Japan grew up with wa (harmony). Conflict and competition are the creative engines of Western civilization; Japan traveled a different route to the tumultuous present.
Wa breathes the sanctity of ancient roots. It is enshrined in a "constitution" dating back to A.D. 604, attributed to Prince Shotoku Taishi, who decreed: "Wa should be valued and quarrels avoided ... . When superiors are in harmony with each other and inferiors are friendly, then affairs are discussed quietly and the right view of matters prevails."
This wa business was maddening to Western political and business leaders negotiating with Japanese counterparts back in the 1980s and early '90s. These leaders had nothing against harmony, but nothing against "quarrels" either. In 1983, Time magazine explained their frustration: "Japanese companies negotiate slowly because everyone from junior managers to major shareholders must approve a deal, in keeping with the national tradition of consensus."