It is sometimes difficult to distinguish reality from the Sociologie of the Japan of many the stereotype on the Japanese culture conveyed in Occident.

Influences

With the Japan, the human relations are the fruit of the cumulated heritage of the beliefs Shintoïste and Bouddhiste, seven centuries of a military regime (Shogunat) very strict and education system set up after the Restauration Meiji of 1868. After 1868 and especially after the Second world war, Japan also was subject to many Western influences.

Social organization

Uchi/Soto

The Japanese family

The education system

Civic education

Individual and collective morals is important in Japan. She is taught in the schools one hour per week, then in the formation imposed by any company or administration; she founds the life of the family like that of the modern society.

Safety

In 1992,49,4% of questioned Japanese safety at the head “reasons for pride main road classified”: in 1991,96% of the businesses of murder were elucidated. There was 30% of flights of less than in France and close to twice less police officers: 1 per 556 people in Japan, against 1 per 268 in France. In 1993, for 100.000 inhabitants, there had been one 1,1 murder, 1,3 armed robbery and 1,3 rape, whereas in the United States, the figures were respectively of 8,7,233 and 38,1. Safety also relates to the preparation with the natural disasters and the accidents. In these fields, measurements taken are very numerous. Apart from the antiseismic standards of constructions of the buildings, one can for example mention the existence of trap doors provided with retractable staircases to leave a building by the balcony for the case where the staircase would be destroyed or inaccessible, of the often latticed panes to avoid their explosion, or a permanent lighting of the stair-wells, if it would be necessary to evacuate. These measurements, and well of others, make it possible Japan to count very few victims of catastrophes, in spite of many seisms and cyclones.

Anguish of the natural disaster

The Japanese should know that, taking into account their geographical position, they will have to face in their life with the consequences of important earthquakes. However, in November 1991, a governmental survey revealed that 40% of the Japanese had not made any provision in preparation for a great earthquake and that 22,9% of them only believed in its possibility against 33,7% in 1987. A few years later, the catastrophic seism of Kobe reminded all the Japanese that the threat was serious. The majority of the Japanese keep a nonchalante attitude however at the time of a seism, whereas the security instructions are to protect itself (at the time of the seism of March 25th, 2007, a television of Japanese information thus diffused the images of a surveillance camera showing a customer continuing to pay while goods fell from the rays).

Employment

Until the middle of the Nineties, during the Japanese Miracle, the employee dedicated body and heart with its company, sometimes until the Karoshi. The company guaranteed to him in exchange an use with life. After the bursting of the Japanese Bubble in 1989, the crisis of the Japanese economy strongly disturbed this system and saw emerging the phenomenon of the Freeter .

Sexuality

In 1992, only 25% of the 18 years young ages state to have sexual relationships but in the same time of the practices such as the Enjo kōsai seem accepted rather well.

The statute of the woman

The women account for 40% of paid but less than 5% of the executives. With equal function, it will perceive at least 30% of remuneration in less. It is extremely difficult for a Japanese woman to reconcile professional life and family life. Indeed they are almost obliged to resign when they have a child, which does not improve birth rate in Japan. The Japanese still consider very often that the role of a woman is to make children and to occupy itself some. The remarks of a Japanese minister relaying this idea (in 2007), in very believed terms, caused only the indignation of half of the Japanese population. Concerning the Geisha S, women trained with various arts as of adolescence to divert the men, the tradition remains alive with Kyoto, where one can see spectacles of them.