Some Thoughts on Fukushima and Japanese Psychology -- By a Japanese

(NOTE: The following post has been partially translated and edited by my very close friend and native speaker of English, Sarah H. Although I can speak and write English to some extent, it is far from perfect. I wanted this to smoothly reflect the nuances of my thought, and Sarah has kindly agreed to help me with my posting on GLP from time to time. I would like to offer my sincere thanks for her invaluable assistance.)

I. Personal Thoughts and Introduction
I generally avoid Fukushima-related topics, both on GLP and elsewhere, for a number of reasons. Firstly, I am not a scientist and I do not have the skills or ability to evaluate the information regarding the issue. Secondly, it is a highly emotionally charged topic. Thirdly, it is difficult to know what source material to trust. It seems clear to me that the Government and TEPCO have been less than forthcoming in providing accurate and timely information, and the information they provide is of dubious value. At the same time, I do not put much faith in the ranting of alarmist blogs or certain doom-obsessed GLP posters. I tend to believe the truth must lie somewhere in the middle. Or perhaps not; maybe things really are as bad as GLP believes. Either way, I personally lack the expertise to determine the truth.

I have also worried about how speaking up on this issue might affect my own career and position in society. However, this is a cowardly and unworthy way to think, and I now shake off that yoke.

With this as a backdrop, I thus have been hesitant to wade into these waters for a long time. But I am realizing that the issue is becoming more and more important, rather than less so, as time goes on. It is crucial to get a clear and accurate picture of what really is happening, and what it all really means. Failure to do so, for whatever reason, is a failure to act strongly and resolutely. I strongly believe that there has been a shameful failure of Japan's inherent responsibility to its own citizens, the Japanese ecosystem (which I consider sacred as a Shintoist), the Imperial Family, Japan's children, and its ancestors (generations both past and future) -- as well as its inherent responsibility the rest of the world as a global citizen.

As I said, I am not a scientist. However, this nation has many fine scientists who (at least supposedly) do have the ability to evaluate the situation, and to speak up about what they think and know. We have heard very little from them. As non-scientists, the normal citizens of Japan and the world rely upon them to evaluate the situation objectively. I believe they have failed to do so, which saddens and angers me.

I see two Japans taking shape now. The majority have simply decided to ignore the issue. It is "impolite" to talk about it. It is the "elephant in the room," as it is said in English. In Japan, the media is mostly controlled by the government, and I believe they are in the midst of a full-on brainwashing campaign to make the issue both forgotten and taboo. But there are a growing number of citizens who ARE upset and are demonstrating and working in various ways to bring attention to the situation, and to find a solution. The second group is growing. Let us hope it grows fast enough.


II. Thoughts on Japanese Psychology: The Root of the Problem?
Reading GLP threads on Fukushima and English material elsewhere on the thread, I notice non-Japanese people continuously asking questions about "why don't the PEOPLE of Japan do more?" There is a great deal of anger, even contempt, at this seeming denial in Japan.

I believe that to understand the answer to this important question, it is crucial to understand a bit about the way Japanese people and society think. As an island nation that has spent most of its history closed off from the rest of the world, it is developed a very unique way of thought -- with both good and bad results.


The Nail That Sticks Out
There is an old and well-known proverb in Japan: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." This refers to a group-oriented psychology whereby to be "different" or to disrupt the harmony of the group (to be a "nail that sticks out") is seen as a grave offence, both in practical and even ethical terms. If you go against the grain of the group, you will be ostracized, bullied, punished, and humiliated in a way that may be difficult to understand for Westerners. This is a common way of thought in East Asia, but I think it is more pronounced in Japan than in any other society. We work very well and very hard in groups and teams. However, most of us do very poorly when called upon to act as individuals. I think this aspect of Japanese culture is understood by many Westerners. But there is more, too.

The Circular Society
My whole thinking on this topic was spurred by the words of another Japanese poster I saw the other day. He or she wrote the following:



Source thread:
Thread: It is alleged that there is too much radiation for the workers to deal with units 1-3, the plant is out of control and effectively abandoned. (Page 5)

I must say, when I read this, I was a bit amazed. I sat here thinking about that for a long, long time because to my mind it cuts to the heart of the problem. It hits the nail on the head. This is the central problem with Fukushima.

