Is the cultural reliance on communication in Japan
Communication
Is the cultural reliance on communication in Japan threatened by modern trends in globalization, education, and technology?
The means of communication in Japan is backed by maintaining harmony and respect. Their communication styles are also majorly based on interpreting non-verbal cues and other physical expressions of cultural practices (“-,” n.d.) Therefore, the use of a correlational research design in the qualitative analysis of the effect of modernization to communication was adopted to evaluate the viability of survival of the purity of the Japanese language.
The Cultural Atlas established that indirect communication is an essential constituent of communication in Japanese culture. Therefore, to decipher the intended message, physical presence is of the essence. In addition, other elements of communication such as ‘Sonkeigo,’ which denotes respectful language, ‘Kensongo,’ which denotes humble language, and Teneigo’ which denotes polite language, have been affected by the shift of economical dominance by the young over the old. For instance, from Forbes’ release of the top 50 richest Japanese personalities, it could be inferred that age was not a factor in ranking as the oldest was not among the top ten (“Japan’s 50 richest people,” n.d.) The implication of such an age-dimensional shift is that respect is not necessarily commanded by age rather by socioeconomic superiority.
Globalization has also influenced emigration from Japan to other countries such as the US in pursuit of education, employment, or healthcare. Statistically, over 426,000 Japanese live in the US. Therefore, the cultural expressions in communication such as eye contact, bowing, gestures, beckoning, pointing, counting, and nodding are limited to those confined to the Japanese practices, as the rest of the world has different standards of communication. Therefore, some of these cultural expressions have been significantly threatened by modernization (“Japan: Number of Japanese residents in the United States,” 2021).
High-risk behaviors
How does high per capita income account for the general high in high-risk behaviors among women in Japan than in men?
Qualitative analysis was invoked in this research with an incorporation of Emile Durkheim’s anomie theory. A study by BMC public health on 25- to 59-year-old Japanese of different gender established that high per capita income by women accounted for their increased affiliation to high-risk behavior than men (“Accumulation of health risk behaviours is associated with lower socioeconomic status and women’s urban residence: A multilevel analysis in Japan,” 2005).
The major high-risk behaviors in Japan are addictive smoking, excess alcohol consumption, poor dietary habits, stress, physical inactivity, and non-attendance of health checkups. Notably, more women in Japan recorded a higher per capita income than men, which was attributed to a marked regional influence. Emile Durkheim’s anomie theory accounts for this trend as it propounds on the effect of the unbalanced division of wealth in a society where collective consciousness becomes weakened, leading to diminished moral convictions and dwindled control in society (Charlotte Nickerson, 2021).
Therefore, with a 52% employment rate in Japan, women have access to a more stable economic source of wealth that facilitates ease of access to some of the luxuries that culminate as high-risk behaviors in Japan (“Japan: Female employment rate 2021,” 2022)
Nutrition
What is the contribution of the ‘Japan Diet’ to its ranking as the world’s most long-lived country?
This research adopted qualitative analysis where phenomenology was invoked in evaluating the dietary culture of the aged Japanese population. Japan generally has the highest life expectancy globally as factored by low mortality rates from lifestyle diseases. The basic diet conceived in the 1960s in a bid to reduce the mortality rates due to cerebrovascular diseases and cancer was later Japan diet and constituted fish, soy, rice, and dairy products (“”Japan diet” and health-the present and future,” n.d.)
The journal of Gerontology established statistical old-age mortality reports that of the 38% of the Japanese population being the old, only 2.3% die of lifestyle diseases. The majorly causes of death with the aged are related to accidents, and actual old age, as women have a life expectancy of 83 years while men 77 years (“Why has Japan become the world’s most long-lived country: Insights from a food and nutrition perspective,” 2020).
Therefore, it could be drawn from the old-age mortality phenomenon and the cause of old-age deaths in Japan that the diet plays a huge role in keeping them alive. An increased intake of rice and regulated serum cholesterol intake as advocated for by the Japan Diet has prevented cardiovascular diseases.
Spirituality
Is the perpetuity of Christianity in Japan guaranteed in consideration of its popularity and historical antecedents?
Qualitative research was adopted through the correlation research design to evaluate the historical progress of Christianity in Japan in predicting its future. Notably, there are over 2 million Christians in Japan, an estimate of 1% of the total Japanese population. Buddhism and Shinto are the major religions practiced in Japan.
Historically, Christianity was banned in Japan in 1614, forcing its believers to disguise themselves as Buddhists to its perpetuity. The determination to pass down Christianity as seen in the ancestors who orally passed it to the young generations has diminished with a lack of interest from the current young generation to learn about ‘orasho’ and other rituals (Sieg, 2019).
26% of South Koreans are Christians, despite a major commonality of culture with Japan. Therefore, it can be inferred that there is a general slow progression of Christianity in Japan which could further dwindle with the lack of determination in upholding its beliefs by the current population.
References
–. (n.d.). Cultural Atlas. https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/japanese-culture/japanese-culture-communication
Accumulation of health risk behaviours is associated with lower socioeconomic status and women’s urban residence: A multilevel analysis in Japan. (2005, May 27). BioMed Central. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-53
“Japan diet” and health-the present and future. (n.d.). PubMed.
Japan: Number of Japanese residents in the United States. (2021, June 3). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1038589/japan-number-japanese-residents-united-states/#:~:text=As%20of%20October%202020%2C%20about,by%20over%2027%20thousand%20residents
Japan’s 50 richest people. (n.d.). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/japan-billionaires/list/
Sieg, L. (2019, November 14). Japan’s ageing ‘Hidden Christians’ fear they may be their religion’s last generation. US https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-japan-hidden-christians-feature-idUSKBN1XO324
Why has Japan become the world’s most long-lived country: Insights from a food and nutrition perspective. (2020, July 13). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-020-0677-5