Less than a month ago I wrote to you about the great debate going on in Japan and by the way America about the presence of American Military in Japan 60 years after the war and who is paying the bills. It seems that all the politicians in the World have picked up on this and are making statements that for the most part are uninformed or culturally out of whack. The only place where this doesn’t seem to be a fact is at Camp Zama, in Kanagawa Prefecture where everything is on track. The Command at that small installation has worked very hard to keep the local population informed. MG Wiercinski, the Commanding General of all Army Forces in Japan is constantly on the road visiting and informing the Japanese leadership near all Army Installations in Japan.
The center of gravity for misunderstandings right now is the Fatima Marine Air Station in Okinawa. Long a source of irritation to the citizens of Okinawa and the scene of the crime when a young local girl was assaulted by some service members. It was supposed to go away! However, it seems that this Airfield has a life of its own, so that regardless of the good intentions of Japanese or American negotiators it just plans to stick around.
It’s a noisy place to be sure, but then so are all airbases. This one, however, is in the middle of a densely populated area. It is also a little dangerous because of all the surrounding houses, buildings and schools. Not long ago, a helicopter made an emergency landing in a school yard not far from the base. Naturally, this excited all the mothers whose children were in attendance.
Negotiation, to get the base relocated, have been on-going for years. The latest was part of a deal to realign and reduce the military presence in Okinawa and in mainland Japan. Everyone including the man on the street agreed and so it was a done deal – signed and delivered. Yet, before the ink on the seals (hankos) was dry each side began sharpshooting the content. Four years later nothing has happened.
The new Japanese government came into office with a pledge to do things differently. They especially want politicians to start running the Government and reduce the role of Bureaucrats. They have cancelled a bunch of projects, mostly dams, which were planned by the previous administration to cut the budget. Interestingly, the budget is bigger than when they started the ax swinging. And, most importantly to the Great Debate issue – they were to move the Futima Air Station out of Okinawa.
The Americans cried foul. We have a deal and you must live up to your part of this bargain. Here is where the culture comes to bear on the problem. Americans think a contract is written in stone. If you try to vary a contract even one inch you’re on your way to court. Big settlements are in the offering. Alas, the Japanese have a very different idea about contracts and many other culturally related behaviors that confuse Westerners. Here then, are a few.
(1) Speaking your mind. American’s say, “if you have something to say – say it.” To the Japanese this behavior, as far back as a thousand years, was thought to be uncouth and barbarian like. In Kyoto, the Capital, indirect speech was in vogue and has not changed over time.
(2)Appearance and Reality. Americans have no legal system of saying one thing but meaning something else. The Japanese system of tatemae (what I said or what it appears that I mean) and honne (what I really intended or maybe the underlying reality) are completely beyond American and maybe any foreigner capability to understand.
(3)Contracts: As mentioned above American and Europeans believe that a contract is a legal document and must be followed to the letter. There are normally no provisions to renegotiate or change a contract unless such is contained within the contract itself. On the other hand Japanese believe that the contract, if there is a written one which there may not be, was drawn up based on a certain set of conditions. If the conditions change then the contract must change.
