All measurement begins by defining a concept and making it operational1; however, current theories and measurement methods of creativity often lack cultural universality2. There is a significant absence of standardized, culturally specific tools, beginning with a cross-cultural definition of creativity that assesses diverse creative expressions without excessively relying on Western perspectives3. Therefore, crafting a definition that encompasses the characteristics of creativity for both Western and Eastern cultures, especially East Asians, is complex and challenging4, yet necessary as it serves as a foundational step for subsequent measures and comparisons within and between different cultures. This study introduces a novel approach to analyzing Japanese creativity by applying Simonton56's definition and formula, which assesses creativity through the multiplicative interaction of novelty, utility, and surprise. By contextualizing Japanese creativity within its rich cultural and philosophical traditions—namely Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism—this paper highlights how these elements collectively foster a unique form of creativity that blends incremental innovation with significant global impacts, such as contributions to Nobel Prizes, Japan's substantial global influence in intellectual property, and its consistent production of high-impact scholarly works. This challenges the common stereotypes about Asian educational systems that emphasize rote learning and, together with Confucianism, confront creativity. Instead, it reveals a complex interaction of cultural factors that cultivate a distinctive type of creativity in Japan (and possibly in East Asia in general), deeply integrated with societal values and traditions. The findings from this paper suggest that the adapted formula for Japanese creativity based on Simonton’s model would be expressed as C= a1×N× a2×U× a3×S (where C is creativity, N represents novelty/originality, U represents utility, and S represents surprise and a2> a3> a1), highlighting a preference for utility in harmony with cultural values, followed by surprise and originality. Applying Simonton's framework as the initial step provides a foundation for a comprehensive, culturally nuanced tool for measuring creativity, which can be particularly beneficial in comparative studies of creativity across different cultures, especially between Western and Eastern (Asian) societies.
Minh Kim (Thu,) studied this question.