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ABSTRACT. Kyosei, a traditional Japanese concept, has been applied to a variety subjects, from biology to business. It has more recently become synonymous with the concepts of corporate responsibility, ethical decision making, stakeholder maximization, and responsible reciprocity. The purpose of this paper is to trace kyosei's modern business application back to ancient Confucian thought. The ideals associated with Confucianism were instrumental in the creation of Japanese business codes of ethics during the early part of the seventeenth century. A short history of this period is presented to provide a contextual framework for understanding these codes. A specific code of ethics, called the shuchu kiyaku, is presented for the first time in English and shown to have direct roots in Confucian writings. Statements from modern company codes and from modern Japanese and American businessmen are presented to reflect the philosophy of business embodied in that ancient code of ethics.
KEY WORDS: code of ethics, Confucius, corporate responsibility, kyosei, Seika Fujiwara, shuchu kiyaku
"The mystery is:
here is the fork in the road, but which way is up?"1
I. Introduction and definition
The Japanese concept of kyosei has been discussed and applied in a variety of ways for many generations in Japan. It only has recently become a more familiar concept in the rest of the world to describe why a business organization should be concerned for the many stakeholders with whom it comes into contact. In this interpretation, it has found its way into the mainstream of corporate responsibility and ethics programs worldwide.
This paper traces the historical connection between the Confucian philosophical principles on which kyosei is based and its adaptation and application to sixteenth century Japan. Kyosei emerges as a significant descriptor of corporate behavior in Japan and the rest of the world during and near the end of the twentieth century.
Kyosei can be translated literally into English from two Japanese characters which mean working together (kyo) and life (sei). From these English roots, Murakami (1992) characterizes kyosei as "cooperative living or symbiosis."2 This literal translation has been broadened in many ways as individuals and corporations seek to apply the principles embedded in the concept.
Kyosei had its early roots in science. Teruyasu Murakami noted that "The word kyosei (symbiosis) comes originally...