Re:Japan wants foreign entrepreneurs, but what's missing?
by jariel on Monday November 25, 2019 @04:37PM
(#21633076)
"The issue is language barrier and price."
I think this is kind of a 'new world' view. Japan is not Canada/America/New Zealand, or even UK which is easy to adapt into for historical reasons.
The issue is 'culture' - of which 'language' is only the most apparent barrier.
Japan has 1) a very complicated culture and 2) it's ethnocentric. These two things are related, because with such a complicated culture, it can take a very long time to adapt, and probably a lot of effort. Newcomers who don't make a concerted effort over a very long time won't ever make it to that level. One might argue that to be truly integrated, one might have to be 'born and raised' there. To boot, because there are so few who don't fit this mould, this has the additional effect of reinforcing in the minds of Japanese (or any such culture), that even individuals who have conquered the cultural artifacts but who 'look different' aren't really 'Japanese'.
Aside from ethnocentric concerns over 'what makes a Japanese person Japanese' which is surely controversial ... it makes it very difficult for newcomers to participate.
These things are neither 'government mandates' nor can they simply be bound into issues such as 'language and food' (although language is a big one) - it's a pervasive and intrinsic nature of the nation.
It's such a 'big thing' that I'd say whatever they do to attract foreign talent probably has to address this Elephant in the room.
I think this is kind of a 'new world' view. Japan is not Canada/America/New Zealand, or even UK which is easy to adapt into for historical reasons.
The issue is 'culture' - of which 'language' is only the most apparent barrier.
Japan has 1) a very complicated culture and 2) it's ethnocentric. These two things are related, because with such a complicated culture, it can take a very long time to adapt, and probably a lot of effort. Newcomers who don't make a concerted effort over a very long time won't ever make it to that level. One might argue that to be truly integrated, one might have to be 'born and raised' there. To boot, because there are so few who don't fit this mould, this has the additional effect of reinforcing in the minds of Japanese (or any such culture), that even individuals who have conquered the cultural artifacts but who 'look different' aren't really 'Japanese'.
Aside from ethnocentric concerns over 'what makes a Japanese person Japanese' which is surely controversial ... it makes it very difficult for newcomers to participate.
These things are neither 'government mandates' nor can they simply be bound into issues such as 'language and food' (although language is a big one) - it's a pervasive and intrinsic nature of the nation.
It's such a 'big thing' that I'd say whatever they do to attract foreign talent probably has to address this Elephant in the room.