The People

The Japanese people are almost certainly descended from the Koreans, during the last ice age the island was attached by a lnd bridge to the Asian continent. A fact greatly known is that large-scale immigration had come to a complete halt by the eighth or ninth centuries. Since that time the Japanese have regarded themselves as, a single, unified and homogeneous people.
The main reason for this being is the countries geographical location.

The Sea of Japan, a long and stormy strectch of water acted as a highly effective barrier between The island and the Mainland of the Asian continent. Only once person brave enough to challenge it was the mongol conqueror Kublai Khan. He sent a great fleet to invade Japan in the 13th century but a typhoon, dubbed "Kamikaze" or "divine wind" by the Japanese, destroyed his fleet before he could inflict really serious damage.

Later, in the 17th centuryWestern missionaries and merchants who had established a foothold in the country aroused the suspicions of the military ruler and the encircling seas enabled him to draw a curtain of isolation around Japan that lasted almost without effort, and this last for 250 years, intil 1854, under the treat from the American Navy, Japan grudgingly opened her doors to trade with the West.

Individualism

The Japanese believe that cooperation and harmony among all members of a group is more important than an individual's desire to put his or her interests above all others. In North America, there is an extreme form of individualism and an emphasis on one's rights. In Japan, each individual is important, however, he or she is not an isolated being. Each individual is a member of a team, whether a family, an office, a neighbourhood, a community, or the country. The Japanese believe that whatever they do or say, they must keep in mind the interests of others. Cooperation in a group takes precedence over individual responsibility, authority, or initiative.

Harmony

The Japanese believe that surface harmony must be maintained. In doing business with the Japanese, the relationship is just as (or may be more) important than the business itself is. Logic and facts alone reflect a coldness and insensitivity to human nature. For the Japanese, respect, sensitivity, and harmony are sometimes more important than the truth. From a Western perspective, it is like keeping the peace with "little white lies" if necessary. An example might be telling a host how delicious a terrible meal is.