Please help me settle a bet. Is Japan considered a western nation?

[Goathead]

My friend who has been there says, "No". I say "yes" who is right? Geographically I know that it is not but economically I would have to say most definitely "yes" He is somehow an expert because he has been there three times and is married to a Japanese woman.

[Sandpiper]

1. It's the most westernized eastern nation

That's how I'd describe it.

[Taxloss]

17. Apart from Australia.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. In aparteid days...

...the regime declared the Japanese 'white' for pass-law and segregation purposes.

[fooj]

3. The Far East?

:hi:

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. japan was forced into modernization by the west

it all started with the black ships

[jadedcherub]

5. A love this line.

"He is somehow an expert because he has been there three times and is married to a Japanese woman."

Was that said tongue-in-cheek? I mean... It may not make 'em an expert, but that's certainly somewhat of a qualification, no? I didn't notice you explaining what made YOU the expert... :)

:shrug:

.jc.

[Goathead]

8. My bad

My friend is being stubborn. And I am gettinng annoyed by him. let's just say that I know "a little" about the world.

[jadedcherub]

13. Just givin' you a hard time. I know how annoying people can be. :)

Here's what I found, though it basically doesn't answer your question at all. Simple states that both answers are correct. The Huntington they are talking about is Samuel P. Huntington.

--snip--
Huntington and his followers understood "The West" to be roughly synonymous with the Euro-Atlantic civilization, although countries with roots in other civilizations, such as Greece, Turkey, or Japan, may choose to ally themselves with the West as a result of having absorbed "Western" ideas and values into their societies.
--snip--

--snip--
Depending on context, the Western countries may be restricted to the Americas and Western Europe (including Greece). A broader definition might extend to Australia and New Zealand and usually Israel.

The Asian countries of Japan, South Korea, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) are sometimes considered part of the West and sometimes not.
--snip--

So it depends. Do you consider Taiwan and South Korea to be western? If so, then Japan is probably as well (in your definition). If you don't find those countries to be "Western" then Japan is not, either.

Or... Japan is or is not "Western" completely dependent on how you want to think of it. Your comment about culturally versus economically (or whatever you said) is the real point I think. From a historical and cultural point of view, they are not. From a financial (and so-called post-cold war definition) Japan CAN be considered "Western," but isn't necessarily.


So...
whatever you want? :)

oh here's a few more pertinent snips.

--snip--
Western countries have in common a high (relative) standard of living for most citizens - compared to the rest of the world. They may also have democratic, (mostly) secular governments, rule of law and developed bodies of laws that have some expression of rights (for their own citizens) in law. Also, high levels of education, and a similar, "modern" popular culture may reflect the Western or Westernized society. Militarily and diplomatically, these "Western" societies have generally been allied with each other to one degree or another since World War II. In fact, some would argue that this is the definition of the West and explains why Japan is usually considered Western while Ecuador is not.
--snip--

All those clippings are from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is cool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_countries

.jc.

[Goathead]

14. Awesome, thanks! n/t

[Sanity Claws]

6. Western refers to a geographic location

so the answer must be no. It is westernized, though.

[ultraist]

15. Japan is not a Western Nation--neither geographically nor economically

It is a capitalist economy, since post WW II (US occupation era) but differs from the US free market in that it has a strong Ministry of Finance and a Government-Industry cooperation, as well as lifetime employment for much of the labor force and "keiretsu."

Certainly, Japan has become somewhat westernized but the US has also adopted many of their business techniques.

http://www.photius.com/wfb2000/countries/japan/japan_economy.html
Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and third largest economy in the world after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world

[Maple]

7. Yes it is

Japan is a western nation, and part of the first world.

It doesn't refer to geographic position, it refers to economic and social development.

[Cleita]

9. I agree with your friend. Although, the Japanese have

adapted to our business ways, they are very much still Japanese and wouldn't want to be considered Western. I realized this after having a conversation with a Japanese client of mine about the Emperor. Even though the younger Japanese no longer believe he is a god, he assured me that most of the old people still did. But, that was only the beginning. It was how they regarded the emperor that struck me that this was not the way any westerner would think about their royalty if they had any.

