Does the Japanese Work Ethic Conflict with the Needs of Retail in the Digital Era?

Japan’s economic competitiveness has continued to decline, compared to other developed countries, since 1995 as the information society started. In Japan, Europe, and the USA, the number of employees engaged in the tertiary industry reaches 70%; the promotion of tertiary industry has a large impact on each country’s economy. Examining Japanese and Western fast fashion and food service companies, it may be that Japanese companies have high labor productivity for services, but low labor productivity when measured by the usual comparison tool, value-added productivity. Consideration of this disconnect from the perspective of the Japanese work ethic leads to the conclusion that the general Japanese work ethic in these industries does not match well with the current global information society, at least regarding retail industry. Finally, a discussion is undertaken regarding the way in which the mechanism for Japanese work ethic in retail can mesh favorably in this era of digital challenge.