This is the leadin to a long article on the new views of the Japanese vs the American views on criti

[David Farber <>]

          (Best viewed with a monospaced font such as Monaco 9pt)


> From press release issued November 1993


                          JAPAN MONITOR '93 (Part I)


        Assisting Decision Makers with An International Perspective


Infoplan, a leading marketing research & consulting firm in Tokyo, has
released  key results of the Japan Monitor, a consumer survey which is
designed to  annually monitor changes in Japanese values and attitudes
and to predict their  future behaviors, as an integral service of
Yankelovich Partners International.  Based on the Yankelovich US Social
Monitor which started in 1971, the Japan  Monitor can also be compared
internationally, facilitating marketers in planning  and executing
global strategies. Infoplan conducted 1,200 face-to-face personal
interviews across Japan in the spring of '93, and highlights of its
major findings  are summarized as follows...


Japan Monitor '93 summarized the current set of values held by the
Japanese as  consisting of:


o    Streamlining
o    Risk Management
o    Responsibility/Accountability
o    Substance
o    Personal Style
o    Lifting Life Beyond The Everyday


Several elements of these values were also found in the US Monitor,
which  predicted the Neo-traditional Values for the 90's, or the
balance/synthesis of the  traditional values of the 50's and the new
values of the 70's. This Neo-traditional  position seems to be less
relevant in Japan.


The Japanese are now suffering from the worst recession of a structural,
not  cyclical, nature, in the wake of the burst of the "bubble" after
achieving a post- WWII economic miracle. This is compounded by a current
lack of leadership.  The appreciation of the Japanese Yen, or "Endaka"
has made export-oriented  companies, the locomotive of her past rapid
growth, less competitive in the  global marketplace and forced them to
reconsider the rules of the game.  Recurring scandals involving
political, business and bureaucratic leaders have  forced the Japanese
to reevaluate the ethics and fairness lacking in their social
structure. Japanese consumers, traditionally perceived as quiet and
reserved,  finally began to demand a major restructuring in the
distribution system and  government regulations, claiming that they
cannot benefit from the "Endaka"  under the current system.  The late
1990's in Japan will see an increasing  Consumer Power, and this is an
opportunity for alert marketeers.


Given this as background, the Japan Monitor '93 revealed that the
Japanese are  in a flux, having lost a sense of direction and searching
for a new balance and  equilibrium, which is neither going back to the
traditional values, inheriting the  new values of the 80's, nor
balancing of the two. Concerned about their  uncertain future, 70% of
the respondents agreed that they have to lower their  expectations about
their standard of living. They are much less encouraged  about their
future than in the past: Present Standard of Living Compared with:


            One Generation Ago:    One Generation From Now:
Better              81%                    23% *
Same                10%                    30%
Lower                5%                    22%
Don't Know           5%                    26% *


It is also interesting to note that an emerging generation, the Baby
Boomers Jr., or "Dankai Jr.," clearly indicated some differences from
their predecessors'  values and attitudes, implying they will probably
help define the future values  in Japan. Accordingly, the future Japan
Monitors will carefully watch changes in  their values, attitudes and
behaviors.


Following next are key findings regarding each of the six overriding
values as  being compared with the US Monitor data, along with their
implications for  marketers.