Japanese society is much less meritocratic than US society. They prize conformity far far more than the US/Europe does.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa_(Japanese_culture)
This result is actually entirely expected given their culture.
Besides I know that mobility and meritocracy don't map perfectly but Japan is actually a society with more intergenerational mobility than the US and about half of Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gatsby_curve#/media/File...
So if we define "intergenerational mobility" as the economic mobility of a family over multiple generations, Japan is actually on the lower end, as there's less correlation between your parent's occupation/wealth and your own. As an example, your father could work hard and gain a higher economic position, but in Japan that advantage has a smaller effect on you and your potential.
I understand there's a fair argument on the other side where you could have more power to determine your own future, but I doubt that's directly correlated to your parents' ability to provide opportunity and a better life; unless we assume a zero-sum game.
[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/intergenerational-earnings-el...
Less correlation between between your parent's wealth and your wealth is mobility, I think you're confused.
>As an example, your father could work hard and gain a higher economic position, but in Japan that advantage has a smaller effect on you and your potential.
Yes? That's a good thing, that means the society is more mobile. A society where your parent's economic position grants a large advantage on you and your potential is inherently less mobile.
That's absolutely true, if we're talking about individual mobility, but I was commenting on the idea of intergenerational mobility as mentioned in the parent and also in other places in this thread.
If your parent's economic position is irrelevant to your own, then every generation effectively 'resets' and there is not intergenerational mobility, which I took to mean as the gradual economic mobility of a family over multiple generations.
> A society where your parent's economic position grants a large advantage on you and your potential is inherently less mobile
While there is very likely a correlation here, most economists agree that economics in society is not a zero-sum game and thus one person's advantage as a result of their parents won't necessitate another's disadvantage to an equal degree. It's not a direct correlation; and that's before we factor in the increased motivation to innovate for your children's futures that come with an economic inheritance system, so on and so forth.
Japanese culture values stability very highly. People in this thread believe this kind of stability results in low economic mobility. In the US, people associate high economic mobility with meritocracy.
There's a couple leaps to be made in both associations, but I think that's what the gist is.
From the wiki: "prefer the continuation of a harmonious community over their personal interests". That's directly opposed to meritocracy.