Japan is an Imperfect, yet Beautiful Country

The training course General Management for Regional Development and Planning will take place primarily in Sapporo, Hokkaido (the region in Japan that benefited from central government-designed development), although several study visits to other regions are scheduled as well. The 2-day orientation organized by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) – the main implementation agency of Japan’s ODA – aimed to introduce us, the participants (public employees from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Tanzania, Philippines, Macedonia and Moldova) to the Japanese education, economy, culture, society, politics and public administration. I found the brief lectures on each of these topics - well-organized and delivered in good English by university professors – very interesting. The following statements attempt to describe Japan of today, and capture its particularities:
- Education is perceived as key aspect in human development (almost100 % attendance rate in primary, secondary and high school, 50% of high school graduates get higher education).
- School year starts in April and ends in March.
- Cooperation and teamwork is highly valued and encouraged, while expressing one’s (different) opinion is not.
- Japanese people are not really religious. Zen Buddhism and Shintuism (each thing has its own god) are two main religions in Japan, and they peacefully coexist, often in the same household. Many Japanese celebrate Christmas as well, just because they find it enjoyable.
- The Japanese like small, exquisite, simple, nature-inspired and imperfect things. The find imperfection beautiful. God, nature and humans are imperfect, and the world is a collection of imperfect things.
- The communication style of Japanese is circular (they never say directly what they think), which is very different from the direct communication style of North Americans and Europeans. According to some research, North Americans talk 6 hours per day, while the Japanese – only 3 hours.
- The tea ceremony – chono-yu – is a very specific and traditional socializing event where people enjoy each other’s company in silence for hours.
- The Japanese society is ageing, the birthrate is dropping, and the youth prefer to live with their parents until marriage.
- Globalization challenges the Japanese salaryman prototype – the office worker who dedicates his life to the company for life-time employment. Moreover, the Japanese exemplary work ethics (dedication to company, own life sacrifice, long hours) leaves its toll on the Japanese workers' physical and mental health.
- The Japanese economy is declining, and the traditional ways of doing business – shikkai and keiretsu systems - are challenged by the global economy. Nevertheless, the SMEs – the backbone of the Japanese economy – are expected to regain Japan’s international competitiveness.
- The political and administrative systems in Japan have been molded on the British and North American parliamentary models after the World War II, retaining any political power from the Emperor, and promoting renunciation of war. The Prime-minister is elected by the bi-cameral legislature (Diet) which for the last forty years has been dominated by one Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
- The inter-governmental relations are highly centralized, and prefectures and municipalities enjoy a 30% quasi-autonomy. Local governments receive all revenues from the central government, and have discretionary spending authority over only 30% of their budget.

The first message conveyed to me by the lecturers is that Japan is not a perfect country, which makes sense considering Zen principles. What is striking is that the Japanese are willing to openly admit it to themselves and us, their foreign guests from the very beginning. This openness generates reciprocity, trust and constructive dialogue. This might be the first lesson that Moldova (and not only) could learn from Japan: Ok, these are our problems…let’s analyze and quantify them…then agree on a solution…then work hard TOGETHER, and, as a result, things might improve.