The geographical and historical situation of Japan, in which the people have had to live together in small communities peacefully and harmoniously, has worked a strong influence on human relationships. For example, when expressing honest feelings might hurt or offend others, official stance is expressed instead to keep peace in a community. This produced a custom of avoiding mention of honest feelings that are different from others and adjusting to official stance, and provided the reason for criticizing the Japanese people for hardly expressing their opinions. However, most Japanese refrain from expressing honest feelings because they value wa, a sense of harmony and togetherness, more than self-expression; yet, this kind of attitude is not accepted in the world community of nations, and has been gradually changing as Japan internationalizes.