Demise of the Final Samurai: Rusted Blade – The Fall of Japan As an Industrial Superpower in Asia

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March eleventh, 2011 – Tokyo, Japan

My spouse’s buddy had simply stopped over for lunch along with her youngest daughter when the home began to slowly sway to-and-fro. No large deal. This was Japan in spite of everything, so we have been fairly used to those sorts of small tremors. That each one modified the moment that books, glasses and home equipment began flying off the cabinets. The women have been already panicked. I did not actually suppose it was an enormous challenge till I noticed the fridge slide throughout the kitchen flooring and my 42-inch plasma TV fell face flat. Houston, we had a significant issue and mom nature was clearly pissed!

Time to move for the pantry with the youngsters.

Within the aftermath of the 9.0M earthquake and following tsunami in Fukushima, which killed over 15,000 folks with 6,000 injured and over 3,700 lacking whereas concurrently destroying six nuclear reactors on Japan’s jap shoreline and inflicting them to fail to the purpose of meltdown; many overseas nationals rapidly packed-up, deserted the nation and returned to their houses overseas; leaving the remainder of the Japanese inhabitants with only one query remaining: “What can we do now?”

The reply got here a lot faster than anybody would have anticipated and far simpler than it actually ought to have. The reply was; “Let’s simply do what we have at all times completed”.

Whereas this reply was good in lots of respects when it comes to preserving the Japanese inhabitants calm, unwavering and trustworthy to one another within the face of a significant pure catastrophe, the potential future impacts of that reply are what disturb me now.

The Japanese tradition for essentially the most half is a really simplistic society; simplistic that means “very smart however not pushed by any particular function or purpose in life”. I confer with them as a “drifter society”. That is primarily because of the total outlook of the society as an entire and childhood upbringing. The final guidelines of thumb in Japan are; “Do not be completely different”, “Do not stand out” and “Don’t need greater than what you possibly can see round you – stay inside your means and stay inside your house”.

Even in a bustling metropolis like Tokyo; stuffed with partying, nightlife, lights, prime style; a spot the place each related man on the town owns a Mercedes-Benz and each lady out of Junior Highschool appears to personal a Gucci (or different model title) purse; on the finish of the day, these guidelines nonetheless apply for most individuals. Go house, sleep it off, repeat the identical course of the following day. Japan is a extremely methodical and repetitious society. That is the best way most individuals prefer it right here – which admittedly, actually is not such a nasty deal per say, except you are a type of folks can see the place this sample will ultimately lead and the issues it’ll trigger for future generations in Japan.

Japan is an industrial nation. Many of the island nation’s financial system is predicated on manufacturing, manufacturing, import and export of products. With little to no land mass and an enormous inhabitants, Japan would not have a lot to supply within the areas of pure assets besides these provided by the coastal areas. For the previous sixty-plus years, Japan has survived solely on manufacturing and producing superior know-how for different international locations.

Herein lies the reason for the most cancers that may ultimately kill Japan; turning it from a as soon as mighty and indestructible samurai with glistening metal blade and a vibrant future, right into a damaged and rotting shell of its former self; nonetheless clinging to the tattered deal with of a rusted blade that has lengthy since gone uninteresting.

Japan has six main sicknesses which are inflicting the nation and society as an entire to develop weaker by the second. These weaknesses are:

An aged inhabitants of people that actually do not see a must care in regards to the future. It is because they’re fairly certain they will die quickly anyway and due to this fact lack the motivation to alter something for future generations. They merely wish to preserve every little thing as-is till they cross on to the following world. We’ll have a look at how this impacts the nation on a bigger scale within the subsequent few sections.

Low start charges as a consequence of self-imposed monetary pressures, most Japanese {couples} don’t attempt to have youngsters till they attain 30 – 35 years of age. It is because for many Japanese parents-to-be, a child would not simply equal milk and diapers. A child additionally means “juku” (cram college) and faculty amongst different excessive stage bills that almost all mother and father in varied different international locations discover elective as a consequence of the truth that we totally intend to kick our kids out of the home once they attain a sure age and power them to fend for themselves to a big diploma.

