wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
日本語

ChinavsJapan

中国と日本CNJP

Seen from China: each line below describes Japan relative to China.

Swap: see China from Japan

Culture Map: eight scales

Erin Meyer's eight scales, sorted by how far apart China and Japan sit, largest gap first.

Filled dot: China, where you are looking fromHollow ring: Japan

Where you will notice the difference6 scales

  1. Deciding

    Japan decides by group agreement more than China (5 steps)

    China +2, Japan −3, on a line from −3 (Consensual) to +3 (Top-down).

  2. Evaluating

    Japan gives negative feedback more indirectly than China (2 steps)

    China +1, Japan +3, on a line from −3 (Direct negative feedback) to +3 (Indirect negative feedback).

  3. Communicating

    Japan leaves more to be read between the lines than China (1 step)

    China +2, Japan +3, on a line from −3 (Low-context) to +3 (High-context).

  4. Leading

    Japan keeps more distance between boss and team than China (1 step)

    China +2, Japan +3, on a line from −3 (Egalitarian) to +3 (Hierarchical).

  5. Trusting

    Japan builds trust through reliable work more than China (1 step)

    China +2, Japan +1, on a line from −3 (Task-based) to +3 (Relationship-based).

  6. Disagreeing

    Japan avoids open disagreement more than China (1 step)

    China +2, Japan +3, on a line from −3 (Confrontational) to +3 (Avoids confrontation).

Not placed2 scales

These scales are left unmarked: either Meyer leaves a country off the scale or no source places it, and drawing it anyway would be guessing.

  • PersuadingMeyer leaves China and Japan off this scale and describes their reasoning as holistic
  • SchedulingNo source places China on this scale
Positions are read by eye from Erin Meyer's published charts and rounded to seven steps. A step means “further towards that pole”, not a measured distance. How the positions were read

Hofstede: six dimensions

Scores from 0 to 100, sorted by the gap between China and Japan. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Uncertainty avoidance

    Japan scores 62 points higher than China (92 against 30)

    China 30, Japan 92, on a line from 0 (Tolerant of ambiguity) to 100 (Avoids ambiguity).

  2. Motivation towards achievement and success

    Japan scores 29 points higher than China (95 against 66)

    China 66, Japan 95, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

  3. Power distance

    Japan scores 26 points lower than China (54 against 80)

    China 80, Japan 54, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

  4. Long-term orientation

    Japan scores 23 points higher than China (100 against 77)

    China 77, Japan 100, on a line from 0 (Short-term) to 100 (Long-term).

  5. Individualism

    Japan scores 19 points higher than China (62 against 43)

    China 43, Japan 62, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  6. Indulgence

    Japan scores 18 points higher than China (42 against 24)

    China 24, Japan 42, on a line from 0 (Restrained) to 100 (Indulgent).

Country averages. About 80% of variation in values is between people inside a country (Taras et al. 2016).Source: The Culture Factor — Country comparison tool (2026).About the Hofstede dimensions

What the sources say, theme by theme

Entries for China and Japan, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

China3 claims

Japan4 claims

Failure & risk

China2 claims

Japan3 claims

Feedback & code review

China3 claims

Japan4 claims

Hierarchy & decisions

China2 claims

Japan3 claims

Communication & docs

China4 claims

Japan3 claims

Work & careers

China4 claims

Japan5 claims

Open source & community

China5 claims

Japan4 claims