized educational system that lacks empowerment. That’s because education is what has paved the way for today’s Japanese society, and I bet many people’s frustration for Japan is deep-rooted in this cornerstone.

This article will analyze common problems found in Japan by applying this ‘no empowerment’ theory.

日本人としてこの国に愛着はあれど、最低でも月に1度は海外に移住した方が良いのではないかと考えてしまう。日本経済の衰えよりも地震よりも、画一化された教育がひどく嫌いだからだ。教育こそが社会の基盤だし、多くの人が日本に感じる不満もここに起因するのではないだろうか。

My Struggle as a Japanese

Having a roof over my head keeps me humble, but living as a woman in Japan is like walking into a dark forest full of wild animals. You get groped by them on trains and on the street, harassed at work, and easily lose your job without a well-designed childcare system, no matter how qualified and knowledgeable you are about the system of the jungle.

Even after I moved to an American company for a better environment, I got knocked out of nowhere without available daycare facilities. Soon, I started freelancing as a working mother, and DC Palter and I launched Japonica to spread everything about Japan.

However, I quickly faced the inevitable fact that what English speakers want to read in their spare time is not the beauty of Japan. They need relatable, revealing stories—how unfairly the police treat them, how crappy the English education in Japan is, and how terrible Japanese companies are at decision-making.

My initial goal as an editor was to convey positive stories about Japan, even though raising awareness of social issues also seemed meaningful—and I, too, often wrote those pieces.

To be honest, I didn’t feel like tweeting some Japonica articles to promote them. But for consistency, I had to do so first thing every morning. The freshly brewed coffee was less flavorful on those days. “Japan sucks,” I muttered under my breath. My goal always needed to be redefined with harsh reality.

衣食住に困らないだけ幸運ではあるけれど、女性としてこの国で生きていくのは決して楽なことではない。どれだけ痴漢やハラスメントから逃れキャリアを築いても、保育園が見つからなければ働くこともままならない。私はフリーランスになり友人とMediumでWebメディアを立ち上げたが、ここでも日本の美しさを広めたいという願いとは裏腹に、ネガティブな側面を暴く記事の方が英語話者には需要があると知ることになった。

The Lack of Empowerment

Nevertheless, I kept analyzing the weaknesses of Japan throughout my role, and I noticed some patterns. All the complaints about Japan such as poor decision-making and irregular situation handling seemed to come down to one problem:

Japan lacks empowerment.

When Andrew Hankinson invited me to his podcast, Now and Zen, the interview convinced me of this finding.

While sitting with Andrew at a restaurant in Tokyo, I mentioned that I would like to keep empowering women by writing about gender inequality. He looked impressed and spoke to the microphone, “that’s interesting because the Japanese language doesn’t have a word that can directly translate ‘empowerment’.”

It was eye-opening since the concept of empowerment was nothing new to me. But certainly, I had never dissected the idea in the Japanese language and mindset.

We ended up creating a new word in Japanese, jikobari, by merging two Japanese words—jiko (self) and kikubari (hospitality.) Andrew also shared his experiences with Japanese customer service that wouldn't allow employees to decide by themselves, even for inconsequential matters.

“All they say is ‘Shou-shou omachi kudasai (please give us a moment)’ because employees are not able to do something unusual without supervisors’ approval.”

I couldn’t agree more because micromanagement and the inefficient seniority system were exactly what drove me to a career outside the Japanese corporate world.

それでもこの国の弱点をあげつらう記事を分析していくと、やがて日本に対する不満にパターンが見えてきた。日本にはエンパワーメントという概念がないのだ。直訳すれば権限移譲になるのかもしれないが、少しニュアンスは異なる。例えば自己と気配りを合わせて「自己配り」とするような、新しい日本語があっても良さそうなくらいだ。何といっても私自身、過干渉で年功序列な日系企業が苦手で外資へ移ったので、エンパワーメントの欠如は身をもって感じてきたことだった。

Peer Pressure Hinders People’s Growth

Now let me explain some common problems in Japan with this no-empowerment theory.

1. Cookie-Cutter Education

The educational system in Japan is highly standardized. Children never skip a grade during the compulsory education phase, which continues up to 15 years old. Japanese laws define school curriculums based on students’ age, not their capabilities.

To comply with the requirements, teachers focus on producing average performers, sometimes using the option of special-needs classes. And there’s no arrangement for gifted children—tall poppies get cut down to be the same size as everyone else. As a result, invisible yet palpable peer pressure dominates classes.

