JAPANESE AND AMERICAN COMMUNICATION 1

Culture and Communication Study: Japanese and American Communication

Blythe Tegland

Appalachian State University

One of the most important skills that man has acquired over time has been the ability to

share meaning between one another; a process known as communication. Communication is

arguably the most important facet of human life as we utilize it in every aspect of human

collaboration, whether it’s through the shared meaning of body language and gestures, or

verbally through written and spoken words. Communication has led to the evolution of society

and has created various cultures throughout the world, and without communication this would

not be possible. All cultures have their own set of rules and ways of doing things that have been

developed over time and passed down to the generations that follow. While these rules can be

strictly or loosely followed by different cultures, those of one’s primary culture are learned

through a process called socialization, and these rules create a sense of order and structure that

the expectations these cultures (Gregory, 2016).

Overview

Throughout the world there are hundreds of different cultures, and almost none of them

exist in complete solitude, so this brings about intercultural communication. Intercultural

communication is the communication between two or more parties in which the cultures of the

parties involved are different enough to play a factor. This is important to consider because of

globalization; in the world today, the growth of technology has brought cultures closer and closer

together which has caused them to experience more interaction than ever before. This stresses

much more importance on the three tenets of intercultural communication. These three tenets are
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to, most importantly, suspend judgement, practice mutual respect, and to become comfortable

with uncertainty. It can be very difficult for people to follow these rules when observing another

culture because every culture practices its own cultural rules and norms, which were taught

through socialization. Dealing with uncertainty is particularly difficult to people because

certainty is a vital part of survival. Therefore, people naturally tend to break off into groups that

are similar to them, this is called balkanization (Gregory, 2016). Through this process of

socialization people obtain different values, beliefs, and attributes, which then dictate the

behavior of that person. This creates one’s perceptual filter, which is the lens through which one

sees the world. (Gregory, 2016). These varying perceptual filters help people draw similarities to

one another, but these similarities must be taken with a grain of salt, because these perceptions

and assumptions can be misleading. While one may not fully understand every aspect of another

culture, it is necessary that they do not view other cultures through a lens of their own; one must

practice a sense of cultural relativism to truly appreciate a foreign culture.

Another way that people come to learn about other cultures is through enculturation.

Enculturation is the process by which people are socialized into cultures other than their own

through both explicit and implicit education. Explicitly by the values and beliefs taught to them,

often passed down by the family, and implicitly by tendencies that a person observes and

obtains, often at an early age. From these techniques of learned behaviors comes a worldview, or

perception, which ultimately defines how describe cultures. One way of attempting to describe

cultures is through generalizations. Generalizations are based in good research and leave room

for exceptions (Gregory, 2016). However, stereotypes are logical fallacies that encompass an

entire group by saying that the entire group of people have one trait in common; this is

unacceptable as it leaves no room for exceptions. Generalizations are used to make

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understanding cultures much simpler, but it’s important to stray away from stereotyping. For the

explanation of communication between American and Japanese cultures examples of

generalizations and stereotypes will be compared to better understand how these two cultures

communicate interculturally.

American Communication Outline

American culture, like any culture, is difficult to summarize due to the large mix of

cultures found within this nation often referred to as the “melting pot.” However, there are many

generalizations that can be made about the values and belief systems of this proud nation. It can

be seen that Americans relate deeply to the history of their nation as Americans often take great

pride in its freedom and independence, referring to the president of the United States as the

“leader of the free world.” This adds to the tendency that many citizens practice a sense of

individualism, meaning that they emphasize their own priorities over the priorities of the group.

