Japan-centric

Describing a perspective, approach, or focus that primarily revolves around Japan, its culture, values, history, and interests. This viewpoint often prioritizes Japan's experiences and interpretations, potentially overlooking or marginalizing those of other countries or cultures. It can manifest in various fields, including economics, politics, history, art, and social studies, where the subject matter is examined from a Japanese-dominant perspective. This term often implies a bias, whether intentional or unintentional, in how information is presented or analyzed, potentially leading to a limited or skewed understanding of global issues or cross-cultural interactions. The extent of this bias can vary, from a simple emphasis on Japanese viewpoints to a more exclusionary framing that diminishes the importance of non-Japanese contexts. The concept of Japan-centricity acknowledges the existence of a cultural or historical 'center' where the origin of the thing being examined or discussed is Japan, but also can refer to that cultural concept being held too highly, in which the cultural norms of a specific country influence how issues and ideas are viewed.

Japan-centric meaning with examples

• The economic analysis of East Asia's trade often suffers from a Japan-centric bias, overlooking the significant roles of other Asian economies, such as China and South Korea, in shaping regional trade flows. It may, therefore, provide a very narrow understanding of the region's overall economic performance, thereby ignoring essential context. This limitation impacts any effort at developing truly globally sound economic policies.
• The historical narrative presented in the textbook demonstrated a Japan-centric interpretation of World War II, emphasizing the impact on Japan while minimizing or downplaying the perspectives and suffering of other Asian nations involved. This can lead to incomplete knowledge of the global conflict. The cultural and moral aspects of war are very complex and can easily lead to bias.
• In the field of art history, a Japan-centric viewpoint might primarily focus on Japanese artistic achievements and their influence, giving less attention to the parallel developments in other East Asian countries like China and Korea. It neglects how this rich diversity played a role in the art world and ignores potential global influence.
• The political discussions surrounding environmental policies often demonstrate a Japan-centric approach, prioritising Japan's environmental regulations and concerns, while failing to take into full account the environmental impacts from or of other regions. This approach can make it difficult to find an all encompassing global agreement.