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Taro Aso says that world religions can learn from Japan’s work ethic

Prime Minister Taro Aso (a Roman Catholic) made some public statements about religion yesterday:

“Our values in Japan regard hard work as important,” Aso said during a discussion on the global economic crisis.

“To work is good. It’s completely different thinking from the Old Testament,” Aso said.

“We should share our philosophy with many other nations.”

Some quotes from an earlier speech provide some context:

“In the Old Testament, God gave Adam punishment: labour. The Old Testament, Christianity, Islam — if you add them up, what percent of the world is that? About 70 percent of religions hold a philosophy that work is a punishment.”

He then referred to Japan’s oldest known book, the Kojiki, which features Japan’s creation myths. In the text, an important sun goddess saw many other deities working.

And let’s not forget the story from the Kojiki about how a deity dancing around naked lured the sun goddess out of her cave. Maybe the major world religions can learn something from that too?

[via Japan Soc]

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25 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - January 9, 2009 at 11:09 pm

Categories: Odd / Strange, Politics Tags:

Level3

So I think we can safely assume the question with Aso is not;

“Will the Prime Minister visit Yasukuni Shrine this year?”
but
“How many times will he visit Yasukuni Shrine this year?”

Yet another “Japan is better than everywhere else, and Japanese people are the master race.” retarded racist prick.

Has he ever held a real job? Does he do his own laundry? Ever used a hammer? Not gotten his full share of holidays? Only managing to go out drinking 4 nights a week now?
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Where’d he dream that up?

http://stats.oecd.org/WBOS/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=LEVEL

Japan works a lot of hours, not the most. The average Japanese person works only 80 more hours per year than their American counterpart. But that’s not what’s important.

Look at the GDP per hour worked (in US dollars):

Japan: 37.3 (Hours worked: 1785)
OECD average: 40.3 (Hours worked: 1744)
EU: 41.8 (Hours worked: 1655)
Canada: 42.6 (Hours worked: 1736)
Australia: 43.7 (Hours worked: 1730)
US: 52.4 (Hours worked: 1705)

So yes, Japanese may stay in the office longer than their Old-Testament-Based-Social-Counterparts, but that doesn’t mean that they’re actually getting anything done.

Besides, if you’ve ever worked for a Japanese company, you already know all about “Japanese productivity” – It’s sitting in a 3 hour meeting for 15-minutes-worth of information that everyone has already read in the company bulletin, and then taking 30 minutes to decide what to eat for the remaining 20 minutes of the lunch break.

Nevil

This is really interesting statistics.

I worked for one of the top Japanese mobile phone makers a few years ago. People worked from around 10 – 10.30 until 22 – 23 mostly every day. (although they had a Wednesday each month where everyone HAD to leave no later than 18.30).

Basically people just did nothing until some time in the afternoon. All meetings was always scheduled for around 17 and later.

I don’t understand how they fail to see the engineers would be more efficient if they could spend more time out side of work…

Pingback: Kegare - Negative Spirit Energy » Eating Each Other Alive… January 9, 2009
The Overthinker

“It’s sitting in a 3 hour meeting for 15-minutes-worth of information that everyone has already read in the company bulletin, and then taking 30 minutes to decide what to eat for the remaining 20 minutes of the lunch break.”

From what I have heard from Western friends (ie not n Japan) that is pretty much SOP over there as well, with the possible exception of deciding what to eat. Meetings to discuss the contents of meetings…. However you are certainly correct about Japanese office work – it’s all about showing up.
Brian

America was founded on the Puritan views that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. Unfortunately, the Puritans were more of a strict, lunatic cult than religious folk.

The Overthinker

The Puritans were plenty religious. Calling them a cult smacks of the idea that “the only true Christians are the ones that act like me”.

VonToppel

As far as I know, there’s a lot of phrases in Bible encouraging people to work hard. Not sure whether those are found in Old testament though.

R.

