Why Japanese companies do so many different things

Post by dfedbeef » Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

alephnerd wrote: post #54

jdw64 wrote: post #7

It’s always fascinating to see how Westerners idealize Japan on platforms like HN. It makes me wonder(i'm korean): how would a Westerner react if they saw me romanticizing the Mondragon cooperatives in Spain? They’d probably find it strange and out of touch with reality. This essay on Japan's corporate diversification and physical tacit knowledge is an interesting read. However, as an East Asian, my assessment is tha…

> It’s always fascinating to see how Westerners idealize Japan on platforms like HN Most HNers tend to be in their mid-30s to 50s so a lot of Japan-philia does appear to stem from an older mental image from the 1990s to 2010s. > This essay on Japan's corporate diversification and physical tacit knowledge is an interesting read. However, as an East Asian, my assessment is that this system is heavily driven by Japan's…

Post by jdw64 » Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

alephnerd wrote: post #54

jdw64 wrote: post #7

It’s always fascinating to see how Westerners idealize Japan on platforms like HN. It makes me wonder(i'm korean): how would a Westerner react if they saw me romanticizing the Mondragon cooperatives in Spain? They’d probably find it strange and out of touch with reality. This essay on Japan's corporate diversification and physical tacit knowledge is an interesting read. However, as an East Asian, my assessment is tha…

> It’s always fascinating to see how Westerners idealize Japan on platforms like HN Most HNers tend to be in their mid-30s to 50s so a lot of Japan-philia does appear to stem from an older mental image from the 1990s to 2010s. > This essay on Japan's corporate diversification and physical tacit knowledge is an interesting read. However, as an East Asian, my assessment is that this system is heavily driven by Japan's…

Post by pstuart » Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:51 PM UTC

griffinkelly wrote: post #14

BJones12 wrote: post #3

The core of the article is buried 60% down: > you have a firm that has lots of lifetime employees who can’t be fired, and whose skills are tailored to what your firm needs rather than to a particular occupational category transferable to any employer > the system only makes sense if the company is also insulated from outside pressure > the J-firm [Japan-style company], run by its employees and largely indifferent to…

One other interesting fact about Japanese companies is that their CEOs get paid far far less than Western companies. Checkout this article that talks about it: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/2010/07/5-lessons-of-ja... edit: added article.

Post by ymolodtsov » Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:53 PM UTC

MetaWhirledPeas wrote: post #10

> the J-firm, run by its employees and largely indifferent to the interests of shareholders, exists simply to continue existing I don't know if all companies should be run like Japanese companies, but there's something very heartwarming about this. Some companies exist for the purpose of employment, and that's okay . In fact it's admirable and makes me want to cheer.

Post by elzbardico » Fri, May 22, 2026, 4:57 PM UTC

cm2012 wrote: post #15

MetaWhirledPeas wrote: post #10

> the J-firm, run by its employees and largely indifferent to the interests of shareholders, exists simply to continue existing I don't know if all companies should be run like Japanese companies, but there's something very heartwarming about this. Some companies exist for the purpose of employment, and that's okay . In fact it's admirable and makes me want to cheer.

I do also think there's a charm to this model but there's a real cost also with Japan's economy stagnating compared to the United States in the last 30 years.