10 Key Japanese Values and Beliefs You Should Know

As an Intercultural Competence coach and former permanent resident of Japan (for 23 years), I’m often asked what makes Japanese people tick. The answer of course, as it is with all of us, is their core values and beliefs, which themselves are derived from historical, religious, topographical, and geological realities.

Uncovering another culture’s values is a central and obvious goal of culture training (as values are what drive behavior and attitudes). One thing that should be done in parallel, however, but which is often overlooked, is uncovering our own. Unique as we may be as individuals, we are all products of our culture, programed to value and believe certain things. Culture is powerful stuff. And it’s something we rarely think about.

So, as you read through this Top 10 list, a challenge: what are your own core values and beliefs? How do they compare with the values on this list?

“Knowing thyself” will not only give you a better understanding of what we mean by culture, it will help you to better understand the ways in which yours has impacted you (e.g. your worldview, your communication style, your preferences). Self-understanding makes it easier to be less emotional and more flexible when confronted with differing, or even opposed, belief systems and behaviors, which is the real goal of cross-cultural training. There is, generally speaking, no good or bad, no right or wrong; there are only differences, and there’s no reason to take them personally.

So, without further ado, here are the top ten values and beliefs that I believe will help you better understand Japan and improve your chances of success in your personal and business dealings there. Again, these are neither inherently good nor bad. They make sense in Japan, difficult as even the locals sometimes find some of them. In terms of adapting as an outsider, I found some to be almost impossibly challenging while a number of the others actually made a lot of sense, and even had advantages, once I understood them.

1. Maintain Harmony / Avoid Conflict

Japan is well known to be a group-oriented society, and like other such societies, avoiding conflict is key to maintaining good relationships in business, both within and outside your organization. This value explains much about Japanese communication styles (see below) and drives a considerable amount of the observable interpersonal behavioral across all levels of society. The point: stay calm, be more reserved, and avoid being overly direct.

2. Hard work is valued (so don’t be, or at least don't look, lazy)

In Japan hard work is highly valued. It is a so called “masculine”, competitive society and working long hours is considered normal (while labor laws call for a 40-hour work week, according to a 2016 government study over 25% of Japanese companies demand at least 80 hours of overtime per month). Japanese generally do, in fact, work hard, though it is not unheard of for them to draw out tasks in order to at least look as if they are doing so. Efficiency is not always the goal. In any case, working hard is expected and will get you points.

3. Japan is conservative

As a conservative society generally, Japan and its companies have many rules and processes designed to limit risk. It can, therefore, take a lot of time for decisions to be made or for things to change. This ties in with the importance of building trust there, meaning that you should expect to spend a lot of time and effort on building relationships, as well. For example, it might take years for a prospective client to finally sign on the dotted line!

4. Process is as important as results

Related to #3 above, process is very important in Japan, equal to results (or even more so in some cases). You may feel good about a result you achieved, but if the process for getting there wasn’t correct, be prepared to hear about it from your boss. It’s like your Algebra/Calculus teacher docking points for failing to show all of your work even though you have the correct answer.

In reality, the best practice in Japan is to constantly report your progress, and any mistakes (however small), to your superior, so the process can be adjusted in order to, ostensibly, avoid problems at the end (see “Ho-Ren-So” for more information on this important communication framework). Warning for my fellow Americans: this was the most challenging cultural value for me to deal with!

5. Hierarchy is important

While not as hierarchical as many countries, status is still very important in Japan. Seniority grants automatic respect, and they’re very sensitive to titles. In addition, a person’s position dictates such things as speaking (and even sitting) order in meetings, language choice in emails, and the level of deference overall. And seniority-based promotion is still the norm in Japan.

6. Accept regular criticism (even in public)

Be prepared to occasionally get dressed down by your boss in front of your colleagues, even if it’s a first mistake. Connected to #4 above, this can regularly happen if you haven’t followed a prescribed process correctly. The management concept “praise in public, criticize in private” is not common in Japan.

7. Loyalty is highly valued

Loyalty is not only valued in Japan, it is demanded. This connects with Japan being a group-focused society and also its long feudal history. Companies, in many ways, have assumed the roles of Daimyo (Lord) and Han (Clan) in Japan, and expect both loyalty and a certain degree of servitude. Of course, this goes both ways, with employees expecting to be taken care of, “protected” if you will, by their companies (which, to be fair, they usually are). This also partly explains the traditional and still common system of life-time employment.

8. Information Sharing vs. Argument

The goal in Japan is not to argue a position, but simply to share information and as much of it as possible. This is considered helpful and polite, and also reduces risk, as they see it. It does, however, also restrict debate and the sharing and promoting of individual opinions (which, of course, might lead to conflict). This is quite the opposite of the Grecian classical argument model that has long underpinned discourse in Western Culture. Therefore, be prepared to create and receive huge volumes of documents and to suffer through incredibly dense presentations when doing business in Japan. And learn as well when to hold your tongue.?

9. Time-flexibility

In Japan the start time is VERY important. Make sure to be early in order to never be late. But also be prepared for flexible (non-existent?) ending times for meetings, work schedules, etc. Long meetings, and long days, are the norm.

10. The customer is God

In all cultures the customer in important, but in Japan they are treated like gods. The Japanese proverb “okyakusama wa kamisama desu” means exactly this, and even the word customer, “okyakusama”, reflects intrinsic respect and veneration, as it means honored guest. They are shown incredible deference, entertained and accommodated endlessly, and treating them with anything other than kid gloves, in most situations, is nearly unthinkable. This was the second hardest value for me to adapt to.?

Honorable Mentions:

High Context Culture / The Value of Silence

Japan is a homogenous, high-context culture, meaning there are lots of cues, other than words, one must learn to read to really understand how someone feels about something. And as mentioned above, conflict is to be avoided at all costs, so being overly direct is a no-no. Silence truly is golden in Japan for a reason. But silence, along with facial and eye expressions, body language, etc., can also relay meaning, and thus are part of the context needed to truly understand a given situation.

The common Japanese expression, “kuuki wo yomu”, meaning reading the atmosphere (or, more correctly, the flow of the air), sums up this important skill nicely. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, it is difficult for non-Japanese to be able to do this, not having grown up with these cues, but learning to recognize at least some of them will make your life easier.

Don’t stand out too much

The Japanese have an expression, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered” (Deru kugi wa utareru). This means that they generally hesitate to take initiative or express ideas that are outside of the box, and may even frown upon those that do. This, coupled with other cultural traits mentioned above, is another reason they are often passive in meetings and other group activities. It’s also a tool by which Japanese companies can more easily mold (fold?) employees into their rigid work structures.

About the author: Brett Nelson is a US-based HRD Consultant, program designer, and facilitator. Having spent most of the past 25 years living and working in Asia, he is well acquainted with intercultural pitfalls. Helping others to avoid them is his mission. Contact him to learn more about his Intercultural Competence and other soft-skills programs.

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