世論 What Japan Thinks

This slightly old survey by goo Research into Japanese dignity and morals was conducted over the last weekend in May this year. 2,114 people from their internet monitor group successfully completed a private questionnaire: 51.2% of the sample was female, 17.9% in their teens, 16.7% in their twenties, 19.0% in their thierties, 22.2% in their forties, 18.1% in their fifties, 4.6% in their sixties, and 1.5% seventy or older. By occupation, 3.2% were board-level management, 32.8% regular employees, 5.2% contract employees, 7.4% self-employed, freelancing or working from home, 5.8% part-timers or casual workers, 18.4% housewives (no househusbands!), 18.9% students and 8.3% otherwise, or not at all, employed.

This survey is in response, I presume, to a recent best-selling (2 million at the last count) 日本人論, nihonjinron book, 「国家の品格」, “kokka no hinkaku”, “Dignity of a Nation” (please visit this link to marxy’s translation and analysis of the book) by an apparently bonkers right-wing author, Masahiko Fujiwara.

As this was a difficult translation, and perhaps subject to personal bias, I’ll also note the Japanese term that I translated, so that others can either check or apply their own personal biases instead! First, the two basic terms: 道徳観, doutokukan, I have translated as morality; 品格, hinkaku, as dignity.

In addition, the font used in the graphs in the orginal is too small, so some of the kanji were very difficult to read, so I may very well have a mistake or two there.

Q1: Have you ever read a book on Japanese dignity or morality? (Sample size=2,114)

Bought and read (or reading) (to SQ)	4.9%
Borrowed from a friend or library and read (or reading) (to SQ)	3.0%
Started reading but quit before the end	0.3%
Not read one, but think I may	43.2%
Not read one, and don’t plan to	48.6%

Q1SQ: Did your awareness of Japanese dignity or morality change from reading the book? (Sample size=168)

Changed a lot	13.1%
Changed a bit	51.8%
Didn’t really change	30.4%
No change at all	4.8%

Q2: What morality do Japanese people continue to hold? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Respect for feelings, sensibility (情緒, joucho)	64.9%
Detest meanness (卑怯, hikyou)	29.6%
Thoughtfulness (思いやり気持ち, omoiyari kimochi)	63.1%
Not to do shameful things	59.4%
Benevolence (篤志 tokushi)	26.3%
Perseverance (忍耐, nintai)	56.7%
Humility (謙虚さ, ken’kyosa)	73.9%
Sense of mortality (無常観(or 無常感), mujoukan)	16.0%
Love of one’s home area (郷土愛, kyoudoai)	34.0%
Correct etiquette (礼儀正しさ, reigi tadashisa)	72.8%
Sensitivity to the delicacy of nature (自然に対する繊細な感受性, shizen nitaisuru sensai na kanjusei)	42.2%
Fear of nature (自然に対する恐怖心, shizen nitaisuru kyoufushin)	24.1%
Other	1.6%

Note that I have almost no confidence that “Benevolence 篤志” is correct – the top radical of the first character seems to grass rather than bamboo, but it’s the only word I can find in my dictionaries that has 志 as the second character and expresses a positive moral.

Q3: What morality have Japanese people failed to continue to hold? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Respect for feelings, sensibility	32.5%
Detest meanness	16.7%
Thoughtfulness	45.9%
Not to do shameful things	45.1%
Benevolence	12.9%
Perseverance	40.5%
Humility	47.5%
Sense of mortality	5.6%
Love of one’s home area	16.7%
Correct etiquette	54.1%
Sensitivity to the delicacy of nature	23.3%
Fear of nature	15.7%
Other	1.4%

Q4: What morality should the Japanese people continue to keep? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Respect for feelings, sensibility	49.7%
Detest meanness	27.6%
Thoughtfulness	66.0%
Not to do shameful things	43.1%
Benevolence	27.1%
Perseverance	41.0%
Humility	53.5%
Sense of mortality	11.5%
Love of one’s home area	30.7%
Correct etiquette	66.1%
Sensitivity to the delicacy of nature	40.6%
Fear of nature	24.7%
Other	1.2%

Q5: What way of thinking or principle have the Japanese never held? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Valuing logic (論理を重視する, ronri wo juushi suru)	31.0%
Valuing efficiency, effectiveness (能率・効率を重視する, nouritsu/kouritsu wo juushi suru)	26.5%
Competitive society (競争社会, kyousou shakai)	28.5%
Generalisation (合理主義, sougoushugi)	36.2%
Meritocracy (実力主義, jitsuryokushugi)	37.8%
Individualism (個人主義, kojinshugi)	56.0%
Liberalism (自由主義, jiyuushugi)	30.4%
Egalitarianism (平等という考え方, byoudou toiu kangaekata)	27.7%
Other	1.7%

Q6: What way of thinking or principle should the Japanese adopt? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Valuing logic	20.1%
Valuing efficiency, effectiveness	15.9%
Competitive society	7.4%
Generalisation	17.4%
Meritocracy	21.4%
Individualism	19.4%
Liberalism	17.9%
Egalitarianism	19.9%
Other	5.9%

Q7: What way of thinking or principle should the Japanese not adopt? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Valuing logic	5.8%
Valuing efficiency, effectiveness	9.1%
Competitive society	21.9%
Generalisation	14.1%
Meritocracy	9.3%
Individualism	27.5%
Liberalism	7.2%
Egalitarianism	6.5%
Other	0.7%
None in particular	30.7%

Q9: What effect has the failure of Japanese dignity and morality had? (Sample size=2,114, up to three answers)

Thinking that anything goes as long as it’s not illegal	35.9%
Youth crime	33.4%
Increase in heinous crimes	33.1%
Family breakdown	33.1%
Local community breakdown	31.1%
Ability to communicate has lessened	25.9%
Valuing money above all	22.6%
Education breakdown	21.3%
Corporate dishonesty incidents	11.3%
Thinking that as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else’s freedom or rights, anything goes	8.8%
Uniformity due to priority of efficiency (eh?)	6.2%
Ability to make general judgements from an overall viewpoint has lessened	5.4%
Other	1.2%

Q10: Regarding Japanese diginity, what activities do you not wish to see? (Sample size=2,114, up to three answers)

Throwing away of cigarette ends	42.4%
Thinking that anything goes as long as it’s not illegal	41.9%
Students sitting whilst old people stand	34.1%
People who do not illegal but sneaky actions	30.1%
Pedophilic school teachers	29.4%
Putting on makeup in the train	28.0%
Pedestrians not giving way but just bumping into people	23.9%
Neighbours who don’t exchange greetings	21.9%
Libel of other people on the internet	19.9%
Insider dealing by management	7.4%
Other	1.8%

Note that I chose a deliberately strong translation for 援助交際, enjokousai, that Japanese euphemism for schoolgirl prostitutes.

Q11: In order to maintain Japanese diginity, what measures would be effective? (Sample size=2,114, multiple answer)

Discipline/training at home	47.6%
Discipline/training in the local area	19.4%
Morality education at school	9.6%
Education through TV, magazines, newspapers or other media	8.7%
Learning of martial arts, tea ceremony or other traditional Japanese culture	5.0%
Some new service is needed	3.6%
Education through internet or mobile phones	2.1%
Services from NPO (Non Profit Organisations)	0.6%
Other	3.4%