What is a word for "participation" that resembles "kameseru"? According to the article "On Being Late to Work in Japan | " (linked from this post at The Workplace): > The word for participation – _kameseru_ – has a special significance which also explains why Japanese bureaucracy is so overwhelming... As far as I know, is not a Japanese word, and it doesn't look like any variations on the vowels ( or or or or some combination thereof) or gemination () give you anything useful either. Nor can I think of any near-homophones (? ?) that mean anything related to "participation". What word might the article have meant?

I'm the author of that post, the 'insufferable self-absorbed hipster.'

It was a typo - I'd meant 'kamei-suru' but was pretty bad at Japanese when I first arrived (and still am not very good, but continue to learn and practice even after having left the country). It's this:

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And basically refers to 'becoming a part of the group' by engaging and participating in the group's activities. I think in hindsight it may have a much more limited function.