Public Relations in Japan: The Cultural Roots of Kouhou

Abstract

This article explores why Japan's PR industry remains under-developed compared to that of the United States. To explain how culture affects PR practice, it draws on the Hofstede (2001) dimensions of cultural variability. Long-term orientation results in stakeholders' patience in the face of new corporate directions (obviating the need for PR intervention) and stability in the choice of an agency, whether or not it performs spectacularly. High masculinity has meant the near absence of high-ranking women in corporate PR and indigenous agencies. Collectivism manifests itself in in-house rather than agency-based activities, a unique press club system and (slow) consensus decisions. (Slow reaction time and silence during crises can also be attributed to Japan's high-context communication style.) A specific aspect of collectivism—Japan's lifetime employment system—differentiates its PR practice from that of the United States; on-the-job rather than university-based training results in loyalty to the company, not the PR profession, as does life-long employees' movement in and out of PR duties. No system of professional accreditation exists in Japan.