Japan

⚡ Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) Type Review Reviewed 💡 Comparing cultures The positive/negative effects of globalization Globalization leads to the more efficient use of the...

⚡ Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) Type Review Reviewed 💡 Comparing cultures The positive/negative effects of globalization Globalization leads to the more efficient use of the world’s resources Positive effects Strengthened economic connections among market-oriented societies create peaceful relations Inequality increased between and within states due to globalization Negative effects Globalization results in environmental pollution and overconsumption of natural resources Globalization and ideational aspects Norm and value and globalization: Specific norms and ideas diffuse broadly by globalization The acceptance of them as universal values contribute to the stability of the world Identity and culture and globalization: Globalization weakens identity and culture of individual nations and societies Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 1  Such trends stimulate nationalism and provoke conflict among and within states The irony of globalization Globalization led by the Anglo-Saxon (Globalization = Americanization) Curiously, repercussion against globalization occurred in the US and UK (the Trump administration and Brexit) Public feeling against migration, strong antipathy against the establishment, and objection to weak state sovereignty Globalization is inevitable but surely provokes conflicts between rationality and emotion Growth incident curve (1988-2008) Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 2  The position of this lecture in APU study Three layers of G/R/L Global: learning universal values and norms for human being Regional: learning thoughts and institutions of major regions Local: touching upon cultures and customs of each country Multicultural coexistence in a global society Focus on others and the culture and society in which they were raised Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 3  Understand the ideas and social systems of different cultural areas, and critically analyze the problems found there Accept that there are differences in reality and integrate those differences to create new value The risk of SMC The risk of comparing cultures: to regard the society and culture to which s/he belongs as more supreme than others This is an opposite outcome that the course intends to achieve The objective of the lecture is NOT to stress the value of the specific cultural zone It aims to assist the acceptance of others and the integration into multicultural environments at APU through the understanding of differences and their features among major cultural zones Three viewpoints of the course Focusing on four cultural zones ：the West, the Orient (Asia), Islam, and Japan Targeting three fields ： Ideational/thought systems including religion, culture, and value Social institutions/systems/customs Contemporary social trends in each cultural zone or a country representing the zone The West and Asia Asia’s economic growth and its effects The status of Asia will decline in the ratio of population but increase in terms of economic power ‘The world has been defined by Greek philosophy and Christian thought. The world is now approaching the time to stress Chinese, Indian, and other Asian （ thoughts for new ideational revolutions’ Kim Dae- jung, former Korean President) Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 4  Comparison between the West and Asia West Asia Thought Individualism Collectivism /culture Autonomy/independence Heteronomy/dependence Rationalism Relationism Unified, non-sorting Dual, sorting thinking thinking Social systems Social contract Social relations Rule/law/institution Social practice Taxonomic regularity Family similarity Outcome-oriented Process-oriented 18 Comparison of aid policies between Asian and the western countries Asia West Economic cooperation (two-way act) External assistance (unilateral act) Support for self-help Realization of poverty reduction of individuals efforts, graduation from assistance Loan obliged to repay Grant to recipients Development of economic infrastructure: Development of social infrastructure ： the basis of economic growth education, medical care, and hygiene Non-intervention Political conditionality The West and Islam “The Clash of Civilization” (S. Huntington) stresses confrontation between the Western and Islamic civilizations But, Christianity, a base of the Western civilization, and Islam have strong affinity Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 5  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all a monotheistic religion that ascends from Abraham in the Old Testament (contrast to polytheism in Asia) Jerusalem is a holy place for all the three religions Asia and Japan Japan is an Asian nation and historically has been embedded in the Chinese cultural zone But, its culture has specific character of harmonization and symbiosis with Nature APU is in Japan, and international students need to get accustomed to the Japanese society quickly Therefore, lectures on Japan are provided at first, independent of those on Asia 💡 Ideational/thought system Thought/religious systems in Japan Strong influence of Nature worship Shinto: a pure Japanese religion Buddhism and Zen The syncretism of Shinto with Buddhism The influence of Nature worship on religions Nature and Japan The 70 % of Japanese land is