For my 60th post, I will talk about a major issue in Japan that will dictate the direction of the country in the future.
After the crash of the Japanese economy in the 1990's the Japanese have been under pressure to change their way of doing business, but that also means their way of thinking and their culture. Attacks from global competitors, acquisitions from foreign companies, kidnappings from the North Korean regime, constant tension between Japan, China and Korea because of their troubled past has all contributed to this issue of identity crises. I think that most Japanese understand that they must change in some way, but how and where to start is such a delicate question. There are movements who are for the preservation of traditional values and a nationalist Japan with its own military power. Nihonkaigi is an important right-wing lobby group. The above picture is a propaganda vehicle that is most often operated by Yakuza. Other important organizations such as the Japanese Business Association seem to be more for reform in order to refresh the economy. (Keiranden)... they have recently proposed a plan to reorganize the government so it does not play such a big role in business.
The core values of core Japan are also being put to question... gender inequality for example, seems to be tied to sex education in Japanese high schools and some lobbyts warn the public that gender equality rhymes with androgyny.
The demographics of Japan is also creating a shortage of labor and the government is very reluctant to look towards immigration, which would in fact question who is a Japanese?
With the present government, Japan doesn't seem to have a chance to change in a rational way, but the government is not popular at all which is an indication that the people of Japan is looking for change, but the bureaucracy is not.
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