Lateness May 1985

Trevor Leggett was head of the Japanese Department of the BBC.

This is one of his broadcasts to Japan

Zubari for May 1985

Hello listeners! It is interesting to be back in England again after a month in Japan; my impressions are still fresh in my mind, and I can note the contrasts between our two countries very clearly.

I had one experience which made me think much more deeply about the two social attitudes in regard to lateness! To be late for an appointment is always very unpleasant. When we arrive late, we have to apologize. But I suddenly have come to realize that the method of apology is entirely different in Britain and in Japan.

At the very end of April, I gave a lecture to the students of a university about one hour’s railway journey from Tokyo. The university made the arrangements for my transport. But there was an unfortunate mistake in the times.

I was waiting at my hotel, and finally the guide came who would take me by car and train. I never found out who had made the mistake – probably it was the guide. But anyway, we arrived at the university only about one minute before the lecture was due to begin.  I wanted to go straight to the hall and begin, but the university President insisted that I should rest for a few minutes first.

Then I went to the hall, where there were about 800 students, and some of the staff professors and lecturers. The President introduced me and said that it was not my fault that we were beginning late.

However, when I began to speak, I mechanically said: “Mōshiwake arimasen”. Then I realized that this would be a good point for the beginning of the lecture. In Japan, when one is late one says: “Mōshiwake arimasen”. But in England, just to say simply that there is no excuse is a strange way to apologize. To English ears, that would seem to be very careless, happy-go-lucky, even a bit contemptuous: “I have come late, but there is no definite reason. My appointment with you was not very important; I just did not notice the time – I was watching a programme on TV. That was more interesting than coming to see you.” If we said in English that we have no excuse for being late, it gives this impression that we did not much value the appointment.

So, in English, we always give a reason why we are late. That reason must be something which could not be anticipated: “Normally it takes only half an hour to get here, and today is Sunday, so I thought I could drive here in just 20 minutes. But there is a big exhibition, which I did not know about, at one of the halls on the way, and the roads were jammed with cars waiting to get in to the car parks. We had to wait over ten minutes”.  Or a mother might say, “My little boy, Tommy, fell down and cut his knee: I had to put some plaster on it.”

This kind of excuse means: “My appointment with you was, of course, tremendously important, but owing to these unfortunate accidents (which I could not possibly foresee), I have come late.”

Now it is a fact that sometimes these reasons for being late are not quite true. Most people realize that they are just a form of politeness.

In the same way, ‘Mōshiwake arimasen’ sounds very humble, but it is often just a ‘kimari-kotoba” and has no special meaning. But it is worthwhile to know that in England, and in most other Western countries, one is expected to produce some reason, if one is late.

I explained this point at the beginning of the lecture and then said: “Kondo wa okurete kite, mōshiwake arimasen.  Jitsu ni, mōshiwake ippai arimashita, ga, kochira Nihon no kuni desu kara, mōshiwake arimasen”.

Most of the students burst out laughing, and I hope that you listeners will have enjoyed this too. If not… mōshiwake-arimasen.

© Trevor Leggett