Economic downturn is just the tip of the iceberg for anxious Japanese

Japanese culture—more than most, and, some would argue, even to a fault—places great emphasis on stability and harmony. So when they break down, Japanese people get antsy.

The recent global economic woes are perhaps the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, but a string of events have led to a dramatic loss of stability and revealed cracks in the cultural fiber of the country.

Our most recent AnxietyIndex, which you can download here, finds that 90 percent of Japanese consumers say they are anxious, and a quarter of those express intense anxiety.

It’s easy to see why. Unlike other parts of the world, Japan has not enjoyed the growth and prosperity of the last 15 or 20 years, thanks to the “Lost Decade” of economic stagnation following the early-’90s bursting of Japan’s bubble economy. And just as the country’s economic prospects were looking up, the current global recession hit and its export-dependent economy has been even more hobbled.

In addition, Japan’s political leadership has demonstrated a lack of vision in effecting policies that have done more harm than good. Programs meant to stimulate the stagnant economy of the last decade and a half have failed and only put the country in big debt relative to the GDP; the health care system is in shambles due to poor planning; the lifetime-employment system has broken down, and unemployment rates are unprecedented; the list goes on and on.

As if those weren’t enough sources of anxiety, Japan’s population is the fastest-aging in the world, birthrates are the lowest among developed countries, and the traditional practice of multi-generational households has all but disappeared in less than 20 years. The lack of care support for the elderly is becoming a hot topic; just recently, a Japanese celebrity committed suicide because the burden of caring for her elderly and infirm mother 24 hours a day, without any form of support, had become too much.

What’s more, beyond domestic concerns, Japan’s economic and political sphere of influence is rapidly shrinking in the face of the Indian and Chinese juggernauts, and there is a real sense—in one of the most natural-disaster-prone countries in the world—that the impacts of global warming will hit Japan hard, and perhaps sooner than later.

In other words, many Japanese are looking toward the future without much hope, seeing life moving further and further away from the stability and harmony so deeply ingrained in the culture. This lack of hope is feeding fear and, ultimately, anxiety.

For brands looking to connect with Japanese consumers, providing a vision of hope is the place to start. This does not mean sugar-coated aspiration; consumers in Japan, as much as anywhere else, are savvy and hungry for transparency and authenticity. Rather it is about connecting with core cultural values—the deep-seated Japanese belief in collective power to overcome adversity for example—and expressing belief in a positive future. Ironically, it may also involve looking to the past and deep into the culture itself; brands that can help renew a national sense of pride stand a better chance of striking the right chord with today’s Japanese consumer.

Photo credit: Gustty