Japan fears decline, heads for change

Lee Poh Ping
New Straits Times
03-22-2000
Japan fears decline, heads for change
Byline: Lee Poh Ping
Edition: Main/Lifestyle; 2*
Section: Opinion
Memo: (STF) - Japan conjures up different images to different people but only a few think that the Japanese society is no more unique than the rest of the world, according to an observation by Lee Poh Ping.

IN January, a commission set up by Japanese Prime Minister, Keizo Obuchi, presented a report to him on Japan's goals in the 21st century.

It was entitled The frontier within: individual empowerment and better governance in the new millenium.
Because of the overall importance of Japan to Malaysia in general and the fact that Japan had been a model for Malaysia in particular, it is highly relevant for us to consider the report's implications.

"We fear that as things stand", the report begins "Japan is heading for a decline.

"This is how harsh the environment both surrounding Japan and within Japan itself has become.

"In the 1990s many Japanese had an uneasy sense that something about their nation had undergone a major shift.

"They feared that the economic bubbles of the late 1980s, and then the bursting of the bubbles early in the 1990s had undermined not only the economy but also the political order and society - even the value system and ethical norms at the very core of the nation."

We in Southeast Asia are aware that recent developments have greatly tarnished the Japanese model developed since World War II.

Scandals surrounding the HIV problem and the special financial institutions known as the Jusen, reveal that elite Japanese bureaucrats, once so admired, have been involved in corruption and cover-up.

And all these occurred at a time when Japan was having great difficulty ending a recession brought about by the bursting of the bubble.

But if one were to look at Japan today, there is still very much less of the social ills, such as homelessness, drug addition, crime and so on, as compared to the United States.

Yet, the commission made two suggestions that are particularly striking. The first is to change the methods and systems within which its citizens interact.

These must be changed to something more contractual between those "below" and those "above, and there must be a more equal relationship between the private and public sectors.

The second recommendation is to develop individualism among the Japanese, particularly the free, self-reliant, responsible and inclusive kind of individualism.

Compare this to the present Japan of conformity where the people believe the nail that sticks out should be hammered down!

The commission then went on to list five developments that might have implications for Japan.

These are globalisation, global literacy, the information- technology revolution, advances in science and falling birth rates and aging populations.

It is interesting the kinds of proposals suggested to meet these trends. Globalisation, the report states, has gone beyond being a process.

In some cases such as in the economic and media integration of the world, globalisation has accelerated the process of diversification.

One aspect of this diversification is the internet which has brought about a revolutionary means for organisations and individuals to communicate simply, extensively, instantaneously and cheaply.

It has promoted decentralisation and at the same time encouraged an integration driven by the reinforcement of English as the international lingua franca, besides its importance in the advance of science.

In this connection, the commission recommends that English be made a second official language!

This is indeed surprising for a country that is deeply aware of its uniqueness and the role of the Japanese language in fostering its uniqueness.

The commission is particularly concerned with ageing and the falling birth rate in Japan, which it says is deteriorating faster compared to any other country.

It is estimated that by 2015, one Japanese in four will be 65 years of age or more, and by the middle of the century, it will be one in three.

What is really striking is its proposal to overcome this. Open Japan to immigration!

"We should set up", the commission states, "a more explicit immigration and permanent residence system so as to encourage foreigners who can be expected to contribute to the development of Japanese society to move in and possibly take up permanent residence here.

"We should also consider preferential treatment for foreigners who study or conduct research in Japan - such as allowing them automatically to acquire permanent residence status when they complete their academic work at a Japanese high school, university or graduate school.

"This may not exactly be the same as America's `give me your tired masses' attitude towards immigration, but it is not too dissimilar in tone.

It is uncertain if any of these recommendations will ever be implemented. The commission itself is not sure.

But what is certain is that if all or many of these recommendations are implemented, Japan will be seen less and less as a unique country.

(Copyright 2000)