40% of new adults believe lives will be worse than parents'

The first thing i wonder about the Japanese is, why there "adulthood" starts when there 20 and not earlier? Or does this only inply to the ladies? Here in Finland it's pretty much when your 16

The second thing i've noticed is the bust of the "80's bubble" wich pretty much lasted all the way to the early 2000, but has been burning up ever since 2003

I think Abe's ultimate mistake was, that be became a Japanese PM about 25-years after it was too late! The fact is that "old Japan" and it's wealth are simply gone, and ain't coming back! And to be honest, i think it was basicly all a bubble from the very beginning! The reason why there economy is going down is, that it's so tied to the US! This is partly what caused Mr Abe to resign;Japan is simply a colony of the US! Before it was just militarily, but now also economicly! "indepence" was the greates illusion of all! But the bubble bursted just when Mr Abe was PM! It's possible that Mr Ozawa will take over, and try to keep up the bubble, but i have a feeling it's not going to work! The fact is;Japan has been occupied by the US for over 60-years! EVERYONE who has been born over the past 60-years in Japan is more an American than they are Japanese! Just like Koreans, they are more or less Asian provinces of America! If Japan would then under Ozawa get indepence, what would they do with it, after 60-years of American rule? It was not the baby boomers but there PARENTS who lifted Japan from the war and created the 80's boom! Abe was born after the war, and you could really SEE that! He could talk what ever he wanted, but when Uncle Sam told him to sit, he SAT DOWN!!!

Japan basicly is a US colony! Everything else is basicly an illusion! The Anime and Manga culture by the wat reflect this very well! They'd NEVER be independent again! The Baby Boomers such as Kouzumi, Abe, and most likely even Ozawa reflect this very well! You see;they have never with there own eyes witnessed a time, when Japan was independent! To them those times are myths from the days of the parents! Japan will remain an America colony perhaps for the next 10-years, and then eventually become a Chinese one, because i have a feeling those Chinese forces wont stop in Taipei when the march finally begins! And who would stop them? Japan? Give my a break;=))

Japan is a natural colony! Softened up by 60-years of American rule! They've been told that the Empire of there fathers was evil, America saved them for democracy and freedom, and a nationalistic, independent Japan is perfecty OUT OF THE QUESTION! The Chinese haven't been brainwashed like this, and you can definitely see the DIFFERENCE! By the time Japanese were too busy aplogising for there past wrongs and making toys, cars and electronics for there new masters, the Chinese were marching to Tibet, Uiguria and parts of Mongolia, and testing nuclear tipped missiles capable of reaching Japan! Last year China sent a battalion of troops to Tibet on a home made railway across the Himalayas! Japan coulnd't even send a whaling fleet to the Antractic!!!

There is only ONE Asian Superpower, and there is only ONE Asian colony! Everything else is just a very carefully designed ILLUSION! There is a country called Japan, but it is a COLONY! Once it was ruled by American military force, but now America also rules it's economy, since the US is Japans number 1 export market! That is why it doesent manner wheter it's Koizumi, Abe or Ozawa who "leads" the country! Either they do what Uncle Sam says, or Uncle Sam starts taxing there exports! And that is when BIG BUSINESS will literally KILL THEM!!!

Now Japan is beginning to have an increasingly similar reltationship with China! They can talk all they want about a "summit of equals" The FACT is, China is a SUPERPOWER, Japan is NOT!!! There a COLONY, and will soon be probobly left in the shadow of a united, strong Korea! The first mistake for Japan was attacking Asia while leaving the country vulnerable to American maneuvers(they should have learned from the Germans in WW1)The second was thinking that Japan was still a "superpower" once the war was over. And quite frankly, Japan CANNOT afford a third mistake, or it will loose more then just it's indepence!

 

Well the 51% who preferred to get on with other people have got it right. However, having just watched the usual antics of Adult Day on TV, I have to say some are plain spoilt. Seems like Okinawa is one of the worst. Groups of idiots with brown hair and gaudy clothes rioting with police (who incidently always happen to be useless oyaji who can't even handle an obaasan), acting very mature! Then, on the other hand, you have the usual 'new adults' celebrating adulthood at....Disneyland.

 

According to ageofconsent.com the legal age of majority in Finland is 18, not 'pretty much' 16 at all.
That's only two years difference from Japan - no big deal. There's talk of the the age of majority in Japan being lowered to 18 in the near future, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Seijin No Hi continued to be for 20-year-olds.
The age of majority in the UK used to be 21, still is in some US states.
Judging from the behaviour of many new 'seijin', 21 is probably a more appropriate age to become adult than 20. Very few folk are really adult at 18.

 

Love your post man! You tell it as it really is. Mind you, watch out for the outraged defenders of japan charging in!

I've heard it suggested that due to the childishness of japanese youth that the legal age of majority should be raised to 35.....