This notion is apparent in a multitude of facets of American society, such as the presence of a

focus on individual rights, the ever present and recurring theme of competition, and the high

regard for privacy (Althen, 1988). Individualism is taught across the country at a very young

age. For example, it is not uncommon for youth in the US to set up lemonade stands outside of

their houses to make money, or for parents of this generation to preach to their children about

how they worked a paper route at their age. The whole principle behind all of this is to teach

children to have pride in their work, which subliminally pushes these children to be more

individualistic. Also, American culture is very diverse, as mentioned in the introduction many

refer to the US as a “melting pot” of various cultures all found in one place. Throughout the

history of the United States it was not always found to be the best place for diversity as there has

always been tension between various cultural groups, but while there is still tension between
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these same groups today there has been a great deal of progress on matters of diversity and

inclusion, which can be seen in politics, business, and everyday life. This diversity that can be

found throughout the United States gives Americans a different means of communication,

because they must be careful always when communicating with these various cultures that they

know little about.

Members of mainstream American culture are generally low-context when it comes to

communication, meaning that they put more of an emphasis on the preexisting relationship than

the words that are said between people (Gregory, 2016). While low-context sounds a bit

standoffish, most Americans tend to be informal in their communication and generally think of

themselves as friendly (Althen, 1988). With the low-context nature of communication and the

individualistic background of American culture it can also be seen that American people tend to

have a low-power distance, which follows this same theme of informality in communication. In

practice, members of the society are far from equal by measure of wealth and social influence,

but they largely hold true to the idea that all are equal (Althen, 1988). An example of this would

be the American ideal that all men are created equal, which can be found in the United States

constitution.

Japanese Communication Outline

Communication in Japan is almost completely different than that of the US. Firstly, one

of the biggest differences between Japanese and American culture is its members tend to be

significantly collectivistic, the opposite of individualistic (Condon, 1984). This is apparent when

looking at a study done between Japanese and American kindergarteners where the students were

told to make a drawing. The American students began as soon as they received materials and

turned their drawings into their teacher as soon as they finished, but the Japanese students took
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time to talk about what they were going to draw, started at the same time, paid attention to what

other students were drawing, and waited for the rest to finish when they were done (Condon,

1984). This goes along with the idea that children are taught at a very early age what is expected

of them in that culture. While it can appear substantially different to people of other cultures,

participants in Japanese culture tend to very strictly abide by its norms (Condon, 1984). And that

norm is to promote a collectivistic society focused on a team oriented goal. An example of this is

how Japan has been called the nation of uniforms. While this is a stereotype it holds some

ground as most jobs and schools in Japan require a uniform every day. Depending on one’s

status and the nature of one’s job, another may easily be able to predict the clothing they would

wear on an average work day (Condon & Masumoto, 2010).

Another way that the Japanese tend to differ from Americans in the realm of

communication is how high-context their communication tends to be. The Japanese emphasize

spoken words over preexisting relationships (Condon, 1984). Additionally, the Japanese place

much more emphasis on things like age and status as a tool to measure someone’s worth; this

demonstrates how this culture be far more formal than American culture. The use of language,

where one sits at social events, and many other social aspects fluctuate depending on one’s own

status as well as the status of others present (Condon & Masumoto, 2010). Following the trend of

formality is the importance placed on face. Face is the perception that others have about you and

the way that the public looks at you. Japanese culture holds a high regard to face, as the primary

means of social control in the US is guilt, that of Japan is shame (Condon, 1984). According to

Condon (1984), “Japanese can be guided by an inner gyroscope that seems inalterable in the face

of adversity but they still have concern for what others think, especially authoritative figures.”
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Japanese and American Communication in the Workplace

Now that we have compared the two differing ends of the spectrum of communication as

it pertains to American and Japanese culture, it is important to consider the different ways that

these practices of communication effect the relationship of these cultures. While the US and

Japan have had relatively solid relationships when it comes to politics and business, it is obvious

that the communication techniques of these cultures do not add up. However, finding these

differences and celebrating them is the best way to handle the issues that may arise. The only

way that these two cultures can successfully communicate in a business setting is by

understanding the expectations of each culture and planning to fulfill these expectations

accordingly. For example, in Japanese businesses the way that one carries themselves is very

important. Cleanliness and looking sharp goes a long way in the Japanese business world. The

way that one dresses defines the type of work that person is in and carries much of the status of

that person. This tends to be the same for businesspeople in the United States as well, but there is

usually some differences in appearance between various employees, because of the more

informal nature of this culture (Condon & Masumoto, 2010).

