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After the Great Tohoku Earthquake 10 years ago in Japan, foreign friends who were impressed with the reconstruction, the cooperation, unity, patience, and order of the Japanese people, all praised the Japanese "resilience". They said that the rebounding force like elastic, that is, the “resilient” or restoring force, is wonderful. They even said that they were impressed by the existence of a social order without "vandalism" like a marauder.
“Resurrection Power of Japanese Companies – Beyond Corona Shock" by Hiroyuki Itami
It feels like Japan is experiencing a second defeat (after losing the WWII in 1945) in today's lack of vitality and momentum in the society after the economic bubble burst (Japan's equity and real estate bubbles burst starting in the fall of 1989. Equity values plunged 60% from late 1989 to August 1992, while land values dropped throughout the 1990s, falling 70% by 2001. Investopedia.com). What is worse than the defeat is that we spend our days without realizing that we have been losing another war ever since the economic bubble burst that took place 30 years ago. Since there is no recognition of the loss, there is no way to demonstrate “resilience”. And when we slip, it seems as if we are rolling down the slope without detecting danger.
Will Japan and the people take on resilience in the "post-war" that comes after the end of the Corona wreck, and will we and the country recover and revive?
There is no doubt that the virtues, diligence, and collective order of the Japanese people were the factors that enabled remarkable economic growth. It was in the secondary industry sector that the country could make the most of its strengths. As a result of income doubling, the manufacturing industry with lower value added has been forced to relocate internationally, and Japan is in an era of economic foundation that can no longer be based on secondary industries that are no longer high in value.
The tertiary industry, information software industry, and high-value-added niche industries are at the stage where they must support the country. Competitors are well-educated developed countries and emerging developing countries (like rising Asian dragons).
Unless the political, the public and the private sectors challenge with a monolith, it cannot be winning a battle. In the future, Japan will be swallowed up by the wave of internationalization and IT. We are entering an era in which the superiority and inferiority of communication literacy and IT + Computer literacy can determine the fate of a country. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan is not superior at all levels, including political, public, and private sectors, and is becoming inferior among developed countries. And even we could be excluded from the group of developed countries.
How to educate in a long span with an eye on the future is one of the major issues that may determine the fate of Japan 50 or 100 years from now. After all, it is a human issue. Under such a sense of crisis, it is indispensable to have an industrial, academic, and educational will, vision, and concrete strategies and tactics to recover from the defeat.
I agree with Mr. Hiroyuki Itami's point of view and points of discussion in each chapter (in his book, "Resurrection Power of Japanese Companies – Beyond Corona Shock”). Simply said “Aim for 「Only One」 rather than 「Number One」” is his thesis. The U.S. Tech Giants, GAFA, which are sweeping the world, are now “Number One” in each field, but at the time of their founding, it seems that they grew up aiming for the idea of becoming “Only One” in the world.
The book covers the correct and constructive general thesis throughout the chapters; therefore, I would like to see many of author's attractive and high-value-added theories to be materialized consistent with his general thesis covers the whole.
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