木村「明日のパーティーにいらっしゃいますか」
こうじつ
加藤「いいえ。何か口実をみつけて欠席Lようと思っているんですよ」
Koojitsu
Kimura: Ashita no paatii ni irasshaimasu ka.
Kato: lie. Nani ka koojitsu wo mitsukete kesseki shiyoo to omotte iru'n desu yo.
Kimura: Will you be at the party tomorrow?
Kato: I don't think so. I've got to think of a good excuse to be absent.
* * *
Koojitsu refers to an excuse. Kojitsu wo mitsukeru and koojitsu wo mokeru are examples of how it is used. Let's look at some situations in which it is appropriate. First, the conversation above.
This is the season for parties. In Japan, where the Christian celebration of Christmas and the Japanese custom of boonenkai (end of the year party, or, literally, forgetting the year meeting) come at the same time, it's not uncommon to receive invitations for three parties on the same day. Being only one person, you have to choose. It would of course be nice to be able to split into three, to send one's mouth to the party with the best food, one's heart to the party with the kind of people that will make it beat fast, and one's feet to the party with the best dancing. Too bad this isn't possible. At times like this one must koojitsu wo mitsukete shootai wo kotowaranakereba narimasen (cook up a good excuse and turn down some of the invitations). Saying, "I have a different party to go to," just won't do. "Dooshitemo koojitsu ga hitsuyoo desu (Some kind of good excuse is absolutely necessary).
While troubling over how to turn down the invitations, a friend says, "Kimi nara koojitsu gurai sugu mitsukerareru deshoo" ("Why, you shouldn't have any trouble quickly cooking up a little excuse"). Though koojitsu may be, in a sense, socially acceptable, for me they are much the same as uso. I guess I'm just too honest. I really have a hard time thinking of how to refuse. Koojitsu wo sagasu no wa sonna ni kantan na koto de wa arimasen (Finding an excuse is not all that easy).
Within Japanese society the best way to get out of something is to use one's work as a pretense (shigoto wo koojitsu ni suru koto) ; "I've got to work overtime," "There's a meeting I've just got to go to." Most people will quickly accept such an "excuse." Hito ni yotte wa koojitsu to shite tsukaemasen (Some excuses won't work with some people), though. Some companies just don't have overtime, and if one happens to be self-employed, kore wa koojitsu to shite wa tsukaemasen (this can't be used as an excuse). The best excuse then is, "I've got to go to a relative's wedding," or "A relative has just died." Watch out, though. You can't use these too many times! Kono koojitsu wa shiba shiba tsukau wake ni mo ikimasen.