Japan and Taiwan don’t know each other well
(The U.S. in 1998)
I heard from many Taiwanese people that the custom that permitted schoolteachers to be violent toward students came from Japan during Japan’s colonial period. Many Taiwanese seemed to be under the impression that even now, Japanese schoolteachers are permitted to be violent toward students. I knew it was true that students were often the targets of violence from their teachers when Japan was a militant nation, and Taiwan became a Japanese colony during that time, but this doesn’t happen in Japan nowadays. I told them that Japanese schoolteachers were no longer permitted to act violently toward their students, and if they did it would be considered a huge social problem and the teacher would likely end up in the newspapers. Hearing this, Taiwanese were surprised and even some looked sad.
When I returned to Japan, I sought and found confirmation that Japanese schoolteachers had not used violent force against students prior to militarism. Today, violence from teachers is a violation of Japanese law.
It was a big surprise for me to learn that Japan and Taiwan don’t know each other well, yet they are within relatively close proximity. I thought it regrettable that I had been so unprepared to discuss cultural variations and misconceptions that first time in the United States. It was the first time I’d encountered people who voiced such opinions.
I am a female Taiwanese who grew up in Europe/America. I really like your website. Keep it up. I am pleased to read that you informed the Taiwanese of the fallacy they withhold about the Japanese education system. Personally, I think it will take a really long time for Japan and Taiwan to know each other. I think Japan even knows more about China and Korea than it does Taiwan. Yet, Taiwan always insists on being close to Japan in terms of culture. However, I am no in the agreement that they are that close. Perhaps during the colonial Japanese era I could imagine Japanese then were very different from the japanese nowadays. At that time, Japanese had more traces of Asianness perhaps? I feel that now although the Japanese have maintained some traditions, in many ways it’s different from other Asian cultures. Some though are more similar to Asian than Western cultures. Japan today though is even more Westernised than any Asian countries. Taiwan is still not Westernised enough. Although it is a democracy, it has only been so for the past 30 yrs. Some Taiwanese sadly worship the Japanese culture excessively. They are not moving forward and trying to develop their own identity. Sadly, the Taiwanese try to encapsulate Japanese trends amongst the youth but should really try to copy the less superficial aspects of japan. Taiwanese have missed the point, they should learn about Japanese care of quality over quantity, long-term actions, and order. Taiwanese still have strong traits of Chinese thinking ie: copy other ideas but not improving upon it, always dwelling in past (wishing they were still Japan occupied), blaming others for suffering ie China, looking down upon themselves secretly. I’m sorry Taiwan but I think this is the truth. But at least, Taiwan is not so bad as China (we don’t hate other cultures incl. Japan). Taiwan has a lot to learn if it wants to be anywhere nearly as good as Japan.
intl city zen
2007/12/26