It’s not uncommon to see a character in Japanese media introduce themselves by giving their name, age and blood type and this can be quite confusing to many readers/viewers. Even being aware of this, I was still caught off-guard when I was watching Ultraman 80 the other night and saw the main character get berated for not know his own blood type. I wasn’t even aware of my blood type until recently so it’s strange but fascinating to see so much importance attributed to it in Japan. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the social importance of blood types in Japan.
The term “blood type personality theory” refers to a pseudoscientific belief that blood type is a major component of a person’s personality, thus their social importance in Japan. Essentially, the belief is that type O people are confident leaders while also being aggressive and selfish, Type A people are compassionate and neat but also shy and obsessive and Type B people are extroverted and creative while also being uncooperative and impatient. Type AB people are a mixture of the personalities that Type A and Type B have.
The development of this theory is often attributed to Takeji Furukawa, a professor who published a paper called “The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type” in 1927 which quickly became popular with the public. This theory was revisited when the Japanese colonial empire began comparing various native peoples and their blood types in an attempt to determine why some rebelled and some submitted. Since then, the focus has shifted from outright racism to romance (a strange shift if I’ve ever seen one) with many Japanese dating apps and services expect you to fill in your blood type as it’s viewed as an important component of compatibility between people. Blood type horoscopes are also popular and blood type personality theory is a popular subject in many Japanese women’s magazines.
Interestingly, the Japanese have even developed a new term associated with blood types, “Bura-hara”. This term refers to any form of discrimination made on the basis of a person’s blood type, something that may sound completely bizarre to people unfamiliar with blood type personality theory. While there have been reports of people being discriminated in the workplace and at school due to their blood type, many people think it’s a case of man bites dog rather than a case of discrimination against blood types being pervasive in Japanese culture.
Having spoken about blood types and their importance for social lives in Japan, the logical question to ask is whether blood type personality theory has any scientific basis. As mentioned before, it’s often viewed as pseudoscience with the general consensus that blood types have an inconsequential effect on a person’s personality although some research does claim to back up the idea of blood types affecting personalities.
Regardless of the basis for it, the fact remains that blood types have immense social importance in Japan and learning a little about blood type personality theory goes a long way to explaining some of those moments that may’ve befuddled us in the past. Let me know your thoughts on the social importance of blood types in Japan, interesting examples of it in media that you may’ve come across, what you think about the idea of blood type affecting personality and any additional information you might have on the topic.
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