I'm not surprised to read of the prevailing pessimism here. Japan has become a sinking, highly indebted, old peoples' home. What can be done about it?? Nothing.

 

"According to ageofconsent.com the legal age of majority in Finland is 18, not 'pretty much' 16 at all."

When you are 16 you can drive a car, have sex, buy things in your own name, work and get PAID for it, and are criminally responsible under the law! The only thing wich you really can't do is vote but hey;if you know anything about Finish politics, i can assure you won't be missing much:)

 

"
I think Abe's ultimate mistake was, that be became a Japanese PM about 25-years after it was too late! The fact is that "old Japan" and it's wealth are simply gone, and ain't coming back! And to be honest, i think it was basicly all a bubble from the very beginning! The reason why there economy is going down is, that it's so tied to the US! This is partly what caused Mr Abe to resign;Japan is simply a colony of the US! Before it was just militarily, but now also economicly! "indepence" was the greates illusion of all! But the bubble bursted just when Mr Abe was PM! It's possible that Mr Ozawa will take over, and try to keep up the bubble, but i have a feeling it's not going to work! The fact is;Japan has been occupied by the US for over 60-years! EVERYONE who has been born over the past 60-years in Japan is more an American than they are Japanese! Just like Koreans, they are more or less Asian provinces of America! If Japan would then under Ozawa get indepence, what would they do with it, after 60-years of American rule? It was not the baby boomers but there PARENTS who lifted Japan from the war and created the 80's boom! Abe was born after the war, and you could really SEE that! He could talk what ever he wanted, but when Uncle Sam told him to sit, he SAT DOWN!!!"

Wow, lay off the exclamation marks and cut down the anger and rhetoric. As somebody else said to you in another post, it's disgusting to denigrate Japan as a colony and lessens the effect of western imperialism during the 19th and 20th century, especially in consideration of Yoshida and his pragmaticism in regards to Japan's relationship to the US. The bubble burst in 1989, not 2003; And if Japan was a colony of the US, then how come Japanese firms are able to invest in the US and sell their products? Under Imperialism, colonies were claimed just to create captive markets and to secure natural resources. And your claim about how Japanese people are the same as Americans is obviously the opinion of somebody who's never been to Japan; That's the farthest from the truth.

"
Japan basicly is a US colony! Everything else is basicly an illusion! The Anime and Manga culture by the wat reflect this very well! They'd NEVER be independent again! The Baby Boomers such as Kouzumi, Abe, and most likely even Ozawa reflect this very well! You see;they have never with there own eyes witnessed a time, when Japan was independent! To them those times are myths from the days of the parents! Japan will remain an America colony perhaps for the next 10-years, and then eventually become a Chinese one, because i have a feeling those Chinese forces wont stop in Taipei when the march finally begins! And who would stop them? Japan? Give my a break;=))"
Yeah, I really doubt people who were born in the 1950's don't remember World War 2. /sarcasm

"Japan is a natural colony! Softened up by 60-years of American rule! They've been told that the Empire of there fathers was evil, America saved them for democracy and freedom, and a nationalistic, independent Japan is perfecty OUT OF THE QUESTION! The Chinese haven't been brainwashed like this, and you can definitely see the DIFFERENCE! By the time Japanese were too busy aplogising for there past wrongs and making toys, cars and electronics for there new masters, the Chinese were marching to Tibet, Uiguria and parts of Mongolia, and testing nuclear tipped missiles capable of reaching Japan! Last year China sent a battalion of troops to Tibet on a home made railway across the Himalayas! Japan coulnd't even send a whaling fleet to the Antractic!!!"

Wait, so somehow it's wrong that postwar Japan is a democratic and pro US state, yet your later in your screed you start claiming about how there's only one Asian superpower (Which is false) and one Asian colony (Wth that is) and it's somehow wrong they've embraced western values, but you apparently hate Japan for this? Wow, I've never heard that one before. I've also never seen a European pretty much support China's occupation of Tibet and belligerence in the region. Pretty funny, considering that America gets attacked for supposedly supporting imperialism abroad. And can you name one major Chinese brand if it's so bad that Japan focused on building up a consumer market rather than creating a one party dictatorship with a command economy, besides Lenovo (Too bad their computers really blow)? I can name at least 10 Japanese firms ranging from electronics and cars to heavy industrial concerns. I'd also rather be a citizen of a country that has an affluent economy and where I can live a comfortable lifestyle than a nuclear armed dictatorship where I'll live in relative poverty and be shot for my political belefs.

"There is only ONE Asian Superpower, and there is only ONE Asian colony! Everything else is just a very carefully designed ILLUSION! There is a country called Japan, but it is a COLONY! Once it was ruled by American military force, but now America also rules it's economy, since the US is Japans number 1 export market! That is why it doesent manner wheter it's Koizumi, Abe or Ozawa who "leads" the country! Either they do what Uncle Sam says, or Uncle Sam starts taxing there exports! And that is when BIG BUSINESS will literally KILL THEM!!!"