covered by forest Contrasting trait of Japanese Nature Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 6  （beautiful four seasons, rich blessings） and sudden Affluent blessing fierceness （earthquake, tsunami, typhoon） The Japanese regard human beings as an integral part of Nature Try to integrate into Nature not to exploit Nature like the western The life of the people is embedded into Nature, and human beings are allowed to exist within Nature Fountain at the western garden: The western garden changes the flow of water Fountain at the Japanese garden: The traditional Japanese garden utilizes the natural flow of water Nature and Japanese character Mild but at the same time violent Japanese view of impermanence nature in Japan The changing seasons in Japanese The “hesitation” as part of the Japanese character culture The changing seasons and the abundant and subtle “humidity” もののあわれ (sensitivity to the subtlety of mood) Harsh nature and secure society 'Japanese society is one that seeks safe rather than trust' (Toshio Yamagishi) Safety: absence of social uncertainty Trust: trusting others in the presence of social uncertainty Japanese are less trusting and more risk averse than Americans The harsh natural environment may constitute the background Nature worship Animism : Attribution of conscious life to nature or natural objects A belief in the existence of innumerable spirits Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 7  The world of movies of Shun Miyazaki and ‘Avator’ Animism influences Shinto: respect for natural phenomena (shrines with worship of mountains, trees, rocks, etc.) Nature worship and Japanese aesthetic sense Beauty is not in the character of the Japanese object itself but in the heart of the Emotional, irrational art (Feel the aesthetic sense person who observes and feels the beauty of Nature’s transitions) object Beauty exists in the Rational art like science Western character/attributes of the object (Symmetry, proportion, golden aesthetic sense (powerful, proportional, beauty) ratio) Nature worship and Japanese culture Nature worship leads to emotional, sensitive, and aesthetic intuitions of the Japanese Emotional thinking: The Japanese tend to grasp things emotionally not with rational judgement based on logic Nature worship has produced Japan's unique cultures (1) Japan’s traditional aesthetics is based on close links between art and Nature (2) Specific cultural performance such as haiku, waka, garden, bonsai The expression of dedicate nature 24 seasons (24 節気) : 小寒 (shokan), 大寒 (daikan), 立春 (risshun), 雨水 (ushui), 啓蟄 (keichitsu),春分 (shunbun)... Expressions for rain: 春雨 (harusame), 梅雨(tsuyu), 氷雨 (hisame), 夕立 (yudachi), 五月雨(samidare), 菜種梅雨 (natanezuyu),時雨 (shigure),小夜時雨 (sayoshigure). 驟雨 (shuu) Rich emotions and the Japanese language Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 8  Not attempt to indicate the various ways things are, but rather express them in a vague and typological manner Nouns: distinction between singular and plural is unclear, not be accompanied by articles Rich in words for sensory and emotional mental action, but poor in words for the action of active thought, such as intellectual and reasoning Haiku: the shortest poem in the world with just 17 In this short sentence, a word regarding seasons should be included. 古池や 蛙飛び込む 水の音：An old pond, a splashing sound of a frog jumping in spring Shinto Shinto ( 神道： literally means The way of the gods) Japan’s indigenous religion The Japanese believe in a great number of kami (gods) (from natural objects to animals to dead human beings) Feature: no founder, written doctrine, holy scripture Shinto and Japanese The Japanese just pray of thanksgivings for good harvests, protection from natural calamities, or freedom from sickness The Japanese tend to regard Shinto as Japanese folkways, not a religion Shinto offers the foundation for rituals and customs that are deeply rooted in the society Shinto and purity The original Shinto ceremonial is based of purity: exorcism (祓い harai), cleansing ( 禊 misogi), and abstention (忌み imi) Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 9  In modern times, Shinto was fused with the Imperial State in the Meiji era Since it became associated with nationalistic and militaristic tendencies, State Shinto was disbanded after World War II Shinto and social customs Shinto-oriented spirits and social customs Seiketsu (清潔 originates from purity, judo uniform) Hatsumode (初詣）: pray for a new year at shrines Traditional matsuri (祭り festivals) Jichinsai : a ceremony for purifying a site for a new house or building Shinto and Nature worship Many natural objects become the target of Shinto worship: trees, rocks, mountains, rivers, The idea that gods exist in Nature in various forms is based on the world view of the Japanese Buddhism Buddhism originates with the teachings of the Buddha in the 5th century BC India Buddhism underscores compassion, charity, ideal love of all living things Buddhism stresses that life is painful and its suffering derives from human attachment Hinayana Buddhism ( 小乗仏教）and Mahayana Buddhism (大乗仏教） Fundamental Buddhist teachings The truth of suffering (dukkha) The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya) The Four Noble Truths The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha) The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga) Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 10  Right view; right thinking; right speech; right action; right The Noble Eightfold Path livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; right meditation From Buddhism arrival to Syncretism Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century AD At first, there was a conflict over the acceptance of Buddhism due to the tradition of Shinto However, Buddhism and Shinto accommodated themselves to each other (Syncretism) The combination of different religions is a unique feature of the Japanese thought What is ‘the Japanese religion’? 