The interaction and international integration of businesses, people, and governments is what is known as globalization ("Globalization", 2016, p.647). The following idea has been around for a while and was first expressed in the straightforward commercial relationships between individuals and businesses. The world's mercantile exchange with various people in various locations is regarded as the pinnacle of globalization ("Globalization", 2016, p.647). Different locations were discovered as a result of these merchant trade relationships, which facilitated close social contacts. Globalization has been fully embraced by modern society, and a global village has emerged. At the click of a button, one can either buy or sell commodities, converse with people from different countries and also study courtesy of the internet.
In order to ensure that the positive ramifications of globalization are realized, the various nations have put in place policy considerations and have signed various treaties and agreements which have opened the international markets. The various states have adopted the laissez-faire mode of undertaking their affairs that encourage inter-state economic and social interactions. These policies have sporadically increased the productivity and performance of a number of sectors within the various countries. Numerous business and job opportunities have been created in the process and in general, the relations between countries have been improved. This paper seeks to highlight some of the effects of globalization on the Japanese culture and workforce.
It is worth noting that in the early years, during the Tokugawa period (1600-1867), Japan was known to many as a closed nation (Jones, & Yoon, 2006, p.12). This notion seemed to seclude the country from interaction with the rest of the world and this hampered the growth of the country. In order to keep up with the changing trends in the world and take advantage of the opportunities that manifested themselves, Japan adjusted its internal structures to conform to the highly competitive market. Japan wholly embraced globalization and this is why it went up the ranks to become a developed country. The various aspects of the country such as the culture, economy, and technology have been tailored to ensure that they align and compete with the rest of the countries in the international scene. The school curriculum, for example, ensures that the children learn English from a tender age (Jones, & Yoon, 2006, p.16). This is to encourage them to get involved in global business.
Globally, Japan has been a force to reckon with and this is seen through the manner in which multinational companies such as Apple, Google, and Samsung depend on some of the skills, expertise, and technology of the Japanese people. The country has established itself in almost all facets of the global economy (Cohn, Card, & Kreuger, 1996, 541). Some of the notable recognitions of the country include the noble prize that was won by 3 Japanese scientists for the invention of new energy-efficient and eco-friendly LED lights. Japan is also involved in fashion as they have a delicate and advanced skill of textile which has impressed the world.
Globalization has also had a considerable effect on the Japanese culture. Interaction with various people has led to the adoption of diverse traits from a number of countries. For example, Japan adopted some American values in World War 2. Japan is one of the largest economies right now. It has grown aggressively with selling their talent of inventing small products of technology, medical products and eco-friendly inventions overseas making Japanese companies perform well.
The Japanese economy has also faced some disasters that have affected the economy. On the other hand, the country is yet to align itself with the rest of the world in the education sector. Globalization in education in Japan is lagging behind compared to other countries which undertake the International Baccalaureate for Secondary Students. This deficiency in the education sector greatly prejudices the students who would wish to pursue higher education abroad and reduces their number. It also has an effect on the number of students who wish to study within Japan.
Japan has a large population of around 127 million but there is a threat that the population is shrinking (Hannum, Park, & Butler, 2010, p.20). This is because of two reasons; one of them being that the population is prioritizing the elderly. Currently the elderly are overlapping the population of children. The other reason is that the women give work more priority as compared to having children. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of globalization within Japan are the women who have been empowered and accorded numerous opportunities. The fertility rate of Japan is declining, making it difficult the country to take on the world due to the fact that it lacks enough young people who will diligently perpetuate development projects (Hannum, Park, & Butler, 2010, p.37). Japan is therefore gradually realizing the concept of globalization through their culture, talent, and knowledge. With as much as Japan has made considerable steps with regards to globalization, it is yet to fully overhaul their economic activities to conform to the international standards (Hannum, Park, & Butler, 2010, p.56).
Purpose of the study
Japan as a country has quickly adapted to the changes in the economy even after being greatly affected by the Second World War. The country has as risen up the ranks in the international scene due to their ability to produce portable technological products and this has lured multinationals to engage them in business relations.
Objectives of the study.
The main objective of the study is to examine the effect of globalization on the Japanese culture and society. The next objective is to understand the causes of globalization from a cultural perspective of Japan.
Globalization in the Japanese culture.