If anything, Japan has more say in the US economy considering that they own the second highest amount of US treasury bonds, helping finance the US economy. And in reality, Japan's largest export market now is China. And when a Korean reunification does occur, it's going to economically devastate the Korean peninsula as two radically different economies are going to have to merge, and if anything the Japanese will be involved in it (Construction contracts, foreign aid).

And on a separate point: What's with all the ex pats living in Japan who constantly bitch and moan about how bad the country is, it's dying, etc. If I was like that, I'd put my money where my mouth is and leave for supposedly better places.

And another note, if you really claim your an adult when your 16, that has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard; I sure as hell wasn't an adult then and only when I hit 22 did I consider myself one.

 

"I'm not surprised to read of the prevailing pessimism here. Japan has become a sinking, highly indebted, old peoples' home. What can be done about it?? Nothing."

Finally become Chinese province:)?

 

they are located at the crossroads of three permanent members of the UN Security Council. It would be a viable option to place the NEW UN Hdqtrs in Japan.

I have been watching over Japanese developments from the get go, and the new adults will not have a situation as dire as their grandparents. Remarkable determination to go on after a devastating war. I was there.

 

The legal age of majority is the age at which you can vote.

 

Of course their lives will be worse as long as they do not stop wasting their time buying the brand bags, playing the video games and using up their parent money.

 

Time to clear up a lot of confusion here. There seems to be a rather large number of posters that feel these newly crowned adults are somehow in need of a lecture on ethics or a backhand swipe to the forehead for whatever reason. So lets clear the air. First, these new adults were all born in the late 1980’s, 1987 to 1988 to be precise. This was about the time the economic bubble was about to burst. Little did these infants and toddlers know, but they were about to embark in one of the worst time periods in recent memory. A time period highlighted by economic turmoil, political in-decision, and social upheaval.

By the time these kids hit their teens, they had witnessed the complete dismantling of the once proud Japan Incorporated. The first to fall was “lifetime employment.” This alone sent shock waves through the family as Grandpa was suddenly forced out of the corporation and Dad proceeded to walk a fine line between a paycheck and a pink slip. Times were scary and the breadwinner of the family did all he could to keep a steady income flowing. Then came serious layoffs, bankruptcies, and closures that swept through corporate Japan in the late 90’s. It seemed no matter how hard the ol’ man worked, they just couldn’t get ahead. This particular group was thinking about Jr. High, but that too was about to change, from 6 days a week to 5. It must have appeared to this generation that nothing was sacred anymore, and no it wasn’t ! Over the next few years new words like “Defla, NEET’s, freetas, and the working poor” would become commonplace. Today, this “confused” generation must cope with a stagnant economy, more political paralysis, and an uncertain future about as bleak as one could imagine. And non of it of their making! I think we should lay blame at the doorstep of those responsible, those politicians that don’t have the common sense to understand that “a stitch in time saves nine”! Japan remains burdened by dysfunctional banks and businesses that are weighing down the general good of the nation. Drastic changes must be made, but the nations leaders remain arrogant to the core, refusing to comprehend the dire needs of its’ citizens. Let’s hope these new adults do what their parents and Grandparents couldn’t… force change !

 

I'm surprised it's not 100%. Yes kids your lives will be worse than your parents. It's not the 80s anymore and I am certainly not making money like my parents did back then. I would dare say it's probably even more clear here than in the states that the boom times are not returning anytime soon for the average college grad.

 

or 70s anymore,yeah that is right.From 90s t0 2000s world is facing more and more problems of all sorts.You can beat the positive vibe boom times of 70s and 80s,when world was easier place to live,there just more positive vibes everywhere.Nowadays the problems is world becoming caught up in rings mentality,walled in mentality and bloc mentality.

If world wants to get boom times,adult youths should work to help remove the man made barriers/rings/walls/blocs.Youths should not waste time escaping in cyber escape games.They must work/innovate/visualise/think tank/dialogue/debate/volunteer to transform these negativities to positive vibes.Youths must pro-actively work to sweep away hatreds and factions separations build ups.The future is what youths do now,work hard to improve the future by what you do now.It may get better than the 70s and 80s.You never know.

 

espeically the part " only 18% said they want to seek financial affluence, while 51% said they prefer lives in which they can get along with members of their family and friends, the survey showed." only 18% said they want to seek financial affluence, while 51% said they prefer lives in which they can get along with members of their family and friends, the survey showed.

As far as the comments about being more American, I believe that is nothing more than the Japanese imitating other cultures. America's culture is rather young, compaired to Japan, so I think Japanese are only trying out a new pair of shoes. I don't think they're about to forget how to walk though. I wish we over here in America were more concerned about our family instead of personal wealth.

 

40% of those who are entering adulthood believe their lives will be worse than those of their parents,
Any particular reason??