There is no perfect culture, but I'd say standards are much higher in Japan. I say this from living there about 15 years and another 15 in the US for a good comparison. I'm sure it's different in the business realm (which is always dirtier than most other realms) but day to day living, Japan has the US beat in things like customer service, honesty, quality, and reliability of products and services. My entire family agrees and my father is an American who has lived in Japan for 30-some years. He's now in the US and had to make a "cultural re-adjustment" on expectations to adjust from the downgrade from living in Japan.bmw&kizzyownr wrote:
And I don't mean to be a contrarian, to go off track, or to preach from a soapbox but: I was fortunate to have visited several dozen countries during my worklife as did my wife. She was in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS for Weapons Systems) field so we traveled often and found shady salesmen/mechanics/businessmen and/or govt/military reps in almost every country we went to. That includes cities in Japan like Atsugi, Nagasaki, Okinawa, Iwakuni, Tokyo, and a host of others. I'm not an expert in anything but I do know that America doesn't have a patent on poor business practices or shady dealings. Don't get me wrong.... I'm a HUGE fan of the Japanese culture as I am of many, many of the other people, cultures, and countries I've visited and/or done business in. But clearly the grass is not as green on the other side as you would be made to believe. The more one travels, I hope one realizes that people are inherently good regardless of what culture or country they come from...with a few exceptions. If you think people are more honest or that life would be better in Japan....I think that's NUTS (term a famous US warrior once used as in "no way"), but good luck. Just my two cents....
Not only that, I've personally seen Japan at its worst and would rather be there than the US any day for an equivalent disaster. I was in Kobe, Japan for the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. It was a 6.8 USGS magnitude earthquake that killed over 6,400 people, mostly in my city. Keep in mind Japan is the most earthquake-prepared nation on the planet. Yet, many buildings, highways, and structures collapsed and every single utility was disrupted. Not only that, fires started from ruptured gas lines burned all over the city and some who were trapped in the rumble were burnt alive. The ruin my city was in was something I'll never forget.
However, something else I'll never forget was the collective calm the Japanese had. I recall going to a convenience store that morning after the earthquake (it occurred at 5:46 AM). Even then, the convenience store workers showed up or stayed to work knowing that people would be counting on them for obtaining supplies. We are talking about the equivalent of 7-Eleven workers. Not only that, customers lined up and paid for supplies like water, batteries, face masks, band aids, etc. in the dark given the lights did not work. Merchandise littered the store's floor and some of the ceiling was coming loose. The place was in a total disarray from the massive quake. Yet, no looting, no stealing, no fighting, no chaos. People worked and customers lined up, just like any other day. I will never forget that having seen it with my own eyes.
In the US, it's a different story. Violence, looting, and crime erupts the moment social order is disrupted by some natural disaster or social unrest. Hurricane Katrina is a prime example. The earthquake I went through was arguably 100x worse, yet the people in Japan acted 100x better. The last massive disaster in Japan in March of 2011 yet again exemplified the collective calm of the Japanese. There were even reports of people who lost everything finding other people's safes and returning them to their rightful owners.
All that being said, Japan does have its massive flaws. The business world is known to be dirty and white collar crime and corruption is common, just like the US. In fact, recently, nearly all Japanese automotive electronics parts makers were busted in a price fixing scheme. This included Denso, NGK, Mitsubishi, and some others. The DOJ even prosecuted given they do business in the US.
Whenever I visit Japan, the news is always reporting on some executive getting caught for embezzlement, fraud, or some other white collar crime.
In relation to the 2011 Tsunami, TEPCO is well known now to have hid the fact that radioactive material from Fukushima Daiichi was leaking profusely and they could not contain it. Had they been honest, forthcoming, and asked for assistance, perhaps the situation would have been better contained and the place not a radioactive wasteland as it is now.
Japan also has major issues with its wartime history and relations with much of Asia and its current right-wing jingoist politicians are making things worse. PM Abe seeks to rearm Japan and even start selling weapons which are currently unconstitutional according to the post-war Japanese constitution. He wants to change Japan from a pacifist nation to a military rival to China and also a global weapons dealer. You can imagine that many Japanese are unhappy, including many like my grandparents who lived through WWII and worked to make Japan what it is today.
Not only that, faltering relations with China and Korea are hurting Japanese businesses there and making them less successful.
So in essence, there are always good and bad sides to everything and everyone. However, for things like customer service and the quality of work, I'd take Japan any day over the US. I say that from living there half my life. That being said, the place is far from perfect and there are many benefits to living in the US (hence, I'm here).
