Appropriate feedback directness in Japan varies by context. Training contexts (athletic, military, vocational) permit greater directness because improvement requires clear correction. High-stakes contexts may justify directness that low-stakes contexts would not. Close developmental relationships with established trust may allow more directness.
Social contexts, by contrast, strongly constrain negative feedback. Understanding what directness is appropriate requires reading the context—setting, relationship, stakes, purpose. When giving feedback in Japanese contexts, calibrate directness to context. More direct feedback is appropriate in training and high-stakes settings; social settings require greater indirection or silence.
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