While there are similarities in the expected appearance of workers in the business world

of both cultures, there are many differences. One of these differences is the decision making of

employees and how it coincides with the structure of American business. There is a structure that

must be followed in most US businesses, which follows a simple chain of command. Every

employee is assigned a position with people to answer to and employees that answer to them.

While it does not always go as planned the idea is that the person at the top of the totem pole

makes the decisions and everyone under him/her follows along, however if an employee is

unable to make a decision or execute a role in the company then they pass it along to their
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superior, often immediately. The structure of business in Japan is the same hierarchal structure,

but the decision-making process differs. Since the Japanese are more collectivistic, they tend to

collaborate with their peers on an issue of uncertainty in the workplace before passing the issue

on to their superior. (Condon, 1984).

Another aspect of business that differs substantially between American and Japanese

culture is how employees address each other in the workplace. It has been found that Americans

often address one another by their first names in the workplace. The only time it was found that a

title or last name is used for a superior is in a formal setting or through personal preference of

using the title. However, in a survey of how Japanese workers address superiors and peers there

were a few differences. The results of the survey show that the most people address managers

using their title or their title and last name, equals using their last name and the word san, and

subordinates using their last name and either the word san or kun, which is the female equivalent

to san. This is important to consider because it appears that most Americans use these titles to

appear polite; while the Japanese use these titles to abide by the cultural expectation of formality

in the workplace. (Okamura, 2009).

Predictions for ICC

Through the comparison of American and Japanese communication in the workplace

comes the possible success and failures of communication. The use of American slang words and

idiomatic expressions could hinder the communication between these two groups. US

mainstream culture often uses these two things when communicating which often makes it

difficult for other cultures to understand; especially the Japanese who put so much emphasis on

formal language. The use of this informal language could cause several misunderstandings, so it

is important for Americans to refrain from using this language when communicating with people
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of the Japanese culture. (Underwood & Webler, 1992). Formality is the biggest component when

dealing with communication between these two cultures. The best way for this issue to be

resolved when communicating is to respect and understand the other groups tendencies and defer

to their way of doing things; while hoping that they will show the same amount of respect to you.

Conclusion

It can be seen throughout the duration of this essay that there are some similarities

between mainstream American communication and culture to that of Japanese culture, but there

is no denying that the differences far outweigh the similarities. While these two cultures contrast

one another greatly that has not stopped the progression of these two nations to grow with one

another over the past decades. It is important for people of both cultures to turn themselves into

interculturalists to keep the relationship of these great countries alive. As always that means that

people of both cultures must deal with the uncertainty of the other culture and embrace their

cultural practices by suspending judgement. One of the biggest mistakes that can be made by the

members of the Japanese or American cultures would be to ignore or avoid the differences of the

two cultures (Condon, 1984). True intercultural communication only comes when one educates

oneself about the different dynamics that come into play with that culture’s communication.

These are the guidelines through which intercultural communication will be effective.
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References

Althen, G. (1988). American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. Yarmouth, ME:
Intercultural Press.

Condon, J. C. (1984). With Respect to the Japanese. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Condon, J., & Masumoto, T. (2010). With Respect to the Japanese : Going to Work in Japan
(2nd Edition). Yarmouth, ME, USA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Retrieved from
http://0-www.ebrary.com.wncln.wncln.org

Gregory, Lynn. "Intercultural Communication." Appalachian State University, Boone. 2016.

Lecture.

Okamura, A. (2009). Do English speakers address their Japanese colleagues by their first name,
while talking in English in Japan?. Multilingua, 28(4), 355-377.
doi:10.1515/mult.2009.016

Underwood, R., & Webler, M. (1992). Teaching business communication to Japanese

students. Journal Of Education For Business, 68(2), 89.