Based on Hofstede’s individualistic scale, Japan is closer to the individualistic group than to the collectivist group, which shows that Japanese people are moving away from the traditional collective culture towards individualism and self-expression. Japan is also the most masculine country, which plays a role when handling conflicts. Regarding other rankings, Japan is ranks high in uncertainty avoidance, low in power distance, and high in Confucian Dynamism. The implication is that it is vital to consider the role of gender and the importance of using expected conflict resolution mechanisms when handling disputes in the Japanese culture.
This paper explores how people from the Japanese culture deal with interpersonal conflicts
A person from the Japanese culture can handle an interpersonal conflict using different strategies. For example, an individual can use the preventive strategy, which entails avoiding situations that can lead to disputes to prevent the generation of a conflict, for instance slipping off on a return trip unnoticed and without informing friends or relatives to avoid disputes regarding the issuance of gifts. A person can also use negative communication to handle a dispute in which he or she expresses anger without communicating it, for instance by avoiding seeing or contacting another person. In turn, this transmits to the other person how the other person is upset. Two people in a dispute may avoid each other as a way of dealing with the situation or they may attempt to reach to a third party or a mediator to handle the dispute to avoid confrontation between them. Using a mediator may also involve making a request in the name of another person in order to appear less offensive. For example, a wife may request a neighbor who plays the piano at night to stop the habit because her husband says he cannot sleep. Self-aggression is another strategy used to deal with interpersonal conflicts and it involves exaggerated compliance. For example, a person may call another a “fool” in which the second person agrees that he or she is really a fool. In this situation, compliance is actually objection. Acceptance is another approach used to deal with interpersonal conflict and it entails acceptance of the situation with composure.
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An example of a conflict situation that emerges involves a conflict between a Japanese judge and two American men who were blamed for raping a Japanese woman. The men’s Japanese legal advice secured private reconciliation with the woman and tabled a letter from the victim in court. The letter stated that the woman was fully compensated and that she completely pardoned the two men. After the judge heard the evidence, he asked the two men if they could say something. The two men declared that they were not guilty, which shocked the Judge because he expected them to accept their mistake and apologize. The judge was considering sentencing them to a maximum imprisonment term because he considered them insensitive but delayed and gave their lawyer time to discuss with them about the importance of being apologetic in the Japanese culture.
Acceptance with composure is vital among the Japanese. The Japanese culture requires that anyone responsible for a misfortune issue a public apology or acceptance to the victim, especially to the victim’s family. An acceptance of the blame is considered as a general manifestation of repentance rather than a way of conveying fault (Maddux, Kim, Okumura & Brett, 2011). However, the American culture considers an apology as a logical way of conveying blame and recreating individual trustworthiness (Maddux et al., 2011). What the two Americans did not understand was the importance of acceptance or apology in the Japanese culture. Adequate acceptance of their mistake is vital in this situation.
Handling the situation involves the two men becoming sensitive to the situation and becoming self-restraint to offer their apologies. Self-restraint is vital among the Japanese, particularly when dealing with conflicts as it fosters interpersonal harmony (Berko, Aitken & Wolvin, 2010). People must foster it when communicating and avoid disrupting it. The idea diffuses every aspect of the Japanese culture and apologies are regularly given (Berko, Aitken & Wolvin, 2010). However, people from the American culture do not usually consider acceptance or apology until later because, in the American culture, acceptance of the mistake is tantamount to a guilty admission, and thus a fault admission (Berko, Aitken & Wolvin, 2010). Thus, the two men should accept their mistake and apologize with composure to avoid annoying the judge and attracting maximum sentence.
Besides, among Christians, God desires that people seek forgiveness when they wrong others because he understands the weakness of people and their self-destructive nature. For example, in Mathew 18:21-35, a king forgives his wicked servant’s large debt. In turn, this parallels with the large debt of sin that humans held until Jesus forgave them. Thus, it is important for the two men to accept their mistake, apologize and seek forgiveness.
In conclusion, self-restraint is a vital component in the Japanese culture and people practice it to enhance interpersonal harmony. However, when mistakes occur, it is expected that a person accepts the mistake; he or she offers an apology and seeks forgiveness.
References
Berko, R. M., Aitken, J. E., & Wolvin, A. D. (2010). ICOMM: Interpersonal concepts and competencies : foundations of interpersonal communication . Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.
Maddux, W. W., Kim, P. H., Okumura, T., & Brett, J. M. (2011). Cultural differences in the function and meaning of apologies. International Negotiation , 16 (3), 405-425.