Moreover, the best way middle-aged girls in Japan work themselves and are handled at their corporations is a excessive level of bodily and psychological stress, which successfully prevents them from having youngsters. Most Japanese ladies will miscarriage their first little one as a consequence of their our bodies being unable to deal with their first being pregnant. Their first being pregnant is often preparation for his or her second one to be successful. Japanese middle-aged males even have the identical downside of being too over-stressed to breed. Due to this, the Japanese working class is steadily lowering on a yearly foundation and “expert labor” being doled out to people who find themselves nicely into their 50s because the workhorses of a “secure Japanese financial system”.

Whereas that is high quality to a level, because the previous saying goes; “You possibly can’t train an previous canine new methods”. New methods are precisely what Japan wants in the intervening time because of the subsequent part.

Hierarchical society – The idea of Japan nonetheless has not modified up to now 1,000 years. Every part from colleges, corporations and sports activities golf equipment are nonetheless following a hierarchical “sempai” and “kouhai” construction (or fairly Shogun, retainer) construction the place full loyalty, above that of household obligations is usually sworn to an organization, membership or particular person based mostly on the rational rationalization than “nicely, they have been round longer and we have been doing it this manner for years, due to this fact it should be right”.

Due to this pondering sample, youthful folks with new, progressive concepts that Japan wants in an effort to survive are sometimes shunned, shut-up or locked away by the older inhabitants who’re nonetheless holding management positions inside politics and main corporations and see no want to alter something; regardless that they’re nicely over retirement age. The common Japanese male grownup will work lengthy after he has retired till he dies. That is simply the norm right here. In consequence it causes the middle-aged workforce to shrink and extra succesful center adults who’ve good concepts to hunt work outdoors of Japan as a result of they already know that till they attain 45 and have been on the firm for 15 years, nothing that they are saying or advocate shall be heard.

Unreliable management. Japan has had a complete of seven Prime Ministers in 7 years. That is one Prime Minister per yr. I’ve bicycle tires that last more than that. Due to the unreliability, indecisiveness and corruption of excessive stage Japanese politicians; different international locations are a bit delay to spend money on the way forward for Japan. I imply, who needs to maintain altering welcome indicators and marketing campaign buttons each 8 months simply because one other PM will get tired of the job, is caught in a scandal and decides to resign? It ‘s a waste of paper and defies widespread sense.

This fixed shift in politics is simply as complicated for the Japanese folks as it’s for the remainder of the world. The issue is, Japanese folks do not say something about it. Bear in mind these guidelines I used to be telling you about? They’re in full impact right here.

A defective academic system which does not put together future generations for coping with the true world on a global stage. Though most Japanese have studied the English language in some kind since they have been in elementary college, most of them can not use it in useful day-to-day dialog. Even highschool college students who’re compelled to attend “juku” cram courses after college for 3 – 5 hours per day in an effort to be taught English and put together for school entrance exams can not successfully use the language in day-to-day fundamental stage dialog.

The truth that conventional colleges, schools and widespread English Language Faculties like Gaba, ECC, Berlitz and Nova have been creating wealth the previous 20 years by educating the English language to them in a backwards method whereas specializing in irrelevant Industrial Age English language abilities would not assist.

Even in Tokyo, the place foreigners abound; most main retails outlets can not talk with them – the identical factor goes for companies. I’ve seen many Japanese gross sales clerks and businessmen actually panic and run away from English-speaking prospects and potential purchasers as if Godzilla (not Matsui, the baseball participant – I imply the inexperienced fire-breathing sea monster)himself had stepped via the door and was asking for a USB cable for his pc. Most Japanese truly concern fundamental English communication on an instinctual stage.

Sadly for them, within the age of Info Expertise, the English language is at the moment the usual for enterprise communication and is an absolute necessity for the Japanese inhabitants who at the moment has no likelihood of competing with rising beforehand third world international locations comparable to China, India and Korea who’ve extra land mass, pure assets and a greater understanding of worldwide tradition than the common Japanese wage man.