The world has become small with the on-going globalization. The Internet plays a very important role in streamlining this process by making it easier for people to access the diverse cultural aspects of different countries. Before the advent of the internet, it would take days or even weeks to receive information that relates to a neighbouring village or country. The thing that has stood out in Japan is that as a country is that it believes that the key to economic growth lays in the continuous participation and expansion of Japanese corporations in the overseas markets. The country further promotes the creation of a Japanese domestic environment which encourages inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from foreign capital interests (Shizuka, 2014, p. 22).
In order to continue participating in the global economy with an extensive international business interest across the globe, Japan is mandated to open up its market in order to be in line with the objective set by the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Shizuka, 2008, para. 8). The need for improved access to the international legal system also enhanced the adoption of the idea that the liberation of Japanese legal system would be faster if the local corporations could access foreign lawyers.
With competition in the world market and conformance to international standards recently becoming important in the context of globalization, the direction of higher education policy in Japan has been strongly affected by accountability. The officers in charge of the sector are not transparent and this has led to the poor standards that have been witnessed. Women have also become empowered and become part of the working society (Hizuka, 2010, para. 9). The country has also become aware of the changes in the economy and tries to adapt to the changes around.
In Japan, the enrolment rate held steady at 36–7% throughout the 1970s and 80s, but started to increase thereafter, reaching 45.2% in 1995, 51.5% in 2005, and 55.1% in 2013 (Hizuka, 2010, para. 8). These figures only cover full-fledged universities, colleges, and junior colleges. A quantitative expansion of higher education and enrolment rates on this level naturally requires substantive changes in the higher education system and in the universities and colleges themselves—changes that can no longer be postponed. These trends are as result of globalization.
The Japanese economy currently operates with a high level of national saving making it impossible for them to consume their own products and therefore these products are sent abroad as exports (Takehiko & Rappleye, 2010, 24). This made the country to develop good relations with nations that consume their products. Globalization has changed people’s perception towards marriage and family as more families are becoming “touch and go” due to workplace demands and lack of time spent together. Mothers or wives nowadays work for longer hours making it almost impossible to perform their duties (Takehiko & Rappleye, 2010, 41). Globalization has affected businesses in many ways that has made business much more difficult, complex and at the same time profitable. Leadership styles for countries are different and that does not mean that a good leader in one country will be a good leader in another country (Takehiko & Rappleye, 2010, 33). So a leader has to choose a style that will fit Japan in order to manage the company efficiently.
Globalization on Workforce
Globalization has brought an increase in demand for more skilled workers at the expense of less-skilled ones. This demand has tremendously widened the income gap between these two groups. The higher unemployment and widening income inequality are attributed to globalization. It has prompted the government, labor, and managements to devise new ways of coping with challenges with their industrial relations system in order to maintain competitiveness that Japan was known for (Osawa & Kim, 2014, p.17). The Japan Federation of Employers (Nikkeiren), the key employer group, the government, and private companies all pointed to the need to break away from an enterprise-centered approach to a more market-driven approach. The Japanese government has also taken steps to address the gender diversity management despite it being amongst the countries that have the largest gender gap in the economy (Maguchi, 2011, p.30). High hopes are being pinned on women as a potential workforce and also as the gender that can enhance the posterity of the country (Maguchi, 2011, p.31).
There has been a qualitative change of steady, unionized labor into flexible labor. This means more jobs whether requiring skilled or unskilled labor have been transformed from long-term contractual and with benefits and union representation, to contingent, part-time, and non-contractual (Cohn, Card, & Kreuger, 1996, p.541). This will lead to the increase of women's participation in the labor force globally, has been identified as the "feminization" of the work (Hizuka, 2010, para. 6).
Globalization makes progress in an economy but there are criticisms that the culture becomes westernized. This means that the people of Japan are adapting to cultures from other regions while their culture diminishes (Hizuka, 2010, para. 3). Globalization has influenced culture in both positively and negatively. A good example is the empowerment of women to work in the global economy. It has also encouraged the ability to trade openly with other countries which help in improving the economy and also the acquisition of goods and services that are not available in the country (Osawa & Kim, 2014, p.17).
In conclusion, every economy needs to adapt to the market change in order to keep up with the competition of other economies. Despite some negativity, globalization has helped in the improvement of various spheres Japan’s economy, development status and has also encouraged innovation. Globalization has also ensured that Japan is able to effectively compete with other countries in the world market and this has enabled the country to stand out as a force to reckon with.
References
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Takehiko, Kariya and Rappleye, Jeremy. (2010). The twisted, unintended impacts of globalization on Japanese education, in Emily Hannum, Hyunjoon Park, Yuko Goto, pp.17-63.
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