So you think apologizing is the norm in Japan? Well, think again — especially with regard to its venerable medical profession.
As malpractice lawsuits have shown for decades, Japan's doctors — who have long assumed unfettered paternalistic control over patients — often clam up, suffer memory blanks and retreat into cliquish denial when faced with allegations of malpractice or medical error.
Recently, though, a number of hospitals have adopted a policy in which they apologize to patients and/or their families as soon as a medical error is discovered. Paradoxically, the movement has been inspired by doctors in the United States, which is regarded as a far more litigious society than Japan.