Return to Home Page 1997 Japanese GENERATION X by Paul Herbig* Abstract of Japanese GENERATION X The United States is not the only country with Generation Xers. Japan’s Generation X will considerably affect the Japanese cultural traditions and economic behavior of Japan for the 21st century. Japan’s economic downturn has set in motion a long lasting change in its business environment which the younger generation is experiencing and must adapt to. Introduction As the baby boomers hit middle age (on January 1, 1996, the first baby boomer became 50 and was eligible for the AARP!), emphasis has shifted to the succeeding generation. Originally nicknamed ‘Baby Busters,’ the new name for those born between 1963 and 1978 and becoming young adults during the 1990s is Generation X. The first use of the phrase Generation X was as the name of Billy Idol’s London band back in the 1970s. It then became the title of a book by Canadian writer Douglas Coupland, was picked up by the mainstream media and seeped into the consciousness of the culture. Generation Xers, as they are known, are described as whiners, slackers, and spoiled children of the suburbs. Xers feel they were born too late. They missed out on all the fun of the 60s; sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll (Zill, 1995). They feel that all the good jobs have been taken by Boomers; they get the job market leftovers, a declining standard of living, a large federal deficit, large levels of transfer payments (Social Security and Medicare) and an uncertain future. The United States is not the only country with Generation Xers. Japan also has a Generation X. This manuscript describes Japan’s Generation Xers, the characteristics they possess, and postulates their effect upon Japan’s economic and cultural future. Generation Xers Generation Xers may truly be the first generation of a global standardized culture, thus confirming Levitt’s hypothesis. Xers balk at the stereotypes which have been labeled upon them, however, they have been uniquely shaped by their experiences in video, sexuality, wealth and violence: Some generalities about industrialized countries Xers can be made. (1) They are the children raised in the era of cable, satellite dishes, video games, MTV and personal computers. They are clearly much more advanced about computers and communications than their predecessors, the Baby Boomers. Theirs will be the generation to build communication networks and intelligence systems of the future. However, they are predominantly visual driven, hence written and oral communications abilities have been sacrificed: they are less literate than their predecessors; books, newspapers, and magazines are not as widely read by the Xers. (2) Second, they are the children of divorce, abortion, and AIDS. Although Xers have grown up in an age committed to racial and womenís rights, and tolerance of homosexuality, double-standards, racism, and sexual harassment issues still linger. (3) Third, they are the children of comfort, enjoying a higher lifestyle than previous generations. Having grown up in the eighties, many Xers owned cars, computers, and expensive audio equipment during their teen years. (4) Fourth, they are the children at risk from violence. They are the children who grew up with violence: gangs, drugs, drive-by shootings, school violence, TV murders by the thousands, the first view-it-as-it-happened war. This is a society where homicide is the most common cause of death among young black males. Xers are facing dim financial prospects, and although many older adults accuse them of being whiners, there has been a noticeable decrease in young workers’ wage rates. This decrease comes from a loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs due to automation, foreign competition, and the shifting of jobs to countries with lower labor costs. In addition, technological changes have put a premium on workers possessing high-level skills needed to read and operate computers and complex machinery, and easily adapt to changing work environments. This is good news for the twenty-somethings who have grown up computer-literate, but it is bad news for the large number of young people whose reading and math skills are not as fined tuned and whose only familiarity with microprocessors comes from hanging out in video arcades (Raymond 334). Overall, the two central issues repeatedly addressed by the ìgeneration Xers, are the increased difficulties in finding good career jobs, and the unfair burden they will need to carry in supporting social security and paying off the federal and personal debt. Japanese Generation Xers Although the term Generation X was first used to describe the twenty-something generation of America, Japan is hearing the same complaints from their young adults about the future as are their American counterparts. Japanese Xers are faced with employment problems and a new cultural awareness previous Japanese generations have never had to deal with. The official unemployment rate (1995) among 15 to 24 year-olds is 5.7%, nearly twice the national average (Updike, 1995). Other studies indicate joblessness for recent graduates is actually closer to 20%. “Young people have a dismal perception of the future,” says labor expert Haruo Shimada, a Keio University professor, “they wonder if they can ever have as nice of job as their fathers did.” As the age of lifetime employment comes to an end in the 1990s as a result of Japan’s economic recession, Japanese college graduates are being thrown into the competitive world of job hunting, in which they are not ready, nor have they been prepared for. Japan’s Generation Xers were rudely awakened from their adolescence of prosperity to find a quality education no longer automatically opens doors to career employment (Updike, 1995). In 1994, Nissan Motor Co. hired only 45 freshmen employees in comparison to the 3,626 hired in 1991. New hires at Sony are down 80% from the peak in 1992. Japanese companies are not merely hiring less, they are downsizing: Nissan is slashing its payroll by nearly 10,000 employees in the next few years (a feat being duplicated throughout Japan by all companies, major or otherwise). Education System Japanese Xers are questioning the severity of the educational system in