Japanese Shun Astrology; the Key to Personality, They Believe, Is All in the Blood

TOKYO —  The Japanese believe you are your blood type, not your astrological sign.

Making blood such a big thing might be controversial in multiracial countries, but not in this nation of homogeneous population and ancestor worship.

The theory’s popularity aside, what do blood types reveal about character?

Little or nothing, according to scientists; a great deal, in the opinion of many other Japanese.

“Most of us view it with a snicker,” said Tadao Miyamoto, a psychiatry professor at Jichi Medical School north of Tokyo. “Personally, I don’t believe in it at all.

“Scientifically speaking, it is not an issue. I don’t think there is any scholarly research on it. There are scores of more pressing topics for research.”

Non-scientists will tell you people with type A blood are cautious, eager to please, indecisive, sympathetic and conformist. Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, criticized for slow response to the Gulf War, is offered as an example.

If you are decisive, and known for originality and versatility, occasionally obnoxious and stand out in a crowd, your blood must be type B.

Type O produces team leaders, confident and cool-headed people who meet challenges with courage but may become domineering and moody.

An O favors group-oriented sports like bowling, not the mountain climbing and windsurfing of the adventurous B, the theory goes.

AB blood is said to produce complex, mysterious folks with tendencies to eccentricity and talent for specialized fields.

Advocates swear that the system works and provides a useful guide to dealing with fellow humans, but admit that there is no scientific basis.

“It is difficult to prove,” said Yoshimasa Suzuki, who has written several books on the subject. “The best way would be to do a whole blood transfusion on someone, if that were possible.”

Many magazines carry the week’s fortune for each blood type, sometimes combining the forecasts with astrology. “A-type Actresses Going Through Hard Times” was the headline on a gossip-magazine article.

A popular magazine for young women published a “blood-type white paper” on how to cope with marriage. Articles in sports and entertainment magazines analyze professional baseball teams by the blood types of players.

Suzuki even claims that blood types determine national character.

Noting that the predominant American blood type is O, he said: “I’d think John Wayne is type O. Americans don’t pay attention to details. They are straightforward about saying what they think.”

Many Japanese use blood types to confirm subjective observations.

A woman with O blood, for instance, says she cannot get along with her impulsive B mother-in-law. A worker feels his job demands creativity because there are many Bs in the company.

About one-third of Japanese businessmen, either officially or informally, consider blood types in personnel decisions, said Hachiro Asano, a specialist in the field.

Few employers acknowledge the practice. An officer of a major electronics company said he could not verify news reports that one of its divisions had only AB types, who are believed to excel in original ideas.

“There are arguments pro and con within the company about this,” he said apologetically, on condition of anonymity.

A leading soft drink company has introduced sodas that purportedly meet special nutritional needs of people with A or O blood. Pokka Corp. says the Considerate brand provides an anxiety-prone A with calcium to fight stress and the social O gets even more energy from vitamin-fortified Affectionate.

Company spokesman Toshihiko Tarutani said brands might be added for Bs and ABs, but only if the first two succeed.