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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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6

Blood Type Obsession Splits Japan

Belief that blood type determines personality blamed for discrimination

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(Newser) – A widely held belief that blood type determines personality has opened a vein of controversy in Japan, the AP reports. The notion persists despite scientific debunking, with sports teams, matchmakers, and even employers making decisions based on a person's blood type. Some see the craze as sinister and the term "bura-hara" has been coined to describe blood-based harassment.

Four of Japan's top best-sellers last year were about how blood type determines personality. Type As are said to be sensitive perfectionists but overanxious; Type Bs are cheerful but eccentric and selfish; Os are curious, generous but stubborn; and ABs are arty but mysterious and unpredictable. Employers have been warned not to ask workers their blood type, but the belief seems unlikely to vanish any time soon; even the prime minister felt the need to reveal in his official profile that he's an A.

Transparent body robot, called Eve, with complex intertwining rubbery tubing inside for honing doctors' skills for surgery on blood vessels in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007.
Transparent body robot, called Eve, with complex intertwining rubbery tubing inside for honing doctors' skills for surgery on blood vessels in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007.   (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)
In Japan, your blood type can often affect your chances of getting a job.
In Japan, your blood type can often affect your chances of getting a job.   (Shutter Stock)
The belief that blood type determines personality has been widespread in Japan since the 1930s.
The belief that blood type determines personality has been widespread in Japan since the 1930s.   (Shutter Stock)
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It's simply sham science. The idea encourages people to judge others by the blood types, without trying to understand them as human beings. It's like racism. - Satoru Kikuchi, associate professor of psychology at Shinshu University

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6 comments
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EddyTeach
Feb 2, 09 9:10 AM CST
Scam Science to the core-- it seems Japan is starting to live out the future spelled out in Gattica. Reply
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radnip
Feb 2, 09 9:14 AM CST
Guess the Japanese have a long way to go about science. Reply
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andreevna
Feb 2, 09 10:27 AM CST
This seems incongruous with the otherwise straightforward Japanese obsession with scientific/technological advancement. Reply
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boom
Feb 2, 09 4:50 PM CST
This is internalised burakumin! Looks like even the most homogenous society will invent distinctions to discriminate about. Reply
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Newser001
Feb 2, 09 5:31 PM CST
The Japanese suffer from a number of social stereo type categorization problems, which has been built into the culture, some for eons... The newer, younger generations will eventually purge themselves of such ideology... It will take time. Reply
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