Part of the reputation held by Japan in the Post-War period was for an emphasis on punctuality, accuracy, of doing things right for their own sake – the scene in the 1960s film You Only Live Twice, in which James Bond was gently chided for being 2 1⁄2 minutes early for a meeting (and no doubt he would have been politely lambasted had he been 2 1⁄2 minutes late) is emblematic of the Western faith in this reputation. As with so many other features of Japan’s Post-War society and miracle economy, it has been assumed that this virtuous obsession with accuracy has cultural origins. If true, cultural mores of precision, punctuality and accuracy are obviously invaluable characteristics in an industrial hi-tech age. Yet, as is so often the case in analysis of East Asian political economy, these characteristics could also be argued to be rational responses to late industrialisation, with the need to catch up technologically in the face of competition with already developed economies, and the scarcity of resources with which to compete with them. To what extent can mores such as precision and punctuality be found in pre- industrial Japan, in the Tokugawa period or before (going as far back as Nara and Heian)? To what extent should we move away from a cultural explanation towards one based on the pressures of late industrialisation?

The purpose of this essay is to study the origin of certain characteristics of the Japanese society. Values such as punctuality and precision in the Japanese work culture are often debated to have varied roots. While some argue that these stem from the cultural history of Japan; a large section believes that such values have made home in the Japanese society, due to the compulsions of rapid industrialisation, which has given Japan almost a miracle economy status in the eyes of the world.

Various indicators of social belief and value systems however, present a rather confusing thought process when it comes to following ideologies such as precision and punctuality, in the average daily life of a Japanese citizen. In this paper, it is aimed to sort out this confusion and trace the roots of Japanese ideologies. This is attempted by analysing the influence of culture and industrialisation separately.

Under cultural indicators of origins of Japanese characteristic qualities, we first study the role of the Samurai as a primary contributor of discipline, precision and orderliness.

Japan had been in a state of turmoil since time unknown, even until the world war. It had been a group of warring states forever trying to gain control over one another. Important parts of this setup were the samurai and shoguns; which have been traced to exist from a period as early as Asuka and Nara. Samurais were a warring tribe extremely deft in their art of war, disciplined by their faith in Zen and Confucism. Samurai followed a strict code of conduct and were highly respected in the Japanese society even to the extent that their influence made them rise to the status of rulers in the late Heian period. This intense influence of the Samurai heritage on Japanese ideology is still significant in the present day; especially when the modern Japanese businessmen are easily able to trace their roots to a certain Samurai clan. It will not be mere guessing if we state that cultural mores such as honesty, integrity, obedience, punctuality, orderliness and precision are the gifts of a rich Samurai heritage, which once existed in a turmoil ridden Japan. (1. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2127.html)     (2. The Rise of Buddhism in Politics and War By Justin Rowan)

Another cultural more, which can be a probable explanation to the Japanese etiquette and style of work, is the Japanese obsession with shoes and cleanliness. Japanese have a strict code of conduct when it comes to shoes. There is separate footwear to wear outdoors, inside home, to the toilet and to the ‘tatami’ area; and Japanese take the task of following this code very seriously. The origins of this habit can be traced back to the Heian period. Due to the Japanese culture of sleeping on floor and the very heavy rains during this period, it must have been a necessity to change shoes when coming from outdoors in order to avoid accumulation of dirt and wet mud, stuck to the footwear. Even to the present day this norm is strictly followed wherein Japanese will place the outdoor shoes on a rack in the ‘genkan’ (entrance) area and use separate footwear to access areas such as tatami, toilet and other living areas. This tradition is also of significance to Japanese in the sense that it separates the work time from the time to relax. Thus putting off shoes while entering homes and using slippers around the house is an act of relaxing for the average Japanese; with the change in footwear marking the actual time of relaxing. Thus a tradition as routine as changing of footwear, bears a deep significance in establishing a relation between the Japanese characteristic behaviour of orderliness and timeliness with a traditional act. (http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/02kutsu.htm)

 Of importance is also to observe and derive from the Japanese culture of eating. Japanese are one brand of people that enjoy eating and take delight in the activity. A typical Japanese meal is a great demonstration of a set of important Japanese values, and the significance of order in each act executed. Thus even the most ordinary of a dining act can require up to, the use of around seventeen separate utensils (this does not includes glasses) by an individual - each utensil having a separate purpose. Also to be followed during the meal is a special code of conduct; for example, it is customary to raise your glass a little when a drink is being poured in it; to lift your bowl and eat; utilising an instrument like a chopstick in a special manner to serve, eat or break food into smaller pieces; and putting back everything on the table in its original place, when the meal is over. Japanese are very particular that the tradition laid down for eating is followed each day for every single meal. Thus by ensuring a procedure they lay particular stress on structure, organisation, harmony, cleanliness and on finding out the best possible way to do the simplest of acts. (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2005.html)

