Upload: 2 January 2019, Last update: 2 February 2019

What the most important is the value of the very present, it isn’t either the one in the past nor the average in lifetime.

But it is different from Kohaku-uta-gassen and seniority in Japan.

Japan has been traditionally having a song show called Kohaku-uta-gassen at the end of each year. Many Japanese families watch it and prepare for new year. In the show, well-known singers divided into male and female teams compete each other. This program always invites relatively more experienced and veteran singers even if some of them didn’t come front in the year. Why do this way?

Presumably it might be because of the generations who prefer to watch this, the director puts more experienced singers in order to make this suitable for the elderly. Or since this is a part of culture, it would be better to have a wide generational range of singers in order to create a show suitable for all generations of Japanese. This can encourage and preserve the custom of Japanese watching this before new year.

Whatever the truth is, I think this selection of singers has to do with the employment system, particularly seniority, in Japan.

The fact that this show has quite a number of veteran singers is related to the sense of value in Japanese society. The following part explains it linked with workplace situation.

In the selection of singers at this song show as well as the field of business in Japan, what is evaluated is that how much they contributed to Japan’s song world or what they have achieved in the life-scale. It’s not whether they have become the timely singer of the year or not. In fact, the accomplishments of each singer throughout their life is one of the most important factors, but what I want to emphasize here is the fact that some of singers who didn’t so much influence the year can be on the show if they are experienced and have achieved great jobs before. Those who select the singers evaluate on not a-year-basis but life-span achievements.

This culture is similar to the seniority in Japan because they put more focus on the contribution in the life-length rather than the very this moment. That’s why many Japanese companies taking measure of seniority promote those who with more time they spent at the company. There are some of those who should have been evaluated more and I feel kind of strangeness in this point. Because value is not put on the one right now, but it is evaluated in the whole-past basis.

Since this show is conducted every year, I don’t think it’s a good idea to choose singers in terms of life-time achievement. This prevents the development of younger generation and I guess there’s similar situation at Japanese companies as well.

I do not have intention to condemn the show, but I think there’s relationship between the selection of singers at the show and the seniority of employment in Japan. Especially what they evaluate and put more values on. This is much related to a society level.