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Japan is at a very critical
stage. The external
environment has changed and Japan has been caught
unprepared. The fragility of the
Japanese economic system is suddenly for everyone to
see. Ironically, the reading patterns of the Japanese
people indicates that books about the future are
popular. Alvin Toffler, John Naisbitt, Lester C. Thurow
(in Japanese translation) are all best-sellers. There is
a broad agreement that change is called for. But so far
there is no clear consensus about
how to engineer the transition from a workaholic,
production-oriented society to one where
life has added dimensions and is more enjoyable.
Perhaps, Japan can follow the theme brought out in
Nissan’s 1991 commercial: “Uniformity was yesterday.
Diversity is tomorrow”.
What
is referred to as
Japanese-style management is currently attracting a
lot of criticism in the US and other countries.
Japan has to change and do it fast. The
closed and secretive nature of the Japanese corporation
is definitely not to be commended, if outsiders are to
deal with the Japanese, they are to be aware of the fact
that they are dealing with a very different form of
capitalism. Japan is changing and hopefully, for the
better.
I am
not sure to what extent Yukio Mishima’s word “Japan will
disappear; it will become inorganic, empty,
neutral-tinted; it will be wealthy and astute; it will
remain only as a giant economic power in a corner of the
Far East” have come true but the changes in the past few
years have given
Japanese companies a much needed opportunity to sit
back and think where they have gone wrong. Hopefully,
Japanese companies will meet yet another challenge and
emerge victorious as they have done in the past. |
