The tragic and earth shattering events of March 11th, 2011 will not soon be forgotten. Such disasters are unavoidable. We can try to search for answers to understand why such a calamity happened, but we often come up short. We have a pretty good handle on the causes--tectonic shifts, resettling of populations near the sea, etc. But even with infinite wisdom, we lack foresight to see the future: our split-second detection of such devastating events may not be quick enough. So we must rely on particularities and patterns of the past. When we fail to do so, we end up with man-made catastrophes.
The damage inflicted on the nuclear power plant was unavoidable. Or was it? The severity of the nuclear situation at the Fukushima plant has been downplayed, leading to possible endangerment of the general public. And TEPCO, the owners of the Fukushima plant, has a murky past in regards to safety regulations. But such transgressions cannot occur without an enabling body: the Japanese government and even the people themselves.
Old habits die hard, and these habits soon become a way of life.
Japanese companies have a long history of underemphasis and concealment of threats to public health. One of the most infamous scandals was the yakugai eizu jiken (roughly the HIV tainted-blood incident) of the late 1980s. This scandal entailed a refusal of the Green Cross Corporation, a Japanese blood transfusion company, to use available FDA approved techniques to purify blood donations. These techniques were intense heat treatments of the donated blood to stop the spread of infection. Instead, they falsely assured their patients that the untreated blood was safe. Subsequently, up to 2,000 patients contracted HIV. This case bares some semblance to the infamous Tuskegee experiment, where approved treatment was available, but not utilized. Ironically, tthe health minister at that time and current Prime Minister of Japan, Kan Naoto, gained much of his political fame because of his transparent investigation of the case. This factoid may not inspire confidence.
Perhaps more relevant to current events is the Minamata disease scandal. This incident is just one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan, which all involve improper disposal of industrial waste. In a nutshell, mercury-containing waste water from the Chisso Company factory contaminated local water supplies. Over 2,000 people were affected by mercury poisoning, and the disease itself was named after the most afflicted area, Minamata. This disease manifests with many neurological abnormalities leading to severe disability or even death. The toxins can even cross the placenta to affect the fetus. As a result of epidemiological investigation, accusations against the Chisso Company arose as early as 1956 . Yet, the company denied these claims and continued to drop mercury-containing waste until 1963. In total from 1932 to 1963, it is estimated they dumped 27 tons of mercury compounds into Minamata Bay and Shiranui Sea.
TEPCO, the owner of the Fukushima plant, itself, has on multiple occasions misled the government and the public with falsified nuclear safety reports--if no one knows it's broke, don't fix it. (1)
The reluctance of the Japanese officials to call for foreign aid has been questioned. By the time help was requested, time at the Fukushima plant were already spiraling out of control. It took one week of utter chaos for the Japanese government to admit it had responded too slowly to the situation. However, this trend is not surprising. It is a microcosm of the "Japanese" and "foreigner" dilemma. Today, racial discrimination is still a major problem in Japan. (2) In 2010, one of the leading Japanese government officials at the time, Ichiro Ozawa, called Americans, "simple-minded." (3) These thoughts may be a layover from a an old Japanese-ethnocentric idea called nihonjinron, which holds that the Japanese are inherently (i.e., genetically) different from people of other cultures. In reality, human share 99.9% of the same DNA.
Whatever the case may be, reluctance to rely on foreigners, especially foreign workers, may be the downfall of the Japanese economy. Despite an increasing aging population with little support due to a continually decreasing birth rate in addition to a labor shortage, Japan still makes it exceeding difficult for foreigners to work in Japan. Currently, there is roughly 65 million workers in Japan. Using the 2008 numbers to be conservative, the foreign workers may up a whooping 0.005 percent of the workers in Japan. (4) It should be noted that the number of foreigner workers may have peaked in 2008 at 338,813. (5) At this rate, Japan will not have enough workers to be economically competitive. The total Japanese working population could fall to less than 56 million by 2030. (6) Recently, the government acted in "good faith" and offered mixed ethnicity Japanese-Brazilians living in Japan money to return to their home country, with the catch that they can never seek future employment in Japan. (7) But, perhaps such an incentive was not necessary, as many foreigners began to leave due to tough economic times. Because of the current situation, the Japanese economy is bound to deteriorate. And along with it, foreigners will find more reasons to leave Japan.
In a response to a scathing 2011 NYT article (8) on the plight of foreigner workers in Japan, Yasuhisa Kawamura, Deputy Consul General at Consul General of Japan in New York, wrote, "in its new growth strategy, the Japanese government recognized the value of skilled foreign workers and their contributions to economic growth." (9) But as we see now, it may be too little, too late.
