Receiving Creates Obligation to Reciprocate

When you receive benefits, kindness, help, or consideration in Japan, you incur obligation even without explicit agreement. The debt may not require identical return, but it requires acknowledgment and willingness to reciprocate when opportunity arises. This extends the sphere of commitment throughout social life. You cannot receive without incurring obligation.

This shapes how agreements work: parties come to agreements already connected by prior relationship, by received benefits, by shared context. These connections create obligations that exist alongside explicit agreements. Be aware of what you have received and from whom; those receipts create obligations that your Japanese partners will expect you to recognize.

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