Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose" Z y( k6 B5 A8 n: Z- K! g
productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States: w) }4 ~. t6 l) [/ a) T2 I4 e! g
and Europe.But increasingly the Japanese is seeing a decline of their __1__ V s& L, z* b6 x
traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were& l2 J3 W" @# M5 A \
hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being,: s- C# S" D4 B
but now Japan has large fulfilled its economic needs, and young people __2__
1 p) ]7 S8 B! O5 o* g$ M don't know where they should go next.% H; `2 l7 h; B2 C1 c8 p2 H
The coming of the age of the postwar baby boom and an entry __3__
: |& d% y& ?2 d$ e6 W of women into the male-dominated job market has limited the opportunities __4__9 S0 Q* B0 h7 S6 J, C% O* {( n
of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal
5 z p2 W; t- y sacrifices involved climbing Japan's rigid social ladder to good __5__: |3 j7 v+ {' g, U
schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5$ ^# d7 \( t# {) T" n' i! Z
percent Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life,compared __6__3 @- }- @& O$ f8 c6 B
with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far
% g3 b. P/ j! m: M more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than
3 z+ P; w' J. |7 z2 s- ^ did their counterparts in the 10 countries surveyed. __7__( p% b' F: ~( b2 Z8 ?: K2 s z
While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics.: |* G" {( b; g- }! Y; H
Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanic learning __8__: \8 J3 Q# E6 |* U
over creativity and self-expression. Last year Japan experienced 2,125
. U) z. P( M& P& [8 u% c incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers.* b! d( ], y3 M+ J0 V" u2 J, _
Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return
" @; E9 I3 R+ f. v8 O6 j to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Detoyama,8 b# t! k' f" T
who was then education minister, raised his eyebrow when he argued __9__/ r ^' F6 G$ C; j, O
that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities
0 Y) X# g& m7 G+ }5 M; K after World War II had weakened the "Japanese morality of respect of parents." __10__ |