One must also pay attention to the ceremony of tea drinking in the Japanese culture. The origins of this ceremony can be traced back to as early as the ninth century, when it was observed by the Buddhist Monk Eichu, after his return from China. The ceremony involves the use of as many as 5 different utensils to drink a tea and a single session can last until four hours. The tea drinking ceremony signifies the attention paid to detail in the Japanese way of life, and how they designate ‘a time for everything’; even for an activity as simple as drinking tea. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony)

Lastly in this section we discuss the Japanese art of flower arrangement or, Ikebana. Ikebana as an art has been tracked to evolve in the 15^th century (from the act of offering flowers at the altar while worshipping). Japanese as order conscious people have sought to harmonise even with the nature through such an art as Ikebana. The art focuses on developing arrangement faculties in an Ikebana artist, to bring out the beauty and harmony in the most complex of nature’s elements as a living plant. Thus it can be boldly stated that a trait as difficult to master as harmony, has been practised by the Japanese since time unknown; this has not only given them an edge in the modern business context but, has also fetched a distinct positive reputation in the international community. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana)

Cultural influences in developing traits such as harmony, structured approach and orderliness have been well established by the arguments presented until now. However, the existence of traits such as punctuality still remain a mystery to the reader; therefore, another realm of Japanese behavioural evolution is discussed in the remaining part of the essay to bring out clearly all the factors contributing to a typical Japanese character.

Often argued by a large part of academic researchers and historians is the possibility of Japan acquiring and building its ethics and code of conduct in wake of the need for rapid industrialisation. Most researchers cite that Japan had been just another laid back society until recently. This has been evidenced by the account of various foreigners who spent time in japan in a past as recent as the late 19^th century (or the end of the Edo period in Japan).

The account of Dutch man Willem van Kattendyke who spent two years in Nagasaki, teaching Western navigation and scientific technology, mentions various accounts as proof to the general laid back attitude of the Japanese people. In this account he mentions about an incident where certain supplies were delivered late and how, a stable man went around wishing New Year’s greetings for two days. The reasons for such behaviour can be related to the lack of accurate time measuring devices and units in Japan. For a long period of time Japan followed the seasonal clock; which divided the night and day into six rough sections – which were too broad for accurate time keeping. Even after the introduction of the mechanical clock in Japan, in the late sixteenth century, the Japanese did not adapt to the western principles of time keeping. Rather they utilised the mechanical clocks to adapt to the seasonal clock. It was not until three centuries later that the Japanese actually started to follow the more precise western clock system; giving them an actual sense of timeliness and punctuality. Thus only after the adoption of western clocks as a mass public habit, could Japan develop its ethic for punctuality; so essentially this happened just before the start of industrialisation. Hence, punctuality as a newly developed Japanese trait contributed to the nation’s industrial development.  (Reprint of “Japanese Clocks and the History of Punctuality in Modern Japan,” East Asian Science, Technology, and Society: An International Journal, 2 (2008): 123–133.)

The change from seasonal clock to western clock system in the 19^th Century had its influence on almost all major institutions of the nation; of significance, the primary school. A letter dating back to the Meiji period (1873 exactly), issued by the Ministry of education as a direction to the students of primary school, clearly states:

“Make sure that you are at school ten minutes before the start of class every day.

If you are late for school, do not enter the classroom without permission; explain the reason for your tardiness and wait for your teacher’s instructions.” 

The letter, which may not have been followed strictly at the time, at least laid the foundation for communicating the importance of time, to a Japan struggling to gain economic independence and relevance.

By issuing such a strict circular to children of tender age, the authorities at least ingrained in the upcoming generation, the value of time. Thus the youth (which would contribute as the driver of country’s development programmes) learnt that ‘time’ was important if order and progress was to be restored in a chaotic and war torn society as Japan’s. (Japan Review, 2002, 14:121-133 121 Teaching Punctuality: Inside and Outside the Primary School NISHIMOTO Ikuko)

Even in the factories and other workplaces, punctuality started being stressed upon. It was not unusual for the upcoming factories of the time, to have a clock tower nearby. Workers were often expected to report for work, a little early than the start time and leave a little after the usual end time. Adherence to the clock became common for the workers in such institutions; the employers even tried to exploit such behaviour of the workers by purposely delaying the clocks, in order to make the workers work more. (Reprint of “Japanese Clocks and the History of Punctuality in Modern Japan,” East Asian Science, Technology, and Society: An International Journal, 2 (2008): 123–133.)