'Shinto/Buddhist syncretic religion' Shinto/Buddhist syncretic religion is the basis of the Japanese way of life Oshogatsu (New Year’s Day) is an event in which people welcome a deity called the New Year’s God into their homes and worship it (influenced by Shintoism) Ancestors return once more on Obon and Ohigan. Buddhist priests hold a Buddhist memorial service to appease the spirits of ancestors The Syncretism of Shinto with Buddhism ( 神仏習合） In Nara city: Kasuga-Taisha Shrine and Kofukuji Temple In the House: Kamidana, Butsudan Buddhism and Nature worship （Unlike Buddhism in India and Southeast Asia）, Japanese Buddhism has been influenced by an idea that human beings are embedded into Nature Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 11  The development of Mountain Buddhism Where does the Pure Land exist? Old Indian ：The Pure Land is in the 'Western Paradise' of Amitabha Buddha Japanese: The Pure Land is in the mountains Zen ( ) 禅 Zen: The meditation school of East Asian Buddhism Essential truth is incommunicable, which cannot be conveyed by books, words, concepts or teachers, but must be realized by immediate and direct personal experience Zen stresses concreteness and creativity as well as the flash of intuition obtained in meditation Enlightenment in Zen Satori ( 悟り enlightenment) is sought in immediate experience and spiritual peace All human beings possess the Buddha- nature within themselves and need only the actual experience to achieve enlightenment Enlightenment is seen as a liberation from men’s intellectual nature Mushin ( 無心 empty thought) in zazen (座禅 sitting mediation) Four principles of Zen The transition of the truth that is beyond scriptures Getting at the soul of human beings No dependence on words and letters Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 12  Zen mondo ( 禅問答、brief dialogues between Master and disciple) designed to exhaust thinking and progress meditation Achieving insight into one’s nature and attaining enlightenment or Buddhahood Zen and Japan In the Kamakura period, Zen was introduced into Japan by Yosai who founded the Rinzai sect (AD 1200) Dogen founded the Soto sect, which stresses zazen meditation Zen found popularity with the buke warrior families in Japan Zen became the foundation of various Japanese cultures Zen and the Japanese spirit 「以心伝心」 (Telepathic Zen painting: The art of heart-to-heart understanding communication) 「間(Ma)」 Pregnant Pause: Zen monastery garden with nothing but rocks 「道(Way)」 A way of life that involves spiritual commitment Japanese cultures under Zen influence Sado: tea ceremony Kado (Ikebana); flower arrangement Noh drama Haiku 💡 Social system/institution Major features of the social system in Japan The rice paddy society and its influence Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 13  Homogeneous society and honne/ tatemae ( 本音/建て前) Groupism (collectivism) in the society The frame group in Japanese society Methods to maintain the frame group ： hieratical structure and we-ness 内 外） feeling (uchi/soto, / The ‘Ie’ （家） as the base for the frame Rice cultivation society Rice is the staple food for the Japanese Rice is cultivated every year in the same paddies The paddy field is Japan’s essential landscape Rice cultivation was dependent on human labor, not on domestic animals Rice cultivation and ancestor worship Since there was a scarcity of flat lands, low hills and foothills of mountains had to be used for rice cultivation The development of a new paddy to be flat and situated for irrigation was extremely hard work The appreciation for ancestors’ efforts to develop a new paddy led to ancestor worship The influence of rice cultivation Conformity with Nature: Rice cultivation in conformity with four seasons Industrious and disciplined attitudes: Necessary fight against weeds The source of familism ：Time-consuming works by family labor The source of groupism： Joint works at certain times of the year Order in the village community：Joint works at the village and joint management of water Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 14  Highly homogeneous society Japan is basically a mono-national society, and developed based on village society The importance of non-verbal communication Consciously/unconsciously acquired courtesy and behavior play an important role in the society The people tend to avoid different thoughts and behavior from others, favoring uniform thinking and action Intolerance to heterogeneity, exclusivity to outsiders Distinction between honne/tatemae Honne ( 本音） and Tatemae （建前） It is considered a virtue not to directly express one’s real feelings/intentions to get along well with others The manipulation of honne (one’s real motive/intention) and tatemae (socially- tuned motive/ intention) Background: A dislike of direct expression and the importance of harmony and ceremony in Japanese life Problems of Honne/Tatemae One’s words and actual intentions do not match This dichotomy leads to confusion and misunderstanding, particularly for the members who are unfamiliar with this custom Example: ‘Would you like to have Bubuzuke together?’ Actual intention: Not invite but ask to go home Groupism in Japanese society Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 15  In Japanese society, people are primarily group-oriented and give more priority to group harmony than to individual assertion The loyalty to the group produces group consciousness and feeling of solidarity The group members create their own social codes of behavior, stressing non- verbal communication The group mentality In Japanese society, group mentality is formed from infancy (family, school, regional community) Background: The influence of rice cultivation and the village community Various social groups: political factions, school groups, keiretsu as corporate connection In extreme cases, group members commit crimes due to an emphasis on following group interests The influence of group mentality The Japanese feel stress with independent and responsible actions The Japanese fear being disliked by others and do not want to be excluded The merits of groupism High endurance to community order Teamwork spirit Disciplined behavior following social codes To support the development of the society through cooperation with group members, and gain high self-satisfaction The demerits of groupism Light treatment of individuals: Give stress on groups or organizations rather than individuals (karoshi,過労死 ) Factionalism ： Fierce fight for leadership among different factions Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 16  Group-oriented standardization ：Conformity towards harmony within a group, or the group’s aims, sense of values, customs, etc. Karoshi problem Meaning: deaths caused by mental and physical exhaustion due to overwork Background: The social tendency to take for granted the long hours worked every day The cultural/social conditions that make it difficult to complain in a company due to the group mentality Since the 2000s, the term karoshi has entered English Attribute and frame Individuals are gathered into social groups through attribute and frame The attribute can make an individual a member of a definite descent group or caste The frame sets a boundary and gives the common basis to a set of individuals The group consciousness in Japan depends on frame (Ba, 場） rather than attribute Frame and Japanese society The Japanese group consciousness puts stress on frame A place as a group to which an individual belongs is emphasized rather than individuals with different attributes Being more conscious of an employee of ‘Toyota’ (place) than an engineer (qualification) The representative of frame is Ie ( 家) as a community of living Small groups in Japan Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 17  Small groups: groups of 5-7 people who can interact daily In the small groups, individuals can communicate closely without feeling tense, enough to see each other every day As the sense of belonging to a small group is strong, the group has a sense of camaraderie Japanese organizations are characterized by extremely strong small-group functions, not necessarily functions as a large group Functions of small groups The Japanese group structure is made up of small groups linked by beads to form large groups The system makes it difficult for the top management to exercise dictatorial strength Orders to subordinate organizations descend in a chain of beads Two methods to strengthen frame groups Compared with the attribute group based on strong commonality in individual qualification, cohesiveness of the frame group is inherently weak Two methods to strengthen the cohesiveness of the frame group The formation of hierarchical internal organs Commitments to fostering unity among members Hierarchical internal organs The hierarchical relations are given priority in social relationship within the frame groups The formation of order/order consciousness in the hierarchical organizations Characteristics of hierarchical structures Even among those with the same qualification and status, the difference by hierarchy Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 18  Vertical relationship is based on order rather than capacity difference The background idea is that people’s capability is equal The vertical society, which is composed of ranks, has a different structure from the class society The fostering of unity among members Various actions to give the sense of unity in the frame group It must take an emotional approach due to lack of common attributes The fostering of we-ness, an emotional unity Tend to produce exclusiveness (uchi/soto mentality) The need of continuous contacts leads to no distinction between the public and private 内 Uchi ( ) and Soto ( ) 外 Uchi: The inside, my house and home, the group that we belong to Soto: The outside, outdoors, other groups The dual concept of uchi/soto has a great influence on Japan’s relational society The base of uchi/soto lies in the ie system The Japanese tend to distinguish insiders who belong to the same group and outsiders who do not Uchi/Soto and groupism Since group boundaries are often in a constant flux, a member makes efforts to stay in the group (uchi), keeping distance from other groups (soto) Such efforts tend to produce Ijime (bullying) at schools More broadly, it leads to psychological exclusivism towards the others and discrimination against the minority Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 19  The ie system as the base for frame In Japanese society, bonding