It's really very Japanese and it's very much a part of whom they are. The way they think about many other things would be very alien to most westerners too. So just because they wear Jeans and listen to rap doesn't mean they have assimilated our ways.

[American Tragedy]

10. I would say no.

"Western" does not generally refer to the type of economy.

Modern prosperity does not change the fact that it's been part of the East for thousands of years, and the people of the country are still far closer to that linguistic and cultural tradition. Even in a thriving capitalist system, there are clear vestiges of Eastern collectivism in the way that they interact.

It's hard to explain. The Japanese just seem sociologically very different from the people of Europe and the New World - not in a good way or a bad way necessarily. I've never felt that the division between the East and the West was hinged simply upon relative wealth.

[ultraist]

18. Command: Plan Rational policy (which is different than our free market)

http://www.geocities.com/superspyguy45/economy.html

To discuss Japan’s economy specifically, it might be best first to talk about several economic systems generally. The three systems that have been used in the 20th century by developed nations are Communist (called by some Plan Ideological), Capitalist (also known as Market Rational), and Command (sometimes referred to as Plan Rational).

Japan’s Plan Rational policy since the end of World War II has been high-speed growth, especially in high-tech and manufacturing industries. Poor in resources, Japan knew it needed to trade for vital resources, and that to make an eventual profit would have to export more than was imported. The only way to accomplish this was to produce more products of better quality than any other nation.
To accomplish this task, Japan used a variety of government agencies to shape the economy, the two most powerful probably being the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI, formerly MITI). The Ministry of Finance controlled a large amount of money, and almost all banks in Japan came to them for bonds to support their own lending power. By raising or lowering interest rates, the MOF could speed up or slow down economic growth. METI, however, perhaps had a greater role both then, to a large extend, but even now. METI steered Japan along the course decided upon for the Plan Rational using several methods. METI had control over all foreign exchange and imports of technology, which gave them the power to choose specific industries to develop. They could dispense preferential financing, tax breaks, and protection from foreign competition, which gave them the power to lower the costs of the chosen industries. Lastly they had the authority to create cartels and bank-based industrial conglomerates to give them the power to supervise competition in the economy. Using these methods, METI forced a period of high-speed growth that remains unprecedented today, and many credit METI with Japan’s immense wealth.

However, in recent years these agencies have come under fire due to Japan’s lingering recession, which is discussed in the Current Events section.

[Warpy]

11. Japan is a First World nation

which means it's an industrialized nation with a largely capitalist economy.

It's not a western nation, nor is it all that westernized, although they share some of the same technology and have bested us in much of it.

[UdoKier]

12. Culturally, no. Economically, much like Western Europe.

There is much western influence on the culture, but the fundamentals are still based on Confucianism and obligation to family.

It really depends on what you're talking about.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. It's modern, not western

It was the first country to industrialize without a European cultural base.

People go over there and see McDonald's and people wearing jeans, and they think that the country is "Americanized."

Uh-uh.

That's all just on the surface. Deep down, the Japanese are still very Japanese. They never adopt a Euro-American technology or institution without changing it a lot. Even baseball is not like American baseball.

When I was in academia, I had a prepared slide lecture called "Japan: Modern not Western," which I gave on campus every few years or to community groups.

The Japanese people who heard it (exchange students, etc.) would come up to me afterward and say, "I hate it when people say we're Americanized, but we ARE modern."

[miyazaki]

20. absolutely

You nailed it there. Good description. Japan is quite an experience. Hard to describe it unless you've been there. I love it.

[American Tragedy]

21. Exactly.

That's roughly what I meant to say, but you put it far better.

[Goathead]

22. Dang, that was good.

I hate admitting that I was wrong. Oh well, how else will I learn? Going to go admit defeat on this one.:nopity:

[KittyWampus]

19. No, It's An Industrialized Nation