In Japan, Your Blood Type Says It All

TOKYO — In Japan, "What's your type?" is much more than small talk; it can be a paramount question in everything from matchmaking to getting a job.

By type, the Japanese mean blood type, and no amount of scientific debunking can kill a widely held notion that blood tells all.

In the year just ended, four of Japan's top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, according to Japan's largest book distributor, Tohan Co. The books' publisher, Bungeisha, says the series _ one each for types B, O, A, and AB _ has combined sales of well over 5 million copies.

Taku Kabeya, chief editor at Bungeisha, thinks the appeal comes from having one's self-image confirmed; readers discover the definition of their blood type and "It's like 'Yes, that's me!'"

As defined by the books, type As are sensitive perfectionists but overanxious; Type Bs are cheerful but eccentric and selfish; Os are curious, generous but stubborn; and ABs are arty but mysterious and unpredictable.

All that may sound like a horoscope, but the public doesn't seem to care.

Even Prime Minister Taro Aso seems to consider it important enough to reveal in his official profile on the Web. He's an A. His rival, opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa, is a B.

Nowadays blood type features in a Nintendo DS game and on "lucky bags" of women's accessories tailored to blood type and sold at Tokyo's Printemps department store. A TV network is set to broadcast a comedy about women seeking husbands according to blood type.

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It doesn't stop there.

Matchmaking agencies provide blood-type compatibility tests, and some companies make decisions about assignments based on employees' blood types.

Children at some kindergartens are divided up by blood type, and the women's softball team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics used the theory to customize each player's training.

Not all see the craze as harmless fun, and the Japanese now have a term, "bura-hara," meaning blood-type harassment.

And, despite repeated warnings, many employers continue to ask blood types at job interviews, said Junichi Wadayama, an official at the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry.

"It's so widespread that most people, even company officials, are not aware that asking blood types could lead to discrimination," Wadayama said.

Blood types, determined by the proteins in the blood, have nothing to do with personality, said Satoru Kikuchi, associate professor of psychology at Shinshu University.

"It's simply sham science," he said. "The idea encourages people to judge others by the blood types, without trying to understand them as human beings. It's like racism."

This use of blood-typing has unsavory roots.

The theory was imported from Nazi race ideologues and adopted by Japan's militarist government in the 1930s to breed better soldiers. The idea was scrapped years later and the craze faded.

It resurfaced in the 1970s, however, as Masahiko Nomi, an advocate with no medical background, gave the theory mass appeal. His son, Toshitaka, now promotes it through a private group, the Human Science ABO Center, saying it's not intended to rank or judge people but to smooth relationships and help make the best of one's talents.

The books tend to stop short of blood-type determinism, suggesting instead that while blood type creates personality tendencies, it's hardly definitive.

"Good job, you're done. So how do you feel about the results?" one blood type manual asks on its closing page. "Your type, after all, is what you decide you are."

Comments

[DennyCrane]

I think it's silly to think you can tell that much about a person based on blood type. But what's scary is the short description they gave for mine is dead-on.

[Ergon]

I have many Japanese friends, and very disappointed in the racist and sexist comments. Women dependent on Astrology, indeed!
If you follow the links you'll see that Canadain doctor Peter D'Adamo is one of the pioneers of this reserarch, based on Western writers.
And as a male who's actually studied Astrology (beyond newspaper sun sign horoscopes) I know it has still uncharted depths of understanding of the human condition. Unscientific? Yes, it's an art. But so is Psychology. Jung's study of human archetypes was greatly influneced by his study of Indian mysticism, which he tried to filter through his own ID, unfortunately :)

[Takae]

It doesn't really say the blood type theory is mostly popular among teenage girls and young women who look for the 'right way'. Like how western women rely on astrology and horoscopes.

But there are some - not many, but some - companies that take it into account when assessing job interviewees. I'm against this practice because it IS a form of discrimination because it's based on a belief that has no consistent scientific basis. It's a social issue.

[piul05]

My best friend is Japanese and she definitely fits the kooky stereotype - and so does her family, her japanese friends and co-workers. They are always looking for signs everywhere, or trying to find out personality traits through animal horoscope (it has koala, sheep, racoon, black panther, bambi - as she translated it...), ordinary horoscope, chinese horoscope, tarot, numerology, shells, palm reading - you name it!

It's quite amusing, really, although most people who don't know her very well find it a bit unsettling...

