Japan
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==Modern Japan== | ==Modern Japan== | ||
| − | Japan has been in an economic rut for the past 20 years<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=%5EN225#chart1:symbol=^n225;range=my;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined Nikkei over the last 20 years]</ref> due to sheer incompetence and the only thing going for them is Toyota. Instead of unemployment, certain generations are screwed over royally if they enter the job market in a recession as Japan follows a "lifetime" employment model<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2009-03-05-japan-lifetime-employment_N.htm Japan offers a lifetime job, if hired right out of school]</ref>. They have a very high life expectancy and the third-highest GDP in the world, despite currently being in a depression. Japan used to be a world leader in innovative technology, but now they just make good cars and some good electronics offshore. Japan retains surprisingly traditional agricultural practices. It is a land of contrasts, due to absorbing a large amount of western cultural influence over the last 150 years, but still retaining its own unique oriental culture and traditions. | + | Japan has been in an economic rut for the past 20 years<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=%5EN225#chart1:symbol=^n225;range=my;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined Nikkei over the last 20 years]</ref> due to sheer incompetence and the only thing going for them is Toyota. Instead of temporary unemployment, certain generations are screwed over royally for life if they enter the job market in a recession as Japan follows a "lifetime" employment model<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2009-03-05-japan-lifetime-employment_N.htm Japan offers a lifetime job, if hired right out of school]</ref>. They have a very high life expectancy and the third-highest GDP in the world, despite currently being in a depression. Japan used to be a world leader in innovative technology, but now they just make good cars and some good electronics offshore. Japan retains surprisingly traditional agricultural practices. It is a land of contrasts, due to absorbing a large amount of western cultural influence over the last 150 years, but still retaining its own unique oriental culture and traditions. |
The Japanese are generally socially conservative, with a heavy emphasis on conformity and group identity. Politically, post-war Japanese governments have been fairly [[liberal]] and progressive, with increasing environmental concern in recent years, including legislation enforcing all new multi-storey buildings to have a roof gardens. Despite being a major international power, and absorbing many western influences, the Japanese tend to be very inwardly focused, and can be xenophobic in some respects. | The Japanese are generally socially conservative, with a heavy emphasis on conformity and group identity. Politically, post-war Japanese governments have been fairly [[liberal]] and progressive, with increasing environmental concern in recent years, including legislation enforcing all new multi-storey buildings to have a roof gardens. Despite being a major international power, and absorbing many western influences, the Japanese tend to be very inwardly focused, and can be xenophobic in some respects. | ||
Revision as of 05:06, 30 March 2009
Japan 日本国 Nippon-koku is a nation occupying an archipelago, or group of islands which lies on the westernmost edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Contents |
Historical background
Historically, Japanese governments maintained an isolationist policy, engaging in some trade (and a few invasions) in China and Korea, but rejecting virtually all contact with the West. This came to an end in 1854, when American Navy ships forcibly created trading contacts and treaties. Japan at this time was still a feudal society of peasants, samurai and lords, ruled by a shogun (general) in Edo (modern Tokyo), while the power of the Emperor (in Kyoto) was little more than nominal. The sudden influx of industrial-era western provoked a political crisis, culminating in the restoration of imperial rule (the Meiji Restoration) in 1868.
The first acts of the Meiji government were to put through rapid reforms to industrialise, militarise and westernise Japanese society, forcibly dismantling the longstanding feudal hierarchy. The Meiji era saw the development of a strong nationalism, promoted by the adoption of State Shinto as national religion, a creed which emphasising the Emperor's divine status as a descendent of the gods. This nationalism was acompanied by expansionist wars against Russia and China, and aggressive colonialism in Taiwan, Korea and Manchuria. The resulting international tensions culminated in Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941, bringing Japan and America into the Second World War, and America's nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which put an end to it.
Since the war, Japan has been a peaceful and democratic country, growing in wealth and influence, at least partly due to American occupation and investment in the years following 1945. However, Japanese conduct during the war, including the atrocious treatment of prisoners of war, has left a lasting resentment in occupied nations, which continues today in areas such as China, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Modern Japan
Japan has been in an economic rut for the past 20 years[1] due to sheer incompetence and the only thing going for them is Toyota. Instead of temporary unemployment, certain generations are screwed over royally for life if they enter the job market in a recession as Japan follows a "lifetime" employment model[2]. They have a very high life expectancy and the third-highest GDP in the world, despite currently being in a depression. Japan used to be a world leader in innovative technology, but now they just make good cars and some good electronics offshore. Japan retains surprisingly traditional agricultural practices. It is a land of contrasts, due to absorbing a large amount of western cultural influence over the last 150 years, but still retaining its own unique oriental culture and traditions.
The Japanese are generally socially conservative, with a heavy emphasis on conformity and group identity. Politically, post-war Japanese governments have been fairly liberal and progressive, with increasing environmental concern in recent years, including legislation enforcing all new multi-storey buildings to have a roof gardens. Despite being a major international power, and absorbing many western influences, the Japanese tend to be very inwardly focused, and can be xenophobic in some respects.
Principal cultural exports of the Japanese include Godzilla movies, sushi, tiny electronic thingies, cute cartoon characters, and excellent copies of German cars.
Religion
Most Japanese people practise both Buddhism and Shinto (Japan's native polytheistic and animistic religion), but do not consider themselves to be religious. This can be difficult for westerners to understand, and often leads to misrepresentations in demographics. For example, a survey of international atheism statistics suggests that 65% of Japanese are atheists,[3] and was used on Conservapedia to claim that "Japan has the largest atheistic population of any country in the world".[4] However, another survey from the same source indicates that between 50% and 90% of Japanese are Buddhists. [5] The confusion comes from the fact that Buddhism does not fit into a western dichotomy of theism and atheism, and that many Japanese citizens take part in Buddhist observances and festivals without considering themselves to be religious.
Similarly, Shinto, a religion rooted in Japanese folklore and tradition, is compatible with Buddhism, and the two have been intertwined in Japanese culture for over a thousand years, although they were forcibly separated during the Meiji era (1868 to 1945). Christianity has a very unique status in Japan. Despite the fact that it was illegal in Japan during the Edo period (1603 to 1868), after the American occupation of Japan after World War II, and the romanticism of all things American, Christianity became "popular" in a very secular way. Today, the Christian Cross is a very popular piece of jewelry for women and girls. (On a TV drama, for example, you are likely to see the main character wear a cross in at least one of the 11 episodes), Weddings are almost always held in a Christian Church (then a second wedding in Traditional garb), and many people have adapted to "god bless" or "good god" (using Kami as the term for god) as expressions of doubt, fear, and joy - while not believing in that very god.
Whaling
Whaling has been practised by the Japanese for hundreds of years, but has become a source of international and domestic controversy. Japan initially opposed the international moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, but complied under international pressure. However, Japan has continued whaling at a lower level (though increasing in recent years), ostensibly for the purpose of scientific research, into whale population and distribution, and into whether a restricted level of commercial whaling can be sustainable. Consequently, a few restaurants and shops in Southern Japan continue to sell whale meat as a biproduct of this research.
Recently, whaling has been criticized within Japan, perhaps reflecting changing dietary trends. Whaling is still supported in southern Japan.
There have been several incidents during which Japanese whaling ships have come under attack from environmental groups such as the Sea Shepherd.