Japan

Behavioral Multicultural Resource Guide Lois Kimmig and Amanda Owens **__ Japan __** 日本   ** Geography **  Japan consists of several thousand islands, the four largest islands are: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, the islands combined are approximately the size of California. Mountains and forests cover 50% of the country. Japan experiences frequent earthquakes because it is located where several continental plates meet, which is also the reason for their many volcanoes.  Japanese legend states that Japan was found in 7th century B.C. by the ancestral emperor Jimmu. Most likely people arrived in Japan by way of Korea, Siberia, China and Taiwan. During the 5th and 6th centuries the Chinese writing system and Buddhism were introduced from people of the Korean peninsula. The emperors were the hypothetical rulers but in reality actual power was usually held by court nobles, regents, or shoguns (military governors). During the 16th century traders from Europe arrived, as did Christian missionaries, but during the beginning of the 17th century Japan’s Shogunate suspected these newcomers to be part of a military conquest by Europe. So they stopped all associations with the outside world except for a handful of merchants for the next 251 years until Commodore Matthew Perry forced renewal of connections with the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854. Following these events Japanese society was drastically changed, Shogunate was forced to resign, the emperor was restored to power, the feudal system was abolished, and numerous Western institutions were established. All of these factors helped transform Japan making it a world power. Japan’s new ideals lead to attacks on China and Russian in which thousands were killed, leading to the capture of Korea, Taiwan and other territories. During the 20th century Japan was involved in a second Sino-Japanese War and an attack on Pearl Harbor. Due to the events of World War II Japan lost several territories, including ones they had taken over (Korea, Taiwan, etc.). Proceeding World War II the United States occupied Japan until 1952. Following the U.S. occupation Japan’s economy improved greatly, restoring wealth to the country.
 * Population: ** 127 million (95% has a high school education)
 * Language: ** Japanese
 * Religion: ** Shinto is the main religion practiced in Japan (no official religion)
 * Capital: ** Tokyo
 * Prime Minister (chief government officer): ** Yukio Hatoyama
 * Currency: ** Yen
 * History **

Japan is a Parliamentarian Democracy under the rule of a constitutional monarchy, which is controlled by the Prime Minster and his cabinet. The Bicameral parliament is called the Diet, composed of the under House of Counselors and the lower House of Representatives. The House of Representatives controls the majority of decision making.  Japan’s economy is one of the strongest in the world next to the United States and China. They are a large supplier of cars, electronic devices and computers in which they export to other parts of the world. They receive imported products as well such as oil, food stuffs and wood. Japan maintains one of the largest fishing fleets, this accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For several decades Japan’s economical growth has been substantial, but the growth ceased in 2008 when they entered a recession. 
 * Government **
 * Economy **


 * ** Behavior ** ||  || ** Possible Misunderstandings in Mainstream Culture ** ||   || ** Strategies ** ||


 * Pointing is not acceptable ||  || May be offended by teacher pointing to things ||   || Use pointer instead of finger pointing ||


 * Smile can have double meaning – joy or displeasure ||   || May cause confusion to student causing them to understand the gesture incorrectly ||   || Make sure to accompany a smile with a verbal message ||


 * Prefer not to use the word “no” ||  || May get offended by teacher saying “no” ||   || Instead use words like “not quite, we’re not going to do that right now, let’s keep thinking”, etc. ||


 * Okay sign means money ||  || May misunderstand this sign to mean money when used by others ||   || Try not to use gestures like this and others that may be interpreted wrong ||


 * Blowing your nose in public is unacceptable ||  || May feel the need to always go to the bathroom to blow their nose ||   || Allow student to go to a secluded area of the room ||


 * Physical contact with the opposite sex in public is frowned upon ||  || May be very uncomfortable around others from the opposite sex in close contact and try to avoid it ||   || Be cautious when thinking of class activities and when grouping students together ||


 * The number 4 and 14 is bad luck ||  || May get scared when these numbers are used in the classroom due to them being associated with death ||   || Inform students that these numbers are not associated with death in this country ||

Works Cited Williams, D. W. (n.d.). behavior. In //Japan// [behavioral information]. Retrieved from International Business Center website: [] Economy. (n.d.). //Japan Guide// [Japanese economy]. Retrieved from japan guide website: [] Government. (n.d.). //Government// [government]. Retrieved from Japan Guide website: [] Japan's History- Complete Overview. (n.d.). //Japan's History// [history]. Retrieved from Japan 101 website: [] Japan's political system. (n.d.). //Japan's political system// [politics]. Retrieved from Japan Reference website: []