Japanese People and Confucianism

Abstract

It is said that many of the Japanese people are polite and kind to others. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan commissioned a survey in 2015 regarding the image of Japan in five countries (the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Poland), and more than 75% replied that Japanese people are “reliable” or “somewhat reliable” (ibid). Also, roughly 80% of respondents answered that the Japanese are “friendly” or “somewhat friendly” (MOFA of Japan, 2016). From this result, it can be said that Japanese people are seen as courteous and considerate of others from a foreign perspective. This paper analyzes how Japanese national characters were generated from the perspective of Confucianism, one of the disciplines that has greatly influenced the way Japanese people behave and has had a great influence in their way of thinking.