Despite these developments, the Japanese people have remained relatively unflustered. The Japanese people's reaction to the earthquake and tsunami as well as the blackouts and food shortages has often described as "stoic." During the aftermath 1995 Kobe earthquake, the orderliness and perseverance of the Japanese people commended admiration. Indeed, many have said that this calmness is part of Japanese culture. However, this stoicism is a gift and a curse. While it helps in these situations, it borders on indifference. The slow government response and dissemination of information is frankly unacceptable. Criticism has poured in from the international community. But such threats to public safety require intrinsic action from the Japanese people themselves.
This inaction may result from thoughts that the status quo cannot be changed. Foreigner commentators have suggested that the deteriorating situation at the nuclear plant will decrease confidence in the Japanese government. Actually, confidence in the government has been low for quite some time. With the election of Prime Minister Kan in 2010, there has been a total of 6 prime ministers in the last 4 years. Kan's ascent to Prime Minister occurred after the resignation of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the former head of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). But by February 2011, Kan's approval rates have dwindled to an all time low of 19.9%. (10) This high turnover reflects a lack of confidence in the Japan government, but also may be a sign that the Japanese people are demanding greater accountability of government officials.
Recently, Prime Minster Kan said, "with the power of the people, we will rebuild this country." Surely, the buildings will be rebuilt, and Japan will be better prepared for similar natural disasters in the future. But as Prime Minister Kan alluded to, such recovery requires the will of the Japanese people. So, when the chaos subsides and the Earth stands still, how will the Japanese people react? Will they finally stand up and demand not only more transparency in government, but for a better government. With the DPJ's ascent to power in 2009 it seemed like change was on its way, but it seems to be politics as usual. Yet, even in these fragile times, the Japanese people can muster the strength to demand change for a better society. Now is the opportune time for the Japanese people to arise from the darkest bottoms--the time to turn tragedy into trajectory. If they need inspiration, they need not look far. The sacrifices of the workers at the Fukushima plant is an incredible example of the Japanese will to persevere. Moreover, it reflects one more Japanese tradition: to nobly sacrifice oneself to accomplish greater goals.
It will take some time before Japan truly returns to a state of normalcy. Even with best efforts, things will never be the same. But perhaps when the dust settles and the sun rises again, things will have changed--for the better.
1. http://www.economist.com/node/1318056
2. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100226a4.html
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/japanese-politician-dubs-_n_694284.html
4. http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/lngindex.htm
5. http://www.japaneconomynews.com/2008/09/13/number-of-foreign-workers-at-japanese-firms-leaps-over-previous-figures/
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23immigrant.html
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/03/japan-recession-foreign-workforce-decline
8. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/world/asia/03japan.html?scp=1&sq=foreign%20labor%20japan&st=cse
9. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/opinion/lweb19japan.html
10. http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20110214_Japan_prime_ministers_approval_rating_sinks_to_new_low.html
The damage inflicted on the nuclear power plant was unavoidable. Or was it? The severity of the nuclear situation at the Fukushima plant has been downplayed, leading to possible endangerment of the general public. And TEPCO, the owners of the Fukushima plant, has a murky past in regards to safety regulations. But such transgressions cannot occur without an enabling body: the Japanese government and even the people themselves.
Old habits die hard, and these habits soon become a way of life.
Japanese companies have a long history of underemphasis and concealment of threats to public health. One of the most infamous scandals was the yakugai eizu jiken (roughly the HIV tainted-blood incident) of the late 1980s. This scandal entailed a refusal of the Green Cross Corporation, a Japanese blood transfusion company, to use available FDA approved techniques to purify blood donations. These techniques were intense heat treatments of the donated blood to stop the spread of infection. Instead, they falsely assured their patients that the untreated blood was safe. Subsequently, up to 2,000 patients contracted HIV. This case bares some semblance to the infamous Tuskegee experiment, where approved treatment was available, but not utilized. Ironically, tthe health minister at that time and current Prime Minister of Japan, Kan Naoto, gained much of his political fame because of his transparent investigation of the case. This factoid may not inspire confidence.
Perhaps more relevant to current events is the Minamata disease scandal. This incident is just one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan, which all involve improper disposal of industrial waste. In a nutshell, mercury-containing waste water from the Chisso Company factory contaminated local water supplies. Over 2,000 people were affected by mercury poisoning, and the disease itself was named after the most afflicted area, Minamata. This disease manifests with many neurological abnormalities leading to severe disability or even death. The toxins can even cross the placenta to affect the fetus. As a result of epidemiological investigation, accusations against the Chisso Company arose as early as 1956 . Yet, the company denied these claims and continued to drop mercury-containing waste until 1963. In total from 1932 to 1963, it is estimated they dumped 27 tons of mercury compounds into Minamata Bay and Shiranui Sea.
