Japan′s Shinjinrui: the new breed

The Shinjinrui are those Japanese who came of age during the 1970s and afterwards. They have had little or no experience with the postwar traumas their parents encountered. Quite the contrary, they have experienced only awareness of Japan as a rich country, success and the easy life. For this generation, hard work, devotion of oneself to the company and country, and the sacrifice of the present for the future are alien concepts. They have travelled abroad and seen other lifestyles, especially American, and they want to live the good life. This generation will be the Japanese leaders of the twenty‐first century. The changes they bring and the demographics of the Japanese society indicate a far different Japan for the twenty‐first century from that which exists today. Examines the Shinjinrui, who they are, why they are the way they are, the resulting social implications for Japan the Shinjinrui will cause, and their effect on the country′s future international competitiveness.