When conflict arises in Japan, the central concern is restoring harmony—the balanced, functional state of relationships and groups that conflict disrupts. Resolution succeeds when relationships work again, when groups can function together, when discord has given way to peace.
The question is not primarily “who was right?” but “how can harmony be restored?” A resolution that correctly identifies fault but leaves relationships damaged has failed. This harmony orientation shapes everything: the preference for mediation over adjudication, the emphasis on mutual accommodation, the focus on future function rather than past wrongs. When navigating conflict in Japanese contexts, orient toward relationship restoration rather than vindication.
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