So then the question becomes: What is behind this "circular logic" and lack of strong decision making? Why do Japanese people, businesses, and governments behave like this?

A Well-Oiled Machine
Part of it is the group-oriented psychology mentioned above. Everyone is afraid to be the "nail that sticks out." Many people predicted in the past that this tendency would decline as Japan opens up and becomes more "international," but in fact in recent decades it has gotten worse. I think that simple comfort and complacency borne of long prosperity (Japan is still one of the richest nations on earth, despite recent economic troubles) has made people not want to question or change old assumptions. There has been some change, but not enough, in the educational system or the corporate structures. Old habits get reinforced.

Japan's unique culture and the fact that its language is so different than English have kept the country isolated and inward-looking, despite the increasing flow of information through the internet and so forth. Most young Japanese can speak and read English to some extent, but far from fluently enough to engage with the outside world (Even myself, after years of study, have to use my friend Sarah to help me write this post, for example). Meanwhile, critical thinking is not taught in school. There is still the emphasis on memorization and regurgitation of information: Repetition, repetition, repetition until one is full of facts, but there is no training of how to use these facts to think critically and to critically evaluate situations.

Thus, Japan is in a sense like a giant machine, with each person as a cog who does repetitive work over and over. In times of peace and normalcy, this results in a clean, smooth-running, highly efficient, polite, and highly productive society. This is not a bad thing most of the time: in fact, it makes for a safe, comfortable, and prosperous society. But in unusual times, in times of crisis, it causes disaster.


ACCOUNTABILITY: The Core Issue
The other Japanese poster quoted above singled out one word in capital letters: ACCOUNTABILITY. I think this touches the true core of the matter. Given the psychological traits mentioned above, perhaps now we can understand that nobody in Japan wants accountability for anything, and especially for making wrong decisions. It always seems safer to make "no decision at all" than to risk sticking your neck out and being the "nail to be hammered down," the bullied child in the circle of bullies everyone points their fingers at. Nobody wants to be the "sole voice." Because of this, there is no strong decision making. This is why things just drift along. This is why normal citizens hesitate to speak up.

It is why the situation in World War II got so bad and went on so long. Example: Nobody in the Navy even informed His Imperial Majesty the Emperor or the ruling clique in Tokyo about Midway, the great battle in which most of the Imperial Navy was destroyed. Even in the final days of the war, the Tokyo Clique still thought Japan had a massive navy, even though almost every ship was at the bottom of the ocean! Such levels of ignorance are hard to fathom. But they resulted from the fact that nobody in the Imperial Navy wanted to be the one to bring bad news back to the capital.

And this is also why Fukushima is getting worse, not better.


III. A Way Out?
I believe no situation is hopeless. Looking at Japanese history, it is filled with strong leaders who were brave enough to take initiative in desperate times. But we cannot simply sit and wait for a new Shogun to appear from nowhere. Japan is now a democracy, at least on paper, which means authority rests with the people. If we can't find strength in our leaders, then let's find it in our people. Now every Japanese person needs to be strong and speak up. There are no more excuses.

I personally think the biggest need is quality, objective scientific information on how bad the problem really is. Not the bland assurances of the government, and not the paranoid ravings of alarmist bloggers or self-appointed armchair know-it-alls doom-porn lovers. We need to create an international team of top experts drawn from universities around the world who have no concern about their careers being destroyed by speaking up. Once we have a clearer understanding of the facts, we need to determine the best course of action and act as swiftly as possible. The people need to stand up and put unrelenting pressure on the "powers that be" to do these things. We need to make the results of inaction worse than the results of decisive action.

It is my hope that this long message is of some help in furthering understanding and, more importantly, furthering action. The truth, I believe, lies somewhere between "There's no problem at all, go back to sleep" and "Aaaaa, we are all gonna die!" Discovering that truth means overcoming our own fear of accountability and individual action as Japanese.

Thank you for reading.

Last Edited by Cells interlinked on 08/29/2013 08:12 PM