which they are taught discipline and conformity instead of individualism. Even at the university level, many Japanese are trained, not educated. Japanese students are not asked for opinions or conclusions but merely to repeat learned information. A big disadvantage in Japanís education system is the lack of encouraging individualism. Individualism is not prized in Japan, where debate, discussion and critical thinking does not count for much. This is a problem for Japan, a postindustrial economy in need of innovative software writers, scientist, entrepreneurs and other people who can think for themselves. For many years, Japan produced steel, automobiles, consumer electronics and other industrial products where discipline and conformity among employees suited Japanese companies. Unfortunately, as the needs of Japan are changing, the education system has not kept up the pace. Japan’s Ministry of Education has tightly regulated curriculums among the colleges and universities that stress the importance of getting a degree that can be used to secure a lifetime job in an important company. At one time, a college graduate in Japan could expect a job for life and a salary that would automatically increase with age, regardless of ability. Today, that is no longer the norm. Corporal punishment is commonly used; Many students are whipped for being late for class, forgetting school books or for something as simple as using mousse in one’s hair. Many Japanese schools use what is known as controlled education which means that the school enforces rules to control all aspects of the students lives, in school and out. In addition to corporal punishment, teachers use secret reports that follow students throughout their lives and can bar them from attending a university. Parents who complain to the school administration about the beating of their child are routinely told that it is their fault for not raising the child properly. The school then informs the parent/teacher organization who in turn ostracizes the parents. From 1985 to 1990, five students died as a result of beatings from teachers. In 1991, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education conducted a survey of 4800 students to determine the reasons behind the growing number of dropouts. Based on the survey, twenty-nine percent of the students polled revealed that they objected to their teachers harsh language and corporal punishment. Thirty-three percent of students polled stated they were unhappy with the lack of academic ability. Dropouts, a normally rare event in the Japanese educational system, are rapidly increasing. A 1991 Tokyo Board of Education survey indicated over half the students had often or sometimes wanted to quit school. The major reasons for wanting to quit include “disappointment with the school,” and “attitudes of teachers.” The major reasons many students refused to attend school was due to their teachers “harsh language and corporal punishment.” (Young, 1993). Suicide is Painless Faced with such an uncertain future, many Japanese Generation Xers are opting for the ultimate way out: suicide. The pressures of performing in school, of being bullied (hundreds of thousands of reported cases annually) and getting into the ‘right’ schools have always caused many suicides in those who ‘fail’ or “are different.” In today’s Japan, the additional pressures inherent in a depressed job markets, have led to an unlikely best-seller: Wataru Tsurumi’s Complete Manual of Suicide, which has sold well over 200,000 copies to Japan’s youth. Tsurumi describes numerous ways in which a person can take his own life. He states that jumping in front of a train is an excellent form of suicide, since, if done correctly, can be fast and painless. Tsurumi suggests choosing a station where an express train passes without stopping. He instructs the reader to jump when the train is about 100 meters away, thus parts of your body (arms, legs, stomach) will be cut off by impact, which should result in instant death. In addition, Tsurumi also tells of freezing to death, which takes courage but the process is almost painless. He suggests choosing a cold night and preparing your body so that you will freeze quickly by wetting your body and opening the windows and turning on the air conditioner. He also suggests drinking alcohol to reduce body temperature and to accelerate the death process. Tsurumi also explains that jumping from high places is not painful and can be actually pleasurable. He instructs the reader to inspect the ground in which the victim will land. A building surrounded by concrete and clear of shrubbery is an excellent place for a suicide as long as you jump from a high enough level (i.e., usually five stories). Tsurumi goes so far as to give the names of buildings in Japan which are perfect for committing suicide. Bosozoku Rebellion against authority is a time honored tradition for youth. Yet with Japanese Generation Xers it surpasses acceptability limits. Crime, juvenile delinquency, pornography, promiscuity, pop rock, drug use are the answer to a generation of bored, rebellious kids whose lives have not lived up the the promises given them. Greenfield (1994) indicates the 25 million Japanese between the ages of 15 and 30 (Japanese Generation Xers) are “often more adept at folding a bundle of cocaine or heroin than folding an origami crane.” Bosozoku is the Japanese word for the Japanese counterpart of Hell’s angels, the motorcycle gangs, another growing segment in Japan. When the Xers cannot find a job, give up looking for a job, they often join the black market. Almost 70% of the young people are joining the black market because it is the only place where they can find a job, get money, and see a future. This can only bid ill for Japan in the years to come. Japanese Female Xers In 1993 there were 26.1 million working women in Japan, up from 23.7 million in 1985. More than half of Japan’s married women now hold full or part-time jobs and they comprise 40.5% of Japan’s 64.5 million workers. According to Japan’s Labor Ministry, 60.1% of young women on a career track felt they were treated unfairly in hiring, promotions, and in job responsibility. A private survey showed that women have become presidents of only 5% of Japan’s one million