FROM THE EDITOR (IWAO Sumiko)

CHRONOLOGY (January-February 2000)

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR JAPAN (KOJIMA Akira)

Goals for Japan in Its “Second Postwar Period” (NAKANISHI Terumasa)

The Japan of the post-World War II period has lost its balance in three ways, and this has produced visible decline in the nation’s level of civilization. (1) The balance between material goods and spiritual well-being has been lost, as seen in phenomena like teenage prostitution. (2) The balance between tradition and progress has fallen victim to the nation’s obsession with the latter. (3) The balance between the individual and the community has been distorted by people’s loss of a sense of belonging. For the twenty-first century Japan must pursue freedom supported by an internal moral compass. And it must seek to be an autonomous country that stresses its own history and culture.

Five Important Developments (Peter F. DRUCKER)

We are in the midst of a deep structural transformation. The following important developments will dominate the decades ahead: the emergence of social issues as central issues, due to demographic changes; the growing divergence between the English-speaking developed countries, which will continue to have a large supply of young people, and Japan and Europe, where the population of young people is already going down; the basic restructuring of business, including both mergers and “de-mergers,” with a growing emphasis on alliances and other relationships that do not involve ownership or control; the emergence of e-commerce as a major distribution channel; and the relative decline in the purchasing power of manufactured goods, accompanied by a decline in manufacturing employment.

Reinventing Japan—Report of the Commission on Japan’s Goals in the Twenty-first Century

Kojima Akira, a member of the blue-ribbon panel appointed by Prime Minister Obuchi Keizô to suggest goals for Japan to pursue in the century ahead, outlines the report submitted by the panel in January 2000. Japan has now completed its catching up, and the world no longer offers ready-made models. The country must and can find the frontier that lies within itself. Among the changes to consider are an overhaul of the education system to limit compulsory schooling to three days a week and addition of English as a second official language. Japan should adopt an immigration policy to encourage foreigners to want to live and work in this country. Internationally, Japan should focus on contributing as a civilian power while maintaining its alliance with the United States and participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.

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AWAITING A GENERAL ELECTION (YANAGAWA Takuya)

The Obuchi Administration (MASUZOE Yôichi)

Following the defeat suffered by the Liberal Democratic Party in the July 1997 upper house election, caused largely by the deepening recession, Hashimoto Ryûtarô stepped down as LDP president and prime minister and was succeeded by Obuchi Keizô. Since taking office, Obuchi has focused on expansionary fiscal measures to stimulate the economy. Because the LDP lacks a majority in the upper house, Obuchi has built a coalition including the Liberal Party and the New Kômeitô. His move to include the latter party has proved unpopular with the public, but it may be seen as a reasonable move to enhance the effectiveness of his administration. Now the key question is what Obuchi and his cabinet can accomplish.

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THE INTERNET AND THE NEW ECONOMY (NARIAI Osamu)

An Asian Perspective on Internet Management (AIZU Izumi)

Most leaders in Asia recognize that the Internet will change almost everything in society. But are the people in charge of the Internet ready for this huge transformation? A new type of global governance is required to coordinate such key functions as domain name management. In order to exploit the full benefits of the Internet, Asians must participate in this governance-building process.

Putting Nissan Back on Track (Carlos GHOSN)

The most prominent executive in Japan today is probably Carlos Ghosn, the Brazilian-born, French-educated businessman from Renault who has been appointed chief operating officer of Nissan Motor Co. He has announced a plan for reviving the automaker from its long slump, including plant closings and a reduction of 21,000 in the total number of employees. But he notes that formulating the plan is no more than 5% of the total job; the other 95% consists of implementation. In both the drafting of the plan and its implementation, Ghosn has been demonstrating a decisiveness often lacking in Japanese executives.

Why Is Japan Turning to Foreigners for Help? (Gregory CLARK)

The 1990s was a period of trial for Japan in many ways. The economic picture became negative, and Japan’s society and culture lost much of their vitality. In a situation where leadership is required but not forthcoming, foreigners have been able to take charge. The Japanese seem to be capable of creativity and change only when they are under pressure, particularly from abroad. Instead of passively waiting to be pushed by foreigners, the Japanese should be actively studying foreign examples and adopting the positive elements they find in them.

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MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN JAPAN (TAKASHINA Shûji)

Identifying the Monuments of Modern Architecture (SUZUKI Hiroyuki)

As part of an international project to document and preserve superior specimens of modern architecture, a group set up by the Architectural Institute of Japan has drawn up a list of 20 monuments of modern architecture in Japan. The group deliberately included works that might be considered inaccessible to Western architectural sensibilities, as well as those that could be easily understood from a Western perspective. Though there is now great demand for universal standards in almost every field, it is inappropriate to apply a narrow, monolithic "global" standard when evaluating the heritage of modern architecture.

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WATCHING AMERICA WATCH JAPAN (KONDÔ Motohiro)

Does America Have Eye Disease? (Charles BURRESS)

The foreign media, especially the influential American newspapers and weekly news magazines, have come under sharp criticism for irresponsible mocking and misrepresentation in their coverage of Japan. According to one American scholar of journalism, U.S. media images of Japan have created “a fictional country.” Such distortion may have exacerbated Japan-U.S. tensions at difficult junctures. Foreign news organizations should give journalists more time to learn about Japan, and Japanese readers should make more effort to tell foreign journalists and editors about distortion, taking care that their critical comments are constructive and well grounded.

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JAPANESE ANIME

Why Pokémon Was Successful in America (KUBO Masakazu)

Pokémon, the breed of Japanese video-game and cartoon creatures whose name is short for “Pocket Monsters,” proved to be unexpectedly popular in the United States. The first full-length animated Pokémon movie actually topped the U.S. box-office charts. A major key to the movie’s success was the broad freedom that the producers of the U.S. version were given to adapt it for the local market.