Japanese Culture: Ethics
This article is the fourth in a four-part series based on interviews with Japanese unbelievers about Japanese culture. Earlier articles appeared in the Spring 2014, Summer 2014, and Autumn 2014/Winter 2015 issues.
Debates about abortion, gun ownership, same-sex marriage, care of refugees and immigrants, and military action are making news in my home country, America. Some of these topics are also being debated in Japan, along with local issues. Ethics is a key area for helping us understand Japanese culture. This article focuses on Japanese axiology or what Japanese people consider to be morally right and wrong. To probe the ethical beliefs of the Japanese, I posed the following two questions when I interviewed nine Japanese unbelievers:
- How would you describe a good and a bad Japanese person?
- How do you determine what is good and bad?
A good person
Much of what the interviewees regarded as good came as no surprise. A good person helps others, is patient, works hard, has good manners, and is serious. One woman listed seiza (kneeling) as a mark of a good person (which disqualifies me!). Another characteristic of a good person is not overly expressing emotions. Conservation and saving were two good things one woman remembered her father emphasized when she was growing up; he scolded her for making long phone calls and for leaving the lights on.
A bad person
Of course, those who kill others were considered bad. However, bad speech was most often listed as a mark of a bad person. In particular, angry words, speaking your mind, dirty and unkind words, and even misusing keigo (polite language; something I’m guilty of!) were characteristics of a bad person. Being unkind to strangers and exhibiting sabetsu (discrimination) were other immoral behaviors.
One woman concluded that Japanese are becoming apathetic because they do not care for the hungry or those living in war zones. She contrasted that with Americans who give to charities and adopt orphans. A young man stated that not being internationally-minded is bad. To be a truly peaceful nation, he reasoned, one must be able to communicate well with other nations.
The basis for these judgments
What was the basis for these moral judgments? Those I interviewed gave a great many answers. One woman argued that it is self-evident. She said, “Everyone thinks the same about good and bad.” Similarly, the young man believed that “people have the same heart” and want a quiet and peaceful world. Another thought ethics are passed down, although she conceded that there are generational differences and differences of opinion.
One woman, whose son married an American girl, thought that what was truly important was seeking to understand others and why they are that way. She thinks her daughter-in-law is a “bad” person, but her upbringing (her mother is now on her fourth husband and her father was an alcoholic) must be considered. This Japanese mother admitted that although she cannot love her daughter-in-law, she was able to accept her because she understood how she became who she is.
The young man stated that the standard is peace. To him, the most basic determination of what is wrong is something that “harms another person or makes them sad.”
A mother of young children seemed to agree. She saw Japan changing for the worse. She thought schools and parents are not teaching right and wrong, because they’re fearful of upsetting relational harmony. Instead, individual satisfaction is replacing the pursuit of peace and harmony.
The topic of ethics is a wonderful area to explore when seeking to understand Japanese culture. It also presents opportunities to talk about our biblically-based understanding of what is right and wrong.