You might imagine tiger parenting for Asian households, but Japanese parents are much softer than tigers. Perhaps they are Shiba Inu because the breed is gritty and likely to build a strong bond with others, but easy to groom.

Parents are watchful for their kids to make sure they follow teachers’ instructions at school. If children perform well, they enroll in top colleges. Then they join mega-corporations to seek lifetime employment. That’s the success Japanese parents usually dream of, and children are afraid of becoming outliers.

日本の義務教育には飛び級がなく、子供たちは早くから同調圧力にさらされることになる。アメリカではアジア系の家庭ではタイガーペアレントが多いとされるが、日本の親は子供に完璧な成績を求めるよりも、学校でちゃんと「良い子」にしているかを気にすることの方が多いだろう。一流大学に進学し終身雇用が約束された大企業に入るのが成功で、外れ値は想定されないのだ。

2. Slow Decision-Making

When people get used to an environment that doesn’t require them to prove they’re talented, they stop taking risks. How on earth can Japanese youths think outside the box right after finishing homogenous education?

Furthermore, the seniority system securely embroidered through this society doesn’t tolerate young people showing intelligence if it’s savvier than the ideas held by their superiors. What newbies need to do is to follow what seniors demand, not use their brains.

The upside of this close teamwork is a low turnover rate—the average tenure for employees in Japan is 12.1 years compared to 4.2 years in the U.S.

Nevertheless, it’s suffocating for some people because managers never empower them to determine what can be done without the supervisor’s constant approval. It’s no wonder you don’t get a reply from Japanese companies immediately when it comes to decision-making.

画一的な教育を終えれば、次に待ち受けるのは年功序列だ。新入社員には頭を使って考えることよりも、先輩社員の指示通りに動くことが求められる。こうしたチームワークは平均勤続年数を押し上げることには貢献するが（日本が平均12.1年なのに対しアメリカは4.2年だ）いつまでも上長の許可なしでは仕事を進められないのは、息苦しく感じる人もいるだろう。

3. Poor Diversity and Inclusion

It is also unignorable that senior employees tend to presume young employees don’t know things even in this internet age. Japanese companies highly evaluate long-working employees (again, based on age) and don’t value those with spirited, new ideas, and fresh perspectives.

In such work environments—and eventually, society—who struggles most is the people who can’t fit into the mold of the patriarchal system; women at work, children with strong personalities, immigrants, and any other under-represented minorities.

So if you feel sick of Japan, that means you are the talent Japan needs right now. Without you—the person who sees the problems of this country — Japan will become a sinking ship run by yes-man crews.

日本企業は概して在籍年数の長い年長者を重んじる。若い社員は物を知らないと見なされ、彼らの新鮮な視点は軽んじられる。こうした組織、ひいては社会の体質は、家長制の枠におさまらない人たちを苦しめることになる。働く女性や個性の強い子供たち、移民やあらゆるマイノリティの人たちだ。こうした現状に不満を感じる人こそが、日本という船がイエスマンに占められて沈みゆくのを防げるのではないだろうか。

Conclusion

Recently, a Japanese woman studying at Stanford University closed her Twitter account due to cyberbullying. Unfortunately, some Japanese still try to get in smart youths’ way only to prove the power of peer pressure.

However, we have to do the opposite because black sheep will be no longer noticeable when everyone wears colorful wool.

My challenge as a Japanese citizen is to raise my daughter without ignoring her strengths and weaknesses in this skewed society. And as a writer and editor, I want to keep empowering fellow women and anyone who needs a shoutout.

Now, I don’t fantasize about publishing only beautiful stories about Japan. I embrace everyone’s voice that needs a spotlight, even if it leaves me choking back the hard-to-swallow pills with my morning coffee—because that’s the true diversity and inclusion I’d like to see in this country.

I’m still dreaming of a new eco-system of Japanese society that allows every one of us to speak up and be our true selves.

今なお、インターネット上で優秀な若者を村八分にするような側面が日本にはある。同調圧力を振りかざすよりも、各々の個性を認め合うことはできないものだろうか。 私も今は日本の良いところだけを発信するよりも、エンパワーメントが必要な人たちの声を届けたいと思う。それこそが私自身が願う、多様性と包摂性の姿だからだ。誰もが自分らしく声を上げられる社会を、私はまだ夢見ている。

If you enjoyed this article, discover other works of the author at Japonica.

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