Along with the self-imposed language boundaries, most Japanese youngsters are nonetheless taught to easily “comply with the mildew” as a substitute of being inspired to suppose in a different way or be progressive. Within the Japanese language, the Chinese language characters representing the phrases completely different and fallacious are precisely the identical – “chigau”. That implies that on a unconscious stage, in Japan completely different robotically equals fallacious; and that is boldly displayed in any Japanese elementary college system or enterprise.

Japanese youngsters do not develop up with the drive to be completely different or problem something outdoors of the norm as a result of mother and father, lecturers and society itself make it their mission to resolve any “abnormalities” earlier than the poor child reaches junior highschool in order that they’ll start processing them for highschool, faculty and eventual assimilation right into a “good firm”, the place they are going to be anticipated to work for the remainder of their lives till dying or retirement.

Whereas this development is slowly beginning to change amongst youthful folks on this era, it’s the older folks in positions of energy which are staving off progress and advances in different areas that Japan must discover in an effort to survive.

Industrial Aged pondering requirements in an Info Expertise Age world. Most Japanese politicians and company executives nonetheless haven’t found out precisely what occurred after the Lehman’s Shock of 2008, which successfully ended the Industrial Age and signaled the ushering-in of the brand new Info Expertise Age.

Due to his, most Japanese corporations are nonetheless making an attempt to stay to the identical rule and requirements that they’ve been utilizing for the previous 20 or 30 years.

Nearly all of my earlier enterprise purchasers within the monetary IT business right here in Tokyo are nonetheless working severely outdated Home windows XP Service Pack 2 working techniques as we speak, regardless that Mac OSX is clearly a a lot better and smoother platform for enterprise utilization and likewise gives the choice to run the most recent model Home windows 7. It is not that these corporations do not have cash to improve. They’re simply afraid to as a result of “it is completely different“.

Japanese companies and politicians merely refuse to alter, regardless that the world round them is altering every day.

Corporations are now not constructing bodily buildings, requiring faculty levels / formal schooling or hiring for on-site administrative positions comparable to secretaries or IT Engineers as a result of all of those duties will be managed remotely and for less expensive prices in international locations comparable to India.

Nations like China and Korea rapidly realized this shift in insurance policies a few years in the past and made the change by specializing in know-how associated companies and merchandise again within the Nineteen Nineties along with growing their product manufacturing capability.

Japan remains to be making an attempt to provide automobiles and import elements for producing semiconductors from China with hopes that the commercial market will by some means rebound and return them to their former glory.

That is why China has now changed Japan as world’s second largest financial system and international locations just like the U.S. are starting to speculate extra in China, Korea and Vietnam as a substitute of Japan.

The remainder of the world is aware of that the lifespan of Industrial Age Japan is severely restricted and it is solely a matter of time earlier than the as soon as mighty samurai crumbles; impaling himself on his personal rusted sword of commercial age guidelines and traditions which are now not relevant in as we speak’s financial system or enterprise market.

How does this relate to the primary paragraph of this text? Within the aftermath of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, the way forward for Japan; whereas seemingly bleak from sure views, remains to be comparatively unsure. Japan is a rustic which holds numerous potential to be a world competitor in as we speak’s market and a significant contributor within the Info Expertise Age. The advantage of Japanese folks basically is that they’re very sharp and mentally targeted when given a activity. Once they set their minds on doing one thing, they have a tendency to push ahead and full their mission with out fail and in opposition to all odds. That is one of many issues that beforehand made them such a terrific and highly effective nation. The query now could be; the place will they select to focus their vitality and a focus?

Will the Japanese proceed to cling to previous, outdated guidelines, laws, traditions and economical requirements? Or will somebody lastly take a superb have a look at their youngsters and say; “It is a downside and sufficient is sufficient. My time could also be coming to an finish, however the children I see working and leaping round me nonetheless have a life to stay and deserve a greater alternative for his or her future than what we have at the moment offered for thus let’s get to work and repair what must be mounted”?

Will the present era of Japanese adults take duty for the way forward for the following? Or will they merely be content material to “depart issues as-is” like their predecessors have completed for the previous few many years and see what occurs?

I assume the ultimate query for me is: Will the samurai rise once more? Or is his rusted blade an excessive amount of of a heavy burden for him to raise anymore?

Solely time will inform.

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Source by Walter Ragland