| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : OCTOBER 25, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
Commentary: An Inflexible Japan? Look Again (int'l edition) One of the latest buzzwords flying around Tokyo these days is hiraki naoru. Like many Japanese expressions, its meaning can be ambiguous: to assume a defiant attitude--or to recognize one's wrongs and atone. The way it's being used lately refers to the latter definition, and specifically to the scrapping of at least some age-old practices in favor of a more Western-style political economy. It's an interesting linguistic clue to one of the global economy's biggest puzzles: Are the Japanese really getting ready to change their ways? True, Japan's government is for the first time making some serious efforts to deregulate the economy, restructure companies, and generally winnow out the winners from the losers. But many observers argue that the Japanese cannot possibly embrace such big changes willingly. Not the Japanese, for whom stability has long been a cultural imperative. U.S. MODEL. Well, maybe the Japanese are more resilient than we give them credit for. Accord-ing to a survey conducted by the Dentsu Institute of Human Studies last fall, 52% of those polled said their country should opt for a society of equal opportunity but more risk, not the egalitarian model that has prevailed for decades. ''The Japanese are being influenced by the U.S. model of society,'' says Shinji Fukukawa, chairman of the Dentsu Institute and former vice-minister of international trade and industry. To be sure, the Japanese aren't about to become just like Americans. Yet they are reacting with amazing equanimity to the uncertainty that pervades their society today. A poll taken by the Hakuhodo Institute of Life & Living at the bottom of last year's recession showed that while Japanese are feeling less economically comfortable than before, fully 82% said they are satisfied with their daily lives. Compared with 1994, more respondents answered that they frequently enjoy ''events and situations'' happening around them. ''Happiness once had a strong relationship to one's company and the GNP,'' says Hakuhodo Institute's managing director, Hidehiko Sekizawa. ''But since the bubble burst, Japanese people have matured. Their view of the government, their company, and the economy isn't so bright, but in their own lives, they are optimistic.'' Looking back at Japanese history, this should come as little surprise. When Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan's long-closed doors open in the mid-19th century, he triggered a domestic upheaval that came to be known as the Meiji Restoration. Within a few short decades, the country completely remade itself, and most people coped resourcefully. After World War II, which devastated their country, the Japanese rebuilt with astonishing speed and embraced many foreign concepts imposed by the Allied occupation. ''Japanese society has experienced shock therapy many times,'' notes Heizo Takenaka, professor of economics at Keio University. In that context, the shift today toward a more Western-style, cutthroat economy likely will proceed fairly smoothly--the raft of scare-mongering headlines to the contrary. ''Japanese people will accept this historic transition without realizing they've accepted it,'' says Kenichi Takemura, a prominent commentator. Nevertheless, Takemura observes, Japanese will continue to trust each other and internationalize as little as possible. They will also remain group-oriented and persist in putting a premium on harmony. It will be a different kind of harmony, though. Global forces are imposing more market consciousness and self-reliance. Entrepreneurs will proliferate, heating up competition. Foreign companies will continue horning their way in. How the Japanese accommodate themselves to these developments will be fascinating to watch. But in my mind, there's little question they'll end up doing very well--as they usually do. By Robert Neff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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 RELATED ITEMS A New Japan? (int'l edition) ASIAN COVER IMAGE: Japan: Is It Really Ready to Change? TABLE: Change in Japan: Progress...And Obstacles Marriage Goes the Way of Lifetime Employment (int'l edition) Commentary: An Inflexible Japan? Look Again (int'l edition) INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
