Honne vs Tatemae

 Japanese people are often said to use 'honne' (true feelings) and 'tatemae' (public facade). It's true that a great difference between honne and tatemae can lead to dishonesty, and when you want something to be changed or fixed, it's necessary to communicate your true feelings rather than just the facade. However, I believe that tatemae also has its value.


The main reasons are:

  1. It softens statements that might hurt others if expressed too directly.
  2. It makes complex or vague things clearer.

Especially nowadays, I think the second reason is very important. Not everything, in business or elsewhere, can be expressed in numbers or made completely clear.

So, even if it's not the main goal, we make things clearer by translating them into numbers or more specific events. For example, our company's aim is to transform into a global company. That's quite vague, so we make it clearer by setting specific goals like increasing the proportion of our global staff to over 30% and making at least 30% of our sales internationally.

Humans can't react to things they don't understand. Even if it's slightly different from the core essence, if it's clear and comprehensible, it can foster empathy and motivate action.

That's why I believe that honne and tatemae, far from being just a negative aspect of Japanese culture, actually represent a profound wisdom that Japanese people have nurtured over time.

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