by Peter Dyloco

Opinions Sep. 09, 2011 - 06:50AM JST ( 12 )

TOKYO —

Though her signature white jackets and cropped hair have captured the attention of millions of Japanese across Japan, Minister for Administrative Reforms Renho Murata will be best remembered for her infamous statement made late last year, with regard to the supercomputer speed rivalry between Japan and the People’s Republic of China.

“What’s wrong with being the world’s number 2?”

There’s no question that there’s some truth to that argument. Supercomputers cost billions of yen to develop, and Japan is certainly in no financial position to be constructing new ones for the sake of holding the world title. Ongoing reconstruction costs and paying down Japan’s leviathan of a public debt have only served to drive the point home: Japan can’t afford to waste a single penny (or yen) in these tough economic times.

There is, however, something fundamentally wrong with her statement that underlines the state of Japanese society today: a defeatist attitude, one that has resigned to the fact that Japan, despite its best efforts, will always be relegated to second place (if not further behind). “仕方がない”, many mumble. It can’t be helped.

But can it really?

At humanity’s very core, the advancement and progress of our civilization has been driven purely by dissatisfaction.Dissatisfaction is the root of human innovation. Think about it for a second. If we had been happy to use our feet as a means of transport, would we have domesticated the horse? If we had been happy with horses, what use would the automobile have been? If humans had been satisfied living in Europe, would a United States of America exist today? If people had been content with the amount of time it took to travel by steamship, why would they have been inclined to switch over to commercial air travel? There’s no question that dissatisfaction leads to innovative measures used to address (and resolve) the source of dissatisfaction itself; solutions that aren’t just competitive, but present vast advantages over the original means of achieving or doing the same tasks.

It was this mentality of dissatisfaction that led Japan to its economic miracle in the aftermath of the Second World War. Once considered the laughingstock of the automotive world, Japanese cars exceeded the reliability of their domestic-built counterparts in less than three decades. The 1973 oil crisis not only forced Japan to shift from oil-intensive heavy industries to consumer electronics, but led to a monopoly powered by exceptional quality and bulletproof construction. Japan’s ascension and current wealth is derived largely from that period of dissatisfaction, where products made and exported by the Japanese had massive advantages over the same products made elsewhere.

Today, we see much of the same attitude in other countries across the Asia-Pacific region. No longer content to be nothing more than the factory of inexpensive dollar-store variety products, China has built the longest high-speed rail network in the world and manufactures delicate, advanced aircraft parts for Boeing and Airbus. South Korea’s Samsung sells more TVs than all Japanese manufacturers’ sales combined. Even Taiwan has a winner with Acer, now the world’s largest manufacturer of notebook computers.

Though there is less growth potential to be had in consumer electronics, the above is simply an analogy for what Japan has lost: a winning mentality. Where has the strength gone? Where is the spirit of “ganbaru” that had been so prevalent just two decades ago? What has happened to the Land of the Rising Sun?

There’s no doubt that Japan has endured a lot. Since 1989, the country has gone through a housing bubble; two financial crises and is ageing faster than ever before. With weak economic prospects looking bleaker and bleaker as time goes, there is much reason for pessimism and apathy.

If history were any indication, however, positive change finds its roots in dissatisfaction with the status quo. It was dissatisfaction with the treatment of blacks that led to the African-American Civil Rights Movement and an end to racial segregation and racial discrimination. It was dissatisfaction that led to the recent democracy movement in the Middle East. It was dissatisfaction with the weakness of Japan in comparison to the world powers of 1868 that enabled the restoration of imperial rule and the modernization of Japan.

Dissatisfaction, then, is needed more than ever. In the words of former peace activist Daisaku Ikeda, “Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.”

Do not give up, Japan. Be more dissatisfied with the status quo and continue to struggle to become the world’s No. 1 in whatever you do. Dissatisfaction will pave the way for the country’s future.

Author Infomation

Peter Dyloco

My name is Peter Dyloco. I hope to bring a fresh perspective to the issues that face Japan. I enjoy learning new languages and study them during my spare time. I’m able to speak English, Japanese, Taiwanese Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog and French to various levels of proficiency. I was born and raised in Hong Kong.

Website: http://www.facebook.com/hkborntokyoinspired