The A’s, B’s and O’s of Personality Typing Run Thick in Japan’s Veins
TOKYO — You’re talking in a bar to someone new, and things are looking up.
Suddenly she says: By the way, what’s your blood type?
There’s a slight intake of breath after you reply. A bit of small talk rounds off the conversation. And she’s gone.
Forget Virgo vs. Scorpio, or the alignment of Mars and Venus. In Japan, the letters A, B and O spell out success or doom for many a budding relationship, because of a widespread belief that blood type determines character.
Tomotaka Kajiya, a bartender, has witnessed such encounters countless times among the customers he serves at the “101†bar in the fashionable Naka-Meguro district of Tokyo.
“Say a couple comes in on a first date. They’ll talk about the drinks they like for a while. Then the subject often turns to blood type to keep the conversation moving along,†Kajiya said.
Type A blood is thought to produce nit-pickers, while B people are seen as free-wheeling and O’s as driven.
Matchmaking agencies that arrange marriages often weed out potential partners on the basis of blood type.
In tabloids, blood type is used to chart the ebb and flow of celebrity fortunes, and it’s the most vital statistic in profiles of up-and-coming stars.
“I would never develop a long-term relationship with a B,†said Yoshiko Yamazaki, a boutique owner with type A blood. “They’re so tiresome. B’s tend to be sloppy, so I’d always have to clean up after their dirty underwear.â€
Although Japan is famous for technological wizardry and education, superstition still has a powerful hold on many aspects of everyday life. Fortuneteller stands line the streets in busy shopping districts, and the Chinese zodiac has great sway over the behavior of many people.
Medical experts have insisted for years that there is no scientific correlation between character and blood type, but to no avail. Many Japanese remain hooked on the idea.
“It’s a modern superstition,†said Hiroyoshi Ishikawa, a professor of social psychology at Seijo University. “But it’s also a powerful social lubricator. Talking about blood type is the easiest way to establish contact with a stranger.â€
Although trust in the power of blood type is by no means espoused by all, Ishikawa sees it as an enduring and mainstream belief in a country where fads often flare up suddenly only to fizzle out months later.
“Blood type isn’t just the latest boom. For many years, it’s been a fixed belief in society for young and old alike,†he said.
The finer points of branding by blood type vary, but there is a consensus on its broad outlines:
* If you’re an A, you probably get uptight when the silverware’s out of place or if trains run off schedule. Attention to detail combined with a desire to please others are other hallmarks.
* Hear a single, raucous voice booming across the room at a party? You can bet it came from one of those pushy B’s.
* O’s are said to be highly motivated and intent on controlling group situations.
* AB’s are a bundle of contradictions but are also believed to produce original ideas.
According to the Japan Red Cross Central Blood Center, about 40% of Japanese have type A blood, 30% are O, 20% are B and 10% have AB.
In unusual cases, blood type is believed to affect a person’s employment prospects. Some company divisions are reputedly staffed mysteriously by people of the same blood type.
“A number of company owners have asked us only to send applicants of a particular blood type,†said Naoto Saito, an employee of Nihon Manpower, a job placement center. “They claim they’ve noticed a marked tendency for, say, A people to get along well with O people.â€
For Yamazaki, the boutique owner, being an A can be an occupational hazard. “Fashion is an overwhelmingly B-dominated industry,†she laments.
One recent issue of “bea’sUP,†a women’s magazine, splashed the following rather urgent headline across its cover: “EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BLOOD TYPE DIET.â€
In the old days, the article contends, “O’s were a race of hunters, while A’s and AB’s were farmers.†The conclusion? Some are suited to a low-calorie, meat-based diet, while sticking to veggies works best for others.
As innocuous as Japan’s obsession with blood type seems today, its historical roots are sinister. The idea began in the 1930s during Japan’s brutal invasions across Asia. Military leaders commissioned a study on how blood type influences personality in an effort to breed better soldiers.
“Most people don’t realize that the idea that blood type is related to character has origins in Japan’s militaristic past,†said Ishikawa.
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