Cultural Homogeneity Essay

Cultural Homogeneity: The Key to Success

A comparison between modern Western countries and Japan emphasizes a large discrepancy in beliefs regarding cultural growth in the separate parts of the world (Leonardson, 2004). According to many scholars and much research done on Japan the culture is the perfect example of what cultural homogeneity means as a whole. The cultural homogeneity affects the Japanese youth in how they grow, develop, affect their communities, and live their future lives in the community; this also plays a role in forcing out crime in the country. It also affects the procedures of the police force when interacting with citizens and planning new procedures that require the help and cooperation of Japanese citizens. The cultural

Much of the education done in Japanese schools teach high self-control and self-regulation by expecting students to regulate themselves and take responsibility for their actions from a very young age. These tactics are highly important in order to prevent crime considering that the biggest predictor to crime and crime analogous behaviours is the low self-control found in many other countries (Vazsonyi, 2004). This contrasts deeply with Japanese ideals which throughout history has been focussed on restraint and reserve something that is still a strong ideal in Japanese culture. In many western countries people do commit the same offence more than once, something that the Japanese have focussed on. According to Johnson, “Japanese criminal justice works to control crime and maintain order, primarily by preventing recidivism through the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders.” (Johnson, 2002). By rehabilitating the Japanese keep their crime rates low by making sure the same offence will not be committed twice. Being taught to conform from such a young age also has a strong effect on the average Japanese citizen in court. The idea that you have to fit a certain mindset resonates deeply with even those that don’t conform completely, because Japan emphasizes norms on confession, repentance, and absolution there is a result of a remarkable spiral of success in court (Johnson, 2002). Having been raised on those norms the average Japanese citizen is pressured by the expectation to conform that has been ingrained since childhood and tends to confess and repent their crimes as is the norm. Many Japanese citizens who do commit crime will openly admit to their crimes when faced with the judicial system. This results in a system that focuses more on precisely and accurately discovering the facts and clarifying the truth