It was being understood in Japan then, that modernisation relied on timeliness to a great extent. This belief was incorporated In the Japanese way of work, to the proportions of an obsession. Results of this obsession can be seen in the development of work schemes such as Just-In-Time which was developed in a Japanese corporation Toyota. The approach closely follows a time pattern to effectively manage production, inventory and delivery to the customer, minimising losses and keeping cash liquid. Such approaches have been so successful in context of modern organisations that they have been adopted world over by any progressive endeavour.

The Japanese railway system which is a symbol of such strict punctuality that it is considered impossible to be achieved by a human; had not been the same always. Around the time when the western clock system was adopted, rail road lines were being laid. With the increasing network of rail road lines and the ever increasing speed of trains, complexities started to emerge in the system. At a point in time, the average delay in a train service could be an hour or two. There was an urgent need to sort out this problem, if a good transport and communication network were to be created, in order to facilitate the progress of industries. Under such circumstances, Japan was one of the first to lay down double track lines, study time and motion and adapt to automatic coupling system to address the need of being on time. Even an effective monitoring, repairing and service system was put in place to ensure timeliness. The result of such an approach is evident until now, where trains running at speeds up to 300 km/hr are subject to faults only once in a million runs; Giving Japanese trains the reputation of being inhumanly punctual always. (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF    ECONOMICS AND FINANCE STUDIES Vol 4, No  2, 2012   ISSN: 1309-8055 (Online) 277 PUNCTUALITY: JAPANESE BUSINESS CULTURE, RAILWAY SERVICE AND COORDINATION PROBLEM Tetsuro OKAZAKI)

During the late 19^th century and early 20^th century Japan, emphasis was also being paid to introduce the value of precision and punctuality in the social and household context. Exhibitions were being put up to detail on scientific technologies, scientific approaches and the importance of time. Also simultaneously the metric system was being promoted in Japan. Thus, a special focus was being made to make the masses understand the value of precision and time in order to earn more and have a better lifestyle. For example, a poster ad of the era elucidates upon the time being taken by ladies to dress their hair. Such time taken could be anywhere between five to fifty five minutes depending upon the kind of hairdo. A simple single plait would obviously take lesser time compared to a tedious traditional shimada style of hair dressing. Thus importance was being laid upon how the public could make an efficient use of time, to use the spare time thus gained, in various economic activities to increase their income and standard of living. ((Reprint of “Japanese Clocks and the History of Punctuality in Modern Japan,” East Asian Science, Technology, and Society: An International Journal, 2 (2008): 123–133.)

A popular comic strip ‘sazae san’ which was published from 1949 to 1974, captured the sentiment of the Japanese behavioural evolution marvellously by means of a comic. In various episodes of the strip, it has been reflected upon, how the use of appliances and modern technology by the Japanese has lead to accumulation of more spare time by an individual; which the individual is free to employ to increase his/her income or living standard. Thus the concept of ‘time is money’ seems to be only recently established in the Japanese society. (Reprint of “Japanese Clocks and the History of Punctuality in Modern Japan,” East Asian Science, Technology, and Society: An International Journal, 2 (2008): 123–133.)

Concluding from the arguments presented in this essay, it can be rightly said in the case of Japan that:

‘A country where there are impeccably clean streets, one can easily find a recyclable trash receptacle and has difficulty finding a  garbage bin; leaves one wondering at the conflict between orderliness and the lack of attention to detail. A country where the culture is to worship ones forefathers also, exhibits the indifference of youth towards elders in day to day life - in even the simplest of activities as offering a seat on the bus, to the elderly.’ ("A Glimpse of a Heritage through a Bamboo Curtain by a Common-Tao" Miguel N. Lopez)

It is difficult to trace the origins of its behavioural typesets to a certain era. In a nation so full with ambiguity and conflicting attitudes there is no clear line of demarcation between the old and the new.

While we have observed that certain behavioural aspects stemmed from deep rooted cultural and traditional mores such as love for harmony, discipline and cleanliness; others such as precision and punctuality seem to have been inculcated in a Japan on the brink of an industrial revolution. Such a change in behavioural approaches has been more or less the need of the hour in order to contribute to the growth of the nation.

To sum up, it can be safely stated that while Japan has owed certain characteristic behaviour to the need of industrialisation; it has only been able to do so, due to the widespread following of certain old traditions and philosophies such as Kaizen which enables to embrace a positive change and connote continuous improvement. Thus even the modern behavioural trends can be related to have sprung from traditional attitudes.