That’s in the Book of Proverbs. Calling slackers fools. Not sure if that applies to everyone since there are many people who barely have strength to work, are lame or sick.

hl

Do Catholics not read about God working 6 days and resting on the 7th, just as people are supposed to? That’s in the Old Testament.

R.

Also Catholics disobey what they teach about marriage, idols (saints), allow smoking.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

I used to worship a Billy Idol, so that must make me a bad Jew.

Bruce Smith

Has Aso never heard the 3 words “Protestant work ethic” ?
Kacie Landrum

Um… God doesn’t give Adam work as a punishment. His first command to Adam is “Have lots of babies and fill the Earth and rule it.” Then He brings a bunch of animals to Adam and says, “Here’s the creatures you’re in charge of, so give them some names.” Adam already had serious work and responsibilities BEFORE the Fall.

God punished Adam after the Fall by making work difficult and unpleasant. “You disobeyed me, so now you have to leave the Garden where the work is light and fulfilling and go out into the desert where life, basically, sucks.”

Does this Aso guy not read his Bible?

http://www.hormel.com VonSkippy

Maybe he doesn’t like fiction.

The Overthinker

Perhaps the manga version of the bible leaves that out.

Marco Polo

“Work is good”. Working… for whom? Or for what? There’s a deal of difference between working for society, and working for oneself and one’s family: the difference between collectivism and individualism. Which philosophy does Aso favour?
BruceD

This from a man who has denied for years that his company used POW’s as forced labor in it’s mines and factories during WWII?!? Then when the documents are pulled out of storage and published in the press he is silent? This Aso guy almost makes Bush look good!
Eric

Aso never knows what he’s talking about, whatever the topic at hand happens to be–that doesn’t seem to deter him from spouting off though.
O’blazed One

He’s probably reading the Japanese version.
mikeguest

Although it’s hard to argue against the fact that most Japanese work hard and are very thorough, there is also a widespread tendency to equate “hard work” with “length of time spent at one’s work station” as opposed to actually being productive (not that most Japanese aren’t productive- most are, it’s just that time efficiency at the workplace doesn’t seem to be how many people here regard “hard work”).

A lot of work activity I’ve seen here is actually a kind of social ceremony and that activity often becomes confused with accomplishment. My wife gets frustrated at the dara dara (dawdling pace) and zatsuyo (meaningless ‘busy’ work) at her workplace. And I’ve learned that focusing hard and packing a lot of intensive, productive work into 8 hours and heading home doesn’t win you as many workplace laurels as staying late in the office with your light on, showing your face, but actually achieving very little. Taking 20 working hours to do something you could actually do in 8 gets you the coveted “ganbatte iru” tag.

As a result of this, an unfortunate number of Japanese workers seem to be overly stressed or too exhausted to take care of their health (which could be regarded as a type of hard work), pursue outside interests (which take effort and concentration), or be as active with their families as they’d like (another kind of hard work).
http://www.usguyintokyo.com Dave Faulkmore

If project management was actually taking place then there would be a plan for how long things should take (adjusted as more information becomes available) and what tasks are assign to whom.

Don’t confuse MS Project with project management.

Don’t confuse office workers with productivity statistics. They are in it for the salary and the beer. There is no monetary incentive for productivity so the end result is a lot of people that like playing politics.

Just ask the j guy that invented blue light LEDs.

OK onto bashing PM Asssole.
I think the German concentration camps had similar slogans written on the prisons entrances.
Mister M

Im Christian, however, I believe that people who dont work hard or not do the job the way that was supposed to do are sinners too.

We as Christians should share love and respect to Deity, but we are not doing even 1 % of what we are suppose to do.

Aso, I agree with you. Without hard work Japanese people would not progress and would not make a wonderful performance in education and business.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

We should all work hard to build something amazing! Think of it – We could all work together, not as Japanese and non-Japanese, but as Humans, and build a crown achievement that would unite all of humanity! Perhaps some sort of tower. Yeah, that’s it – A tower right up to the heavens! (מגדל בבל)

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

The Overthinker

Stop Babeling, mate….

Taro Aso says that world religions can learn from Japan’s work ethic

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