Japanese often speak of ‘human relationships’ (“ningen kankei”) being important. Frequently, they mean that in comparison to legal contracts or other formal obligations, human relationships are more important. Thus, the wording of a contract might specifically state one thing, but the human relationship underlying the contract leads the parties to something quite different. While this may puzzle some outsiders, emphasis on human relationships contributes to a relatively low level of social conflict (which is, however, certainly not absent) and many unspoken agreements on how affairs should proceed.