[Takae]

She would be considered a weirdo by Japanese people including me, too. :)

It sounds as if she has some kind of OCD! :D

[piul05]

Her English husband often looks puzzled (not to say shocked); his head goes "guru, guru, guru" trying to figure all his wife's rather quirky personality. :-))

[Ergon]

For what it's worth, I tried the diet and found it helped my overall health and weight. I understand the criticisms but really, when you look into the possibility of food sensitivities, it makes sense to me.
As far as personality typing goes, it's based on observation, and just as valid as Astrology or Psychology, imho.

[LeftRight]

When I was in school, I did a sociological study. I cut out my own horoscope for 12 days, being sure to cut out which sign it said. Then I glued them to 12 sheets of cardboard, labeling them with each of the 12 signs. I then went out to various locations, and asked people to take part. I asked them their signs, then handed them the cardboard for that sign, informing them that it was their horoscope for the day before, and asked how accurate it was. More than 80% of the people were amazed at how accurate it was, and of the remaining 18% or so (I don't have the paper I wrote about it anymore.....) almost all of them knew all about horoscopes and recognized that it wasn't for their sign!

[rainbowblue]

This just adds to my belief that modern Japanese culture has lead to the strangest people on Earth. Our Ralians (the alien cult in Florida that "cloned" a baby a few years ago) have nothing on these people.

[BlackYowe]

I have bad news for you its all the rage with American 20 somethings and now there is a blood type diet!

[BlackYowe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet

[BlackYowe]

Follow this link its everywhere its now a diet!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet

[Takae]

Take a check at what you wrote, please. There are stupid trends, beliefs and traditions in every culture and every country on earth. Japan is no exception.

However, the trends tend to be publicized in the western media, so it seems as if Japan's full of crackpots, which isn't true at all.

[ConfuciusSay-]

Resounding nonsense.

[Forest]

This reminds me of the superstitions around new borns. A child born with a veil, or caul, wrapped around a part of them was a sign of potential greatness; those born with a facial birthmark meant they would bring good luck to all of those in their presence.

[tedmore123]

I wonder what type Tojo was ? You know, 'imperialistic, war like, prone to attacking Pearl Harbor'

[ohioan73]

What a crock! Granted, I am an O and also curious, generous and stubborn but isn't everybody at some point in their life? That sounds about as accurate as astrology. Take a person based on the time of year they were born and highlight everything they do that pertains to that assigned "trait" while ignoring all other aspects of their personality. Brilliant. Yawn.

In another way, its as frightening and sickening as people in the USA attributing physical or mental prowess to race. I guess most Japanese natives (not the immigrants) are the same race with similar features so they have to come up with any old sort of system of exclusion and unfair generalization since everybody has similar skin color and hair. Humans are sick.

[ManwithaParachute]

Japanese culture is always so interesting to me. As a society they are like a very intelligent 16-22 year old female.

[jukesgrrl]

Teen girls coming down the sidewalk in matching outfits.

[pc51]

Not silly to the person who came up with cashing in on the idea.

[SusanNewman]

Is assigning labels and traits by blood type any different from the labels we attach by birth order? Think only child--(spoiled, lonely, aggressive) labels that have stuck since 1896 when the first research was done on onlies. What about the how middle children, eldest, and youngest are "marked?"

[RTIII]

Modern studies have shown that there _are_ effects from birth-order, so this is not comparable.

Birth-order effects are not deterministic, of course, but are statistically relevant.
.

[Cinnamonape]

Sulloway's work, and those of others have suggested that there may indeed be links to birth order and personality. Of course, those factors must be "imposed" since there are genetically no differences that can be assessed genetically (i.e. there is no gene that's found in first-borns vs. second, third...last borns). Consider that in some societies there is the law of primogenitor. That's clearly going to have marked effects on the duties and treatment of first born sons. First born females are often encouraged to become the "second mothers" of subsequent children (last born children rarely have any such child-rearing responsibilities).

Interestingly, in matrilineal non-human Primates, dominance status of females is obtained by the final female born. Thus the highest ranking female passes that status on to her last-born daughter. Her first born daughter has the lowest rank within the family line.

So yes...children are "marked" but the birth order phenomenon is a real one. We understand its causation and associations. To attribute "personalities" as a genetic one based upon blood is to take something that is just a random trait and to apply to it characteristics that are largely aspects of everyones personality. It's all a bit silly. Like horoscopes.

[LeftRight]

Not to mention those who do not fit any one group, like myself. I was born as the youngest, and lived that way until I was almost 9 years old. Then my parents divorced and my father and I went our own way. In reading the information available about how birth order affects people, I find that I am an odd combination of the baby, and the only.

It's all empirical evidence, yet it does seem to fit.

[gevan]

This is as serious or as silly as astrology at the least.

[rainbowblue]

At least astrology isn't racist...