The Role of Families, Communities, and Governments in Improving Socioeconomic Performance The Japanese Experience

By tracing Japan’s history, we argue that families and communities have played important roles in the country’s successful socieconomic performance. The argument is first made by comparing Japan’s socioeconomic data with those of other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Then, we look into some case studies to gain a better understanding of the roles played by Japanese families and communities. This argument does not imply, however, that government had a small role; on the contrary, the Japanese government succeeded in attaining high socioeconomic levels at relatively low cost by supporting and utilizing families and communities (which may be termed a Japanese-style welfare policy). Finally we argue that along with economic growth in Japan, family and community ties have weakened to a point at which the government must assume larger roles to maintain socioeconomic performance.