corporations. IBM Japan employs more than 20,000 career workers, of which only 20 women hold managerial positions. Although the status of women has improved in Japan, Japanese women still have a long ways to go to reach the equality experienced by the American or European woman. It is the Japanese female Xer who will bear the brunt of this fight. Young Japanese women are becoming more outspoken, being faced with the same situations as their fellow male Xers. This increase in working women has caused many small, but crucial changes in Japanese work and home life. Previously, Japanese wives were made to feel guilty of not preparing fresh vegetables. Sales of frozen foods and microwaveable products have skyrocketed. (Green Giant’s sales jumped 50 percent for the year ending September 30, 1994, and now holds about a 10 percent share of the $600 million frozen vegetable market). The Female Xer, used to prosperity and easy living, is being marketed cigarettes, caffeinated drinks, and other products to make her hectic lifestyle easier. Sensing that women in the work place were under the same stress as men, Warner-Lamber K.K designed Sting chewing gum for women office workers, Sting was promoted with fashionable advertising such as sleek gold and silver packaging. Sales reached a respectable $ 10 million the first year (Russell, 1995). The no-smear lipstick was designed for the working woman who has little time during the day to re-do her lipstick. The product targets the woman who rushes all day and doesn’t have the time to re-apply make-up. Virginia Slims cigarette ads are highly visual and action oriented, showing a women wearing jeans and repairing a motorcycle, or a woman with her face smeared with grease holding a monkey wrench. Media buying itself is shifting to accommodate the working woman of Japan who work a nine-to-five shift and come home late. Since fast moving Japanese women have less time to watch TV or read magazines, ad executives state that it is now essential to get to the point quickly in both print and electronic media. The Future for the Japanese Xers Japan’s generation X, like its American counterparts, cannot be wished away. Millions of college educated Japanese men and women are not able to secure a job. Any job they do find is not of lifetime employment and tentative in nature. The promises given them during their formulative educational years have not been met. This has resulted in numerous responses ranging from helplessness (and suicide) to all-out rebellion against the powers that are. These responses can only escalate in the years to come as the promised opportunities continue to fail to appear. Women are finding that they have a voice in this changing world. They are speaking up, loud and clear. They are pursuing an education, looking for jobs and are no longer seeing themselves as the obedient housewife. Men are beginning to spend more time with their family and taking an active role with housekeeping and children, since a two-income family is more common than in previous generations. Many elderly Japanese will say these changes will cause the ruination of Japan Marketing Implications Japanese traditions have a long and enduring legacy. However, many are in danger as a result of Generation X. Japan has long prospered by indoctrinating the Japanese to sacrifice for the good of their country; The culture encourages conformity, group welfare, respect for authority, and effort for its own sake. (Barrow, 1994). This line-of-thinking will not work with Japanese Xers who are looking for satisfaction now, not later, who are having rough times surviving now. All that the older Japanese have had to put up with for the betterment of their country (overcrowding, high consumer prices, lack of leisure time, working one’s self to death, environmental pollution, lack of affordable housing), are unacceptable by the Japanese Xer and will not be tolerated by the unemployed or underemployed Japanese Xer. To the recipients of the harsh education system that failed them, changes will be made when they are in a position to do so. A corrupt and ineffective political system that takes forever to get anything done, which has not and cannot respond to the needs of this generation, is an inevitable victim of the Xers dissatisfaction with life and the die roll they have received. The new generation in Japan consists of very highly educated individuals who want a standard of living like their parents, and are willing to sacrifice their cultural heritage to obtain it. Interestingly, the problems inherent with Japan’s economic recession and the lack of opportunities for Japan’s Xers, are a boom to the rest of the world. A few top graduates still find employment at leading companies. However, many other highly qualified graduates are opting for overseas study and foreign employers rather than settling for lesser companies. Long viewed as risky employers, foreign companies are now attracting more qualified applicants. This is especially true for women as foreign companies offer better opportunities than do Japanese companies. Merit and quality will become more important to the Japanese business world than will seniority and school ties. Job hopping will not be looked at as the end to one’s career. Conformity, once treasured in the Japanese worker, is quickly becoming an attribute of the past. This can only help spur on individuality needed for entrepreneurs. Japanese entrepreneurs have traditionally been handicapped by lack of capital and acceptance; this will change as the Xers mature. An education system that no longer demands conformity but will encourage individuality will spur on the individualism needed for future entrepreneurs and creative types. Implications for the marketer are many. Although the Xers may be few in number and not a viable market yet (in terms of discretionary income), they represent the future of Japan. Successful entities will target the Xers in the future: The active, two-wage earning family with little time on their hands; The father who believes more in family and home than work; Less discussion of obligation, conformity, responsibility and more on individuality, timeliness (fadish), and personal preferences will result. 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