TEPCO, the owner of the Fukushima plant, itself, has on multiple occasions misled the government and the public with falsified nuclear safety reports--if no one knows it's broke, don't fix it. (1)
The reluctance of the Japanese officials to call for foreign aid has been questioned. By the time help was requested, time at the Fukushima plant were already spiraling out of control. It took one week of utter chaos for the Japanese government to admit it had responded too slowly to the situation. However, this trend is not surprising. It is a microcosm of the "Japanese" and "foreigner" dilemma. Today, racial discrimination is still a major problem in Japan. (2) In 2010, one of the leading Japanese government officials at the time, Ichiro Ozawa, called Americans, "simple-minded." (3) These thoughts may be a layover from a an old Japanese-ethnocentric idea called nihonjinron, which holds that the Japanese are inherently (i.e., genetically) different from people of other cultures. In reality, human share 99.9% of the same DNA.
Whatever the case may be, reluctance to rely on foreigners, especially foreign workers, may be the downfall of the Japanese economy. Despite an increasing aging population with little support due to a continually decreasing birth rate in addition to a labor shortage, Japan still makes it exceeding difficult for foreigners to work in Japan. Currently, there is roughly 65 million workers in Japan. Using the 2008 numbers to be conservative, the foreign workers may up a whooping 0.005 percent of the workers in Japan. (4) It should be noted that the number of foreigner workers may have peaked in 2008 at 338,813. (5) At this rate, Japan will not have enough workers to be economically competitive. The total Japanese working population could fall to less than 56 million by 2030. (6) Recently, the government acted in "good faith" and offered mixed ethnicity Japanese-Brazilians living in Japan money to return to their home country, with the catch that they can never seek future employment in Japan. (7) But, perhaps such an incentive was not necessary, as many foreigners began to leave due to tough economic times. Because of the current situation, the Japanese economy is bound to deteriorate. And along with it, foreigners will find more reasons to leave Japan.
In a response to a scathing 2011 NYT article (8) on the plight of foreigner workers in Japan, Yasuhisa Kawamura, Deputy Consul General at Consul General of Japan in New York, wrote, "in its new growth strategy, the Japanese government recognized the value of skilled foreign workers and their contributions to economic growth." (9) But as we see now, it may be too little, too late.
Despite these developments, the Japanese people have remained relatively unflustered. The Japanese people's reaction to the earthquake and tsunami as well as the blackouts and food shortages has often described as "stoic." During the aftermath 1995 Kobe earthquake, the orderliness and perseverance of the Japanese people commended admiration. Indeed, many have said that this calmness is part of Japanese culture. However, this stoicism is a gift and a curse. While it helps in these situations, it borders on indifference. The slow government response and dissemination of information is frankly unacceptable. Criticism has poured in from the international community. But such threats to public safety require intrinsic action from the Japanese people themselves.
This inaction may result from thoughts that the status quo cannot be changed. Foreigner commentators have suggested that the deteriorating situation at the nuclear plant will decrease confidence in the Japanese government. Actually, confidence in the government has been low for quite some time. With the election of Prime Minister Kan in 2010, there has been a total of 6 prime ministers in the last 4 years. Kan's ascent to Prime Minister occurred after the resignation of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the former head of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). But by February 2011, Kan's approval rates have dwindled to an all time low of 19.9%. (10) This high turnover reflects a lack of confidence in the Japan government, but also may be a sign that the Japanese people are demanding greater accountability of government officials.
Recently, Prime Minster Kan said, "with the power of the people, we will rebuild this country." Surely, the buildings will be rebuilt, and Japan will be better prepared for similar natural disasters in the future. But as Prime Minister Kan alluded to, such recovery requires the will of the Japanese people. So, when the chaos subsides and the Earth stands still, how will the Japanese people react? Will they finally stand up and demand not only more transparency in government, but for a better government. With the DPJ's ascent to power in 2009 it seemed like change was on its way, but it seems to be politics as usual. Yet, even in these fragile times, the Japanese people can muster the strength to demand change for a better society. Now is the opportune time for the Japanese people to arise from the darkest bottoms--the time to turn tragedy into trajectory. If they need inspiration, they need not look far. The sacrifices of the workers at the Fukushima plant is an incredible example of the Japanese will to persevere. Moreover, it reflects one more Japanese tradition: to nobly sacrifice oneself to accomplish greater goals.
It will take some time before Japan truly returns to a state of normalcy. Even with best efforts, things will never be the same. But perhaps when the dust settles and the sun rises again, things will have changed--for the better.
1. http://www.economist.com/node/1318056
2. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100226a4.html
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/japanese-politician-dubs-_n_694284.html
4. http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/lngindex.htm
5. http://www.japaneconomynews.com/2008/09/13/number-of-foreign-workers-at-japanese-firms-leaps-over-previous-figures/
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23immigrant.html
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/03/japan-recession-foreign-workforce-decline
8. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/world/asia/03japan.html?scp=1&sq=foreign%20labor%20japan&st=cse
9. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/opinion/lweb19japan.html
10. http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20110214_Japan_prime_ministers_approval_rating_sinks_to_new_low.html
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