through ketsuen (blood tie) and chien (territorial tie) are relatively weak compared with other agricultural societies in Asia The basic social unit in Japan is the ie system Ie is not a simply a household or family but a corporate residential group or a managing body The major features of the ie system A new couple forms ie by using the surname of either husband or wife The eldest son and his wife live together with the old parents Traditionally, household head – the senior male – holds the power to manage the whole ie affairs Each ie holds kamon (family emblem) The succession of ie Ie is continuum that consists of current members but also the dead ancestors and offspring In the ie system, daughter-in-law from another family is more important than a daughter who became a member of another household A crucial in Japanese society is succession of ie, giving secondary value to blood bond The adoption system for ie succession It has been a custom in Japan that an adopted son-in-law without blood bond succeeds ie Two duties of an adopted child: To succeed to the ownership of the land and property To ensure the performance of proper rite for the ancestors Changing Japanese families Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 20  In modernization, the perception of family, marriage, and role of husband/wife changed The individualism of household: Family members live in time, space and institutions from other members according to their own schedules and objectives A change to grasp the household as a group to an assembly of individual units The change in the Ie system As the increase in nuclear family (a family with parents and child), the traditional ie system is transforming (from group-oriented to individual- oriented) A wife has more power, and a girl rather than a boy is preferred as a child Still, the ie-centred consciousness remains in some parts of social life 💡 Contemporary issues Japan’s economic globalization The globalization of the Japanese economy and industry Offshore operations of manufacturing companies: The expansion of foreign direct investment (FDI) The acceptance and practices of neo-liberal economic doctrines Market liberalization and domestic regulatory harmonization through the conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) Trends in FDI Flow to Japan The effects of globalization: Economy The hollowing-out of the domestic industry due to the expansion of overseas operations (FDI) Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 21  Race to the bottom due to global business competition The reduction in corporate taxes The increase in irregular employment The growing possibility of bankruptcy and negative impacts on society The need to provide safety net The effects of globalization: Corporate management The transformation of traditional labor customs The change in lifetime employment Results-based personnel management: The salary base shifted from the promotion by seniority – the period for working – to outcomes in a duty position and processes to the outcomes The change in corporate-based labor union The effect of globalization: Society Direct connections to overseas through ICT The gradual increase in immigration labors from overseas (The case of Japanese- Brazilian in the 1990s) The increase in overseas tourists after 2012: The tourists’ interests are shifting from ‘materials’ (shopping) and ‘experiences’(cultural activities. e.g. zazen) The foreign worker issue for Japan One of the serious problems in the current Japanese society is the securing of labor force in dwindling birth rate and an aging population Given the aged society and decreasing birth rate, it is indispensable to expand the door to foreign workers Japan needs to revitalize its economy by acquiring talented foreign workers Japan’s rapid aged society Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 22  The number of immigrants in Japan The number of foreign residents in Japan was 89 million in 2020 The ratio of immigrants in total population in 2020 was 2.3 % The ratio increased from 9 % in 1990 to 1.9 % in 2013, and then to 2.3 % in 2020 The increase implies that the closed Japanese society is gradually changing, but the figure is still low Trends in the number of foreign residents Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 23  Breakdown of foreign residents by status of residence and nationality Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 24  The reasons for limited immigrants Since Japan is an isolated islands country, it is difficult to come into the country from overseas More crucially, the government, for a long time, adopted a formal policy to accept foreign workers in specialized and technical areas alone, not allowing unskilled workers to come to Japan Increase in foreign workers holding resident status Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 25  Foreign workers by status of residence The Japanese government allowed workforces in professional fields However, this category accounted for only 20.8 % in total foreign workers in 2020 The category of ‘activity other than that permitted under the status of residence’ (21.5 %) includes part-time work by individuals with a student visa (international students) International students They come to Japan at a young age and can integrate into Japanese society in stages Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 26  They are not newcomers from overseas, but the people who 'become' human resources during their stay in Japan Problems: the