Naoko Shimazu states in her Guardian article that 'Bringing out the "made in Japan" argument is not helpful. It panders to the uniqueness idea and does not explain, but rather reinforces, existing stereotypes.
Moreover, the supposedly Japanese qualities that the report outlines, such as obedience, reluctance to question authority, "sticking with the programme" and insularity, are not at all unique to Japan, but are universal qualities in all societies'.

Although I understand her argument and all societies share these qualities more or less, she cannot say that Japan (or any other country) is the same as the rest of the world. There is difference in degree among countries in these aspects. I think the supposedly Japanese qualities she mentions such as reluctance (or
difficulty) to question authority are more problematic in Japan than many other countries. This depends on pesonal perception but If you spend your childhood in Japanese schools and work in Japanese companies (I have both experience), you would feel strong pressure (or even social norms) to follow these qualities (unless you do not mind being considered a 'maverick' or worse ostracised, bullied or sacked from a job). We cannot forget that so-called culture or national qualities are often created (or imposed) by education and politics/public policy. As you can see from the Guardian photo of Chairman Kurokawa bowing deeply when he submits his commission's report even though the report criticises authority, Japanese people are often obliged to show respect to authority (or senior people) in public (not in private, though).

Shimazu concludes her article by stating 'Putting a cultural gloss on the critical investigative report sends a confusing message to the global community - particularly when it comes from a country that is a world leader in technological sophistication.'

I would say that she also commits an error of stereotyping Japan by mentioning Japan's technological sophistication. Although Japan excels some areas of technology, there is also an abysmal degree of technological backwardness (often in financial transactions but also others) such as ATM services (not yet 24/365 service in most cases) and online shopping (you are often required to have a 'Japanese' credit card and there is virtually no debit card in Japan despite the existence of J-debit, which is not compatible with foreign transactions). Overall, I find Shimazu's article is very academic and boring (as often found in academic comments on Nihonjinron) and quite
superficial.

*******************************************************
***********************
Dr. Hiroaki Richard Watanabe, D.Phil. Oxford, MA Yale Lecturer, School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield

http://www.shef.ac.uk/seas/staff/japanese/watanabe.html
http://www.wreac.org/people/WREAC-People/Core-Researchers/Watanabe%2C-Hiroaki-Richard/details