The Japanese tend to turn a blind eye to problems.
I searched for "Fuji TV scandals" and was shocked—scandals after scandals came up, forming a mountain of controversies!
Why do Japanese people repeatedly make the same mistakes, and why is it so difficult to break this cycle? The reasons lie deeply rooted in Japan's unique social values, organizational culture, and historical context.
As sociologist Naoki Komuro pointed out, Japanese social organizations are often said to exhibit the characteristics of a "shared destiny." This trait makes practices and norms within organizations frequently treated as absolute and unchangeable. For example, Japan-specific behavioral norms like "precedent-based decision-making" and "reading the atmosphere" stabilize organizations but often strip them of the flexibility needed for reform. As a result, no matter how irrational they may be, existing systems are prioritized, and resistance to new perspectives or change becomes stronger. This "fear of reform" is one of the reasons why mistakes are repeated.
Additionally, within such communities, trust and unity among members are highly valued, which often leads to a diminished sensitivity to external perspectives. Consequently, when misconduct or scandals occur internally, a psychological tendency emerges to "avoid making waves" or "protect the organization’s honor," leading to a tendency to turn a blind eye to problems. This allows mistakes to be concealed, delays efforts to prevent recurrence, and ultimately causes the same mistakes to be repeated.
This tendency can also be seen in history. For instance, during World War II, the Japanese military prohibited violence and private punishments on the surface, but such behavior became routine in practice. Critic Yamamoto Shichihei recorded an incident in which an officer ordered soldiers, "Anyone who has been subjected to violence, raise your hand," and not a single person did. Soldiers, knowing they would face retaliation if they reported violence, chose to hide the problem and maintain an outward appearance of "nothing happening." This phenomenon, which could be described as a "double standard," symbolizes a structure in which problems are not shared, improvements are not made, and the issues are passed down to the next generation unchanged.
This structure is still prevalent in modern Japanese society. Even when harassment or misconduct is exposed in companies or workplaces, cases where proper improvements are made remain rare, as the organization’s honor and internal logic are often prioritized. Japanese people tend to value the idea of "maintaining harmony" so much that they often choose to maintain the status quo rather than solving problems. Thus, whenever similar issues arise, the question, "Why did this happen again?" is repeatedly asked, but fundamental improvements rarely follow.
Moreover, "fear of admitting failure" is another major factor. In Japanese culture, failure is deeply tied to personal and organizational evaluations, and a single mistake is often treated as "shame." This results in a strong tendency to hide failures and avoid confronting problems. This "taboo against failure" makes organizational reflection and improvement more difficult.
To avoid repeating the same mistakes, it is essential to break away from this "shared destiny" mindset and "precedent-based decision-making" and cultivate a culture of "accepting and learning from failure." While change may take time, it is crucial for the healthy development of Japanese society to face past incidents sincerely and learn from them, rather than leaving mistakes unaddressed.