disappearance of foreign students and the control of illegal labour Will you stay in Japan? Internationally low salaries and the recent depreciation of the yen Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) The TITP was created in 2010 as a status of residence for technical interns The TITP aims at international cooperation with developing countries through skill transfer The trainees are expected to make use of the knowledge, technology, skills, and ideas they have acquired through the training in Japan to contribute to the development of their home countries Number of Technical Intern Trainees Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 27  Policy intension of the TITP The TITP is a status of resident that reflects the manipulation of Tatemae and Honne The program serves to promote technology transfer and international Tatemae contribution The program serves to solve the labor shortage problem by procuring Honne cheap workers Problems of the TITP Problems in labor conditions: long work hours, underpayment of wages, unpaid overtime Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 28  The violation of the Labor Standard Act Problems in basic conditions: language problems and no connections to the society Increase in trainee disappearance that led to growing crime rates The introduction of the specified skilled worker system The government adopted the specified skilled worker system in April 2019 The new system is applied for 14 industrial sectors that suffer from labor shortage The system allows family members to accompany the worker Japanese language level will be confirmed by tests Differences between technical intern training and specified skilled worker technical intern training specified skilled worker Simple labor Not allowed Allowed in 14 industrial fields Up to 5 years but possible for 10 years in case Maximum stay up to 5 Period of stay of a transfer from years technical intern training Allowed to change to a different field with the Job transfer Not allowed similarity of skill level Likely problems in the new system What impacts will the new system have on Japanese employment? It is possible to diffuse foreign workers from large cities to local cities? The labor shortage is serious in local areas Is it possible to go along with local community with low Japanese capabilities? How to encourage participation in social insurance systems by foreign workers The new system obliges participation in pension but will it be feasible? Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 29  Foreign population by prefecture (Jan.1 2018) The development of the new system The government expects to accept 40,000 workers in 2019 (345,000 in 5 years) However, the real number in Dec. 2019 was 1,621 The major cause was slow responses by companies As the companies hired cheap foreign workers under the TITP, they are less willing to apply the same salary conditions as the Japanese A policy to attract highly skilled workers Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 30  The adaption of the point-based system for highly skilled foreign professionals (2012.5) However, the outcome of the system was moderate Japanese companies still maintained passive attitudes towards employing foreign human resources positively Difficulty in attracting skilled human resources The difficulty lies in its complexity of the program/system The government should recognize that Japan is not an attractive country for talented human resources Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 31  The government needs to formulate substantive policies/programs by considering costs/benefits associated with increasing foreign workers Human resources, manpower, and population in Japan’s policy Aiming to expand foreign ‘human resources’(highly-skilled workers), but in reality, only 20% of the total number of foreign workers Demands in society: securing 'manpower' (simple labour) No consideration of long-term needs for 'population' (immigrants based on settlement) No immigration policy in Japan The definition of migrants The UN: Individuals who live outside their country of origin for a period of one year or more Japan: Individuals who enter the country on the assumption to reside their permanently → There are no such individuals, and thereby Japan has no immigration policy Permanent residence status Despite no immigration policy, individuals with permanent residence status are increasing The percentage of individuals with permanent residence status was nearly 28 % in 2020 If special permanent residents are included, the percentage of foreigners with permanent residence reaches 40 % The individuals belonging to these categories are immigrants by a normal definition The need for immigration policy The immigration issue needs to be considered under the reality of declining population Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 32  Japan has not discussed policies to settle or integrate in Japanese society beyond the ‘immigration control’ of foreign people As a fundamental issue, will we open a society beyond the Japanese consciousness of Uchi-soto mentality? 💡 Last comments (Summary) Japan is under the influence of Asian culture and thought including Buddhism Traditions such as nature worship add uniqueness to ideational/cultural systems Japan has a high degree of social homogeneity, collectivism, a unique 'frame' group structure To what extent can Japan be opened by changing the consciousness of the Japanese people? Class 1-4: Summary (Japan) 33