Hello, I am an Alabamian who had worked in Japan for five years. As for the labour environment in Japan, what struck me most was Japanese slave-like attitude to their bosses.
In the West, with a few exceptions of the army or the gang group, it is not rare that a worker retorts upon his senior or superior.
I've heard it said that among Frenchmen one who never quarrels may be regarded as somewhat feeble-brained because he lacks enough sense to have his own opinion.

On the other hand, if a young worker talks back to his senior or boss in Japan, he is thought to be too argumentative and hard to get along with;
moreover, they often feel that such debating attitude is childish, which is quite opposite to the Frenchmen's view.
This situation may have something to do with the fact that there are not a few Japanese of the good talent who fails to be in the position where they should be.

That talking back to one's superior is freedom of speech goes without saying.
However, in fact, incredible to Amero-Europeans is how negative the word "freedom" or "the right" sounds in the Japanese workplace.
Indeed, it is often important to obey the order or the rule, but it is also true that the history of human progress has been made by challenging the rules that exist,.