What motivates the Japanese?

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What motivates the Japanese?

The popular image of Japan as a homogeneous and harmonious is not nearly as valid as it seems. The aspects of Japan which could be argued are of this nature are enforced by both Western media and the impressions that Japanese society and media gives out. Japanese society has always strived and aspired toward this ideal, to such an extent, that an impressive illusion of homogeneity and harmony has been created. This is probably not something which many native Japanese consciously consider; it is more likely that many of them believe the illusion as much as Westerners do. There is a great deal of cultural diversity in Japan, which, although greatly increased in the post-war period, was previously more heterogeneous than one might initially imagine. Likewise, the impression of harmony which Japan emits is quite far from the truth in more than a few aspects of society. One of the more recent examples of this conflict within Japanese society is the intermittent uproar over the politicized nature of the school system.

Some see Japan as a land of opposites and contrast. From the ancient temples in the middle of nowhere to the gargantuan glass skyscrapers which tower over the metropolis that is Tokyo. The farmer and the city businessman. The fantastic technological advancements which come from a culture which still adheres closely to ancient traditions and rituals (some of which have been assimilated from other cultures, especially the Chinese). However, the Japanese' illusion of homogeneity still holds relatively fast over this school of thought. This is because society itself endeavours to impresses a sense of group effort over the entire nation. This means that an employee in Japan has a greater understanding of the role he or she fills within at least their immediate sphere of work environment. The idea of this is to encourage employees to work for the benefit of the group (essentially, the nation) and not for their own personal gain.
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The society of today views Japan as a country of strong culture and a disciplined and uniform nature. The Japanese workforce is thought of as hardworking, loyal and verging on selfless when it comes to personal (or family related) sacrifice if required. This applies primarily to the Japanese white collar office workers (sarariman), but a similar work ethic is preferred in almost all occupations. Japanese women are generally portrayed as motherly housewives; they appear to play a relatively small part in the business world and are equally not directly very active in political matters. Those few Japanese women ...

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