Recent surveys show that Japanese youth have become a "Me Generation" that rejects traditional values.
"Around 1980 many Japanese,{{U}} (31) {{/U}}young people abandoned the values of economic success and began{{U}} (32) {{/U}}for new sets of values to{{U}} (33) {{/U}}them happiness," writes sociologist Yasuhiro in Comparative Civilizations Review. Japanese youth are placing more importance on the individual's pursuit of{{U}} (34) {{/U}}and less on the values of work, family, and society.
Japanese students seem to be losing patience with work,{{U}} (35) {{/U}}their counterparts in the United States and Korea. In a 1993{{U}} (36) {{/U}}of college students in the three countries, only 10% of the Japanese regarded{{U}} (37) {{/U}}as a primary value compared with 47% of Korean students and 27% of American students. A greater{{U}} (38) {{/U}}of Japanese aged 18—24 also preferred easy jobs{{U}} (39) {{/U}}heavy responsibility.
The younger Japanese are showing less concern for family values as they pursue an inner world of private satisfaction. Data collected{{U}} (40) {{/U}}the Japanese government in 1993 shows that only 23% of Japanese youth are thinking about supporting their aged parents, in contrast{{U}} (41) {{/U}}63% of young Americans. It appears that many younger-generation Japanese are{{U}} (42) {{/U}}both respect for their parents{{U}} (43) {{/U}}a sense of responsibility to the family. Author Yoshizaki attributes the change{{U}} (44) {{/U}}Japanese parents ! over-indulgence of their children, material affluence, and growing{{U}} (45) {{/U}}for private matters.
The shift{{U}} (46) {{/U}}individualism among Japanese is most pronounced among{{U}} (47) {{/U}}very young.According to 1991 data{{U}} (48) {{/U}}the Bunka Center of Japan, 50% of Japanese youth aged 16—19 can be labeled "self-centered" compared with 33% among{{U}} (49) {{/U}}aged 25-29. To earn the self-centered label, the young people responded positively to{{U}} (50) {{/U}}ideas as "I would like to make decisions without considering traditional values" and "I don't want to do anything I can't enjoy doing. "