My husband works over 80 hours a week. We’re trying to find something else. He has a pre-existing heart condition, and we don’t know how this will be affected. Anyway, he’s always exhausted. Something needs to be done about this ’slave to the job’ mentality here.

It should be somewhere in between Japan and Europe. In Japan, most salarymen work until 8 or 9 and don’t get home until very late and never see their kids.

In Europe sucha s Germany or France, the work much fewer hours, less then a 40 hour work week. Countries such as Germany and france have been trying to change that so they can become more competitive. They are trying to bring themselves closer to that of the United States.

In the United States, the 40 hour work week is the norm. Salaried people may work longer hours but they typically still have a home life and a relationship with their kids.

I completely agree with kanedaa. I’ve lived and worked in Europe. Germans work very intensive. I guess even French people work much intensive than Japanese.

Instead, Japanese work longer and therefore the productivity pro hour becomes low. It’s a bad custom of Japan that people regard long work = hard work.

I have a suspect many office workers avoid having home life and relationships with their kids by working long hours.

I worked briefly in a Japanese office in Osaka about a decade ago and there was this one guy who was working as a part-timer in order to be able to attend professional evening courses every day after his shift ended. In terms of duties, he was indistinguishable from everyone else in the office. He was being paid about 100,000 yen a month and working from nine to five (and not an hour more).

The long hours wouldn’t be so bad if workers were at least reasonably compensated but that is hardly the case, unfortunately. Faced with such job conditions and reduced long-term job security, it’s no wonder there are more “freeters” and a lower birth rate than in years past.

The funny thing is that Japan isn’t even at the top of hours worked. I think this is more a factor of media sensationalism and a cute label. It also fits with old stereotypes of Asians as ant-like workers. I wonder what the stats would look like if it was an officially recognized category of death/illness as it apparently is in Japan:

http://www.swivel.com/data_sets/show/1004949
http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/learning/reference/factbook/06-01-05-G01.htm
http://www.hazards.org/workedtodeath/workedtodeath2.htm

Of course, you also have to wonder about how these things are counted. Do after work social gatherings and similar things count for “hours worked”?

“The Japanese salarymen just have to start, refuse to work for companies that treat their employees so shitty…”

You are looking at this from the point of view of an outsider not born into Japanese society. This is the only way of life that most Japanese know because of what we learn from a very early age. Example, we were taught to not bring shame to the family name. This seemingly simple concern places a great deal of pressure on the individual as every action has some consequence. But we become used to it to the point where it is second nature. How do outsiders expect to change that way of thinking when it is closely tied to Japanese society? If you expect change to come from the top, then forget it because that is something that needs to change from the very bottom. Need ONE example? Toddlers from a very early age are already under pressure to excel. What does it say when there are entrance exams for pre-kindergarten? Getting placed with the best has bearing for the childs future in eventually getting into the better schools which is key to preparing for the college entrance exam and getting into the best universities. When you grow up in this sort of environment, it just all seems natural. From an outside looking in, it seems crazy. Depends on your point of view.

In order to change the Japanese way of education (one that consists of endless cramming and memorization), you would need to change the Japanese mindset of group consensus. Where does that mindset come from? Japanese society (and everything that is good and bad about it). So you would have to change Japanese society as a whole; the exact essense which makes Japan what it is. Change it drastically and you might as well rename the country and its people to something else. This is something that most gaijin have a difficult time understanding and accepting because no matter how long you’ve lived in Japan, no matter how well you know the language and its culture, it is often difficult for many gaijin to fully embrace certain aspects such as the sho ga nai mentality that is deeply instilled in society. When you can just shrug things off with a clear mind as to that is how it is and continue on with what you were doing, you’ve accomplished taking on a key cornerstone of what makes the Japanese who they are.

Of course, not all nihonjin subscribe to this way of life and thinking. I’m one of the younger generation who did not but I no longer live in the country either because of that. Some just do not fit in and look for a higher quality of life elsewhere. Those nihonjin who reject this Japanese pressure cooker way of doing things but don’t have the courage to actually leave the country are the NEET’s and freeters. Freeters who basically work part-time or do contract work have ZERO influence in changing the way big business is done in Japan because they are at the lowest rung on the ladder (NEET’s don’t even exist because they contribute nothing). The outside the box thinkers who could make a difference tend to live and work in other countries. Therefore, the only ones who continue to subscribe to that way of life are those who have little incentive to change things because they don’t see a need for change. To them, this is the only way of life they know. They may let their guard down when drinking but once sober, they accept being a slave to the system. So you have a continuous line of these like minded individuals to replace the ones in positions of power in business and government. And you think they will listen to some outsider about how they think things ought to be done? The only way that can be effectively accomplished is going the citizen route and getting into positions of power in politics and business. And you would need more than a handul of naturalized foreigners to even make a dent.

Most gaijin are in Japan by choice. You either deal with these nuances of Japanese society or get out since no one is putting a gun to your head to stay in the country. The ones who were transferred normally work for a foreign multinational and are usually far removed from this seemingly nutty Japanese business culture. If you are one of those unfortunate few who were told to go to Japan and have to work directly under Japanese management, you have my sympathies. Those who intend to stay and become or already have permanent residency, then you can do your part by getting citizenship and try to make a difference that way. But just how many foreigners who have become naturalized citizens do anything to make a difference for other foreigners? Very few because everyone has their own lives. Plus there are many who do willingly subscribe to living the Japanese way of life and don’t bother to make waves. Even though I don’t like the way he does things, someone like Arudo Debito is more the exception than the rule.

If you talk to naturalized citizens in the Laos refugee community, you will find they were happy to go through the tough citizenship requirements because life in Japan including all the nuances of society were far better than the poverty and harsh life they came from. The foreigners who tend to complain loudly about the way Japanese do things normally came because of other reasons of which, fascination with the superficial aspects of Japan usually being the main reason. Many of these people come from more well to do countries and therefore, expect an environment that is closer to their native countries. Many also had little idea as to how Japan really was below that superficial facade and went through the whole cultural shock thing. It is like a rude awakening which many would like to see changed but have little power to do so and can thus only complain about it on forums and blogs.

kai-gai: Great post, thank you.

Excuse me kanedaa, but Canada recognises people from all over the world as citizens as well. Probably with better results than in the U.S., as new Canadians are encouraged to continue to practice traditional aspects of their respective cultures in order to enhance Canada’s.