Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose
' @, ^) m2 ?( n/ {0 H productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States: O o4 \: m! W1 f
and Europe.But increasingly the Japanese is seeing a decline of their __1__4 ~" b8 l8 z4 K# D' I
traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were! B$ i1 t4 m5 ?$ e2 p
hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being,+ `; \- ` r. w5 j- Y1 ]( V
but now Japan has large fulfilled its economic needs, and young people __2__/ x* k8 [( B0 D
don't know where they should go next.. z% E+ F2 P/ i, r$ R: t* U, G
The coming of the age of the postwar baby boom and an entry __3__
& z- F2 m( I B7 L3 Q of women into the male-dominated job market has limited the opportunities __4__
+ m) H. A. Q: u X( ?# z! P of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal# ^8 s5 ~: a( J% J
sacrifices involved climbing Japan's rigid social ladder to good __5__4 o& c5 g( p- }0 d3 ~
schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5
3 A6 n$ N1 J& O4 L7 Y percent Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life,compared __6__. E; P' u/ f4 M! E7 O7 y; g
with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far
& j$ v8 ]6 C. o$ e8 h* {9 Z7 d+ b more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than
+ E+ P8 O% f# `$ Z did their counterparts in the 10 countries surveyed. __7__
( X! i6 ? O3 H* g. H While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics.- S' m. g( Q" C" A
Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanic learning __8__
) _8 o; ?7 a! G5 {2 k# w0 Q over creativity and self-expression. Last year Japan experienced 2,125
" G2 x# l) _& @) U; }# ? incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers.7 w/ W0 [; T2 G4 b
Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return" B4 f, @! g4 d+ ~% I$ T8 z- A
to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Detoyama,6 i( a6 J+ }% |6 _/ e( O
who was then education minister, raised his eyebrow when he argued __9__
/ T6 K& L9 v: G$ M that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities
! l( @% j5 y$ _- e! f% F after World War II had weakened the "Japanese morality of respect of parents." __10__ |