I recently watched the movie “Gung Ho”, and it

Cover of Gung Ho

offered incredible insight into the Japanese work ethic. The film “Gung Ho,” as well as the essay “Why I Quit the Company,” displayed the different ways that Americans prioritize their social and family lives with their professional careers. The essay drives a point to the reader that not all Japanese workers are happy with the corporate lifestyle, despite all of the benefits and perks of being a member of an elite caste system. The film dramatically contrasts the work ethics of Americans and their Japanese counterparts.

“Why I Quit the Company” documents the experiences of a Japanese college graduate who is unhappy with the long hours and brutal work ethic of his new job in Japan. He carefully describes all of the benefits of his newfound corporate lifestyle; however, one could believe that corporate Japan offers these perks in order to further assimilate Japanese workers into their company. Iwashita decides to leave his corporate lifestyle behind based on the decision that he was not free to act, live, or think as a free person while under the control of his corporate employers.

“Gung Ho” tells the story of when a Japanese automaker takes over a failed American auto plant, and how differences between American and Japanese work ethics threaten to close the plant. The workers are not permitted a union, are paid lower wages, and are moved around within the factory so that each man learns every job. The workers are also upset because they feel that they are being held to seemingly impossible standards of Japanese efficiency and quality. It is nearly impossible for American workers to emulate the Japanese standard without sacrificing a happy family life as the Japanese in the film have.

I think that Japanese men are not heroes, but victims of a Japanese economic machine that works its people to death.  Sure they sacrifice themselves, but all this ends up in is mundane and absurd suffering, wasted time, and a death spent pondering the fact that they’ve been denied human interaction with those that they’re supposed to love the most. While American workers can learn a lot from their Japanese counterparts, one can only wonder if the ends of working yourself to death could possibly justify the means of doing so.