From Blog to Movement: The Future of Saving Japan
April 23, 2012 5 Comments
“Make a difference”. A phrase oftentimes used by motivational speakers at leadership conferences to pump up its guests, “making a difference” is something that we all want to do. We all want our actions to count for something. Many of us want to leave a positive footprint when we die, leaving the world a better place at our departure. We are all called to a higher purpose; “making a difference” is simply the verbalization of this mantra into a concept that the majority (if not all) find easy to grasp.
It is easy to say that you want to make a difference. What isn’t so easy,however, is the path through which you can get there.
This is particularly applicable in my case. Since I was little, I have always felt a draw towards Japan – a magnetic pull that has become stronger and stronger as the years went by. By Grade 10, I had figured out what I wanted to do: save the Japan economy from ruin through future participation in the Japanese sociopolitical spectrum – a goal many consider to be ambitious, to say the least.
What I still haven’t figured out is how I’m going to get to that stage. When it comes to politics, Japan remains one of the most insular, opaque “democracies” in the world filled with coercion, backroom deals, mutual back scratching and industry money. The problem is not limited to a segment of the public sector either; it’s prevalent throughout the entire government and oftentimes works in collaboration with private industry (see: TEPCO or Ichiro Ozawa). Individual opposition usually results in demotions, firings, or in extreme cases, death to eliminate the annoyance for the establishment. As qualified as a man might be, he alone will not be able to accomplish anything fighting against the tides of both government and giant, multinational corporations flush with cash. Singapore-style, autocratic Lee Kuan Yew-esque leadership does not apply in Japan; a gung-ho solo affair will only result in deportation.
It is for this reason that I have entertained the possibility of founding some sort of a movement in university under the Japan club and later expanding on this movement in Japan while studying to complete my graduate degree. A man is not an island. He needs to find like-minded people with whom he is able to share his goals and work towards a common objective. It is in this context that I am looking to transition Saving Japan from a blog to a movement that will be able to change Japan for the better; be it in the next five, ten, even twenty years.History has always been changed by protest. The French Revolution. The American Revolution. The Protestant Reformation. The Civil Rights Movement. It’s about time that Japan has its own Japanese Revival, and I will be helping to spearhead the cause, for the sake of Japan and for the sake of the global economy.
Of course, no movement can be built on ignorance. I plan to finish a bachelor’s in accounting and financial management before moving on to pursue graduate studies in public policy at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, or at a major Japanese university. Perhaps a PhD from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard if things turn to my favour. All while studying Japanese, and nurturing a budding movement that will hopefully change the face of Japan for the better by the time I’m long gone.
Japan is at a critical turning point. Its finances are in a state of ruin. Its demographics are equally bad, and it is running the risk of becoming the 21st century Argentina (see here). I don’t want that to happen, and neither does the majority of the 128 million-strong nation of Japan. With the individuals currently in power, standing by and letting things run their course will only lead to permanent decline. I won’t let that happen.
Making a difference starts with an idea. This is mine.
I read an article that said Japan’s PER CAPITA GDP growth over the last twenty years compares favorably to per capita GDP growth in America.
I admire your pluck. You might find some insights in this article on “Think Tanks and Liberty”. Here’s why: “There is no hope whatsoever of reversing the federal train by persuading the engineer to put on the brakes. The train is either going to go over the trestle, or else it is going to go off the tracks before it reaches the trestle. There is no possibility of doing anything to stop the train.
It is sometimes possible to stop a particular piece of legislation. That can be done only by grassroots mobilization. This grassroots mobilization is occasionally mobilized inside the Washington Beltway, but not very often. If it were not for the grassroots organizations, we could not even slow down the train, let alone stop it… Fourth, if you are really serious about saving the country, you will get involved in local politics. Almost nobody does this, but that is why you can have some influence.”
Where you at, man? Havent seen anything on here since last month. Japan grew at an annualized rate of 4 percent in the first quarter. Unemployment is, what, about 4 or 4.5 percent? Interest rates on Japanese government bonds are so extremely low that the government basically borrows for free. The yen hovers around 80 yen to the dollar, close to the all-time high. The yen recently rose to below 100 yen to the euro. And there was very tiny inflation in the most recent data. So…. Where is all this high interest rate and plumeting currency and skyrocketing inflation yall talk about?
Peter, for your reference, here are a couple recent articles about large and small Japanese firms investing abroad and getting some level of government support to do so:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120607a3.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303505504577403743150818820.html
I have read others, but these are enough to convey the point. My macro outlook here remains unchanged from what I previously wrote. However, this is an encouraging trend. This may be Japan’s last chance to use the high yen and large foreign currency reserves to invest heavily overseas. Although the investment numbers I am reading are not nearly enough to “save Japan”, having this sort of overseas investment income will help cushion Japan’s fall.
Japan is a sinking hole, can’t be saved, a Kamar to redeem it’s past sin, the final price to pay for the crimes committed to neighbors. I wish japan to go to hell, and I know it will, even the earth will shake japan off it’s surface!