KylieDog said:
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Such a confusion is common. A genre identification tells you something about the game itself. The JRPG / WRPG distinction tells you something about the game's design team, and by extension their design philosophy. There is a difference, albeit a subtle one.
I would say that stereotypically the JRPG-WRPG distinction includes a genre distinction, but this is definitely not a hard or fast rule. Stereotypically JRPGs have pre-designed characters going about scripted events in a closed or limited environment that is as polished as possible (Final Fantasy). WRPGs have customizable characters going along in an open, sand-box world (Elder Scrolls). Of course, there are tons of exceptions. Dragon's Dogma and Witcher both leap to mind as games where few of these rules apply.