London, December 5 (ANI): Blood types are what most Japanese apparently think have answers to all problems, from wooing a prospective lover to securing a promotion at work.
It seems that an increasing number of people are subscribing to the theory that blood types determine every aspect of personality, temperament and interaction with others.
Testimony to the countrys blood type obsession are four books, which are among Japans best sellers in the past year.
Over five million copies of a series of books based on Instruction Manual for People with Type B Blood, appealing in particular to women in their twenties and thirties, have been bought thus far this year, say its distributors Tohan.
Even though there is no scientific evidence linking between blood type and temperament, the Japanese are still enthusiastically embracing the concept.
Their belief is that people with type A blood are patient, uptight, sensitive, responsible, and cautious. Adolf Hitler, Britney Spears, and Ringo Starr are some of the famous examples.
Japanese people think that those with type B blood are unconventional, optimistic, unpredictable, creative, and strong. Paul McCartney, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo Di Caprio are among celebrities under this category.
Type O blood is believed to make for trendsetters, passionate, vain, self-confident, and loyal people. The Queen, John Lennon, and Liam Gallagher are the examples.
AB blood group is considered to be associated with properties like sociable, popular, calm, rational, critical, and indecisive. Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy, and Mick Jagger form the examples in this category.
The concept of blood typology first emerged in Japan in 1927, when scientist Takeji Furukawa published the paper The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type, reports the Telegraph.
It was only in the 1970s that the concept captured the imagination of a vast swathe of society with the publication of the first of 30 popular books on the subject by journalist Masahiko Nomi.
Since then, several books on the subject have been printed, with a number of commercial enterprises cashing in on the popularity of blood type products.
Matchmaking services, employment opportunities and beauty products are some of the aspects of modern day Japanese life that subscribe to the blood typology theory. (ANI)