culture. It lives and breathes structure and discipline. From the beginning of Japanese civilization until 1185 an emperor ruled all of Japan. An emperor is similar to a king, but in Japan he was also a religious leader However, the emperor began to lose power in a series of wars.A civil war broke out in 1336 that ended the real power of the emperor. The emperor sent armies of what became known as samurai to fight the civil war for him, and when they returned he gave the title Shogun to the leader of the army, so they would not take him over as emperor. This began a new form of control in Japan, where the leaders of different armies controlled smaller pieces of
Contd
This form of decentralization is a cornerstone then of
how the Japanese used to approach the chess game of power as they do so in the battles of business in modern times. Instead of manifesting disunity or divisiveness, it cultivated structural functionalism instead many roles working on one goal. Japan developed a strong sense of pride in nationhood. Saying NO to the Gaijins temptations but learning all they could and adapting said knowledge to benefit their own interests. decentralization - the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers; specifically : the delegation of power from a central authority to regional and local authorities Source: Meriam Webster Dictionary structural functionalism - is a sociological theory that attempts to explain why society functions the way it does by focusing on the relationships between the various social institutions that make up society (e.g., government, law, education, religion,etc). Source : Sociological Theory/Structural Functionalism Wikibooks
Between 1937 and 1945, during the war years, Japanese
economy received rapid development. Production indices showed increases of 24 percent in manufacturing, 46 percent in steel, 70 percent in nonferrous metals, and 252 percent in machinery. (source: Japanese economic takeoff after 1945 on www.iun.edu as based on John Dower, 1992, pp.54-55).
Private companies received government projects to aid in
the war effort of Japan. Most of the world famous brands started out as manufacturers of Japanese wartime resources such as weapons, vehicles, equipment and supplies. Some of these companies are:
With the initial boost to the economy during its
preparation for war rapidly declining, Japans economy was also on the downslide midstream of World War II. The Big Bang or the atomic bombs detonated by the United states over Nagasaki and Hiroshima was also a blow of uncertainty to the ambitious empire. The empires surrender to the US and its allies was for all intents and purposes an unexpected catalyst to its would be booming economy. The US imposes economic policies on Japan. With the Cold War between the US and Russia brewing, Japan suddenly became a strategic partner to the US and various organizations it belonged to. These included the forerunner of the World Trade Organization (WTO) the GATT. This allowed Japan to trade internationally with lower tariffs. After including in the Japanese Constitution the banning of armament, Japan was offered protection
In other war ravaged countries, a Welfare State
would automatically be in place. This means the government or the state shall shoulder the economic and basic needs of its citizens. In Japan, businesses fortunate enough to survive the war and benefited from their transition from war factories to world trade businesses went into an unprecedented agreement among themselves to ensure total employment of the populace in exchange for patronage by the other businesses and tax exemptions from the government. This allowed the government to allot what would have been geared towards welfare, the much needed budget for other industrial and recovery projects. The ensuing result is a Welfare Society that aids itself by aiding others. The gears of industry were rapidly turning. Productivity naturally followed. Free Trade boosted by easy access made doing business with Japan ideal. This allowed for
The rise of the Japanese economy started to be
noticeable in the late 1950s and was steadily rising until 1970s. It sky rocketed in the 80s all the way to its peak in the early 1990s Fueling the surge is the global demand for everything Japanese. Be it electronics, industrial technologies, farming expertise, economic strategy models, construction, automotive, and even pop culture and anime. The world was eating it all up. Postwar companies that crept up after the US occupation of 1946 to 1949 were the much too willing face of this technology driven upswing:
Japan was at the peak of its journey when in the 90S
the economy started to steadily decline. The global market still patronized their products. Technology and development of industries was still in the national agenda but the decline ensued as evident in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average from 1949 to 2014
In hindsight, Japan still has some of the basic elements
they had after the war. Geography, free trade, technology, and national pride. But somehow productivity quite the same. One factor is innot the economic decline in Japan in the 1990s was started as an economic solution in the 1980s. The boom of that time prompted the banks to give out domestic loans for other business expansion. This created what is now called The Euphoria Economy too much happy spending due to too much happy lending. Ten years down the line, these brings loans us aretonow uncollected Non most Furtherofanalysis a very important or factor. A Performing pulled the economy strength JapanLoans. has reliedThis on italone the past. The discipline, down. unity, and vigor of its people. When looking back to when the population grew as soldiers came back home and had sons and daughters that by the time of the economic boom became active members of the workforce. The same workforce that started to age in the 1990s and in the same period had a
The return of many of those men after the war set
the stage for Japans first postwar baby boom in the late 1940s. But the total fertility rate (TFR), a key indicator of birth trends, ended up plunging within a decade, dropping from 4.54 in 1947 to 2.07 in 1957. (source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp) This rapid ageing is one of the key factors behind Japans shrinking economic growth potential. It has drastically increased social security costs and helped foster deeprooted pessimism about Japans long-term future. (source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp) By the 1990s, the shortage in local workforce opened the avenue in the rise in the sourcing out of workers from India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and The Philippines. Japan was still getting things done, but the income that could have been re-infused into the Japanese economy are then being filtered elsewhere. .
The Asian region is full of Sleeping Giants, Raging
Tigers, and Dragons emerging from Bamboo Curtains that The Land of The Rising Sun would have to contend with. The latter, China is currently on top. In 2013 Chinas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to almost 10,000 Billion US$
Economies around the world are a result of a nations different
policies. In the case of Japan, culture, people, and various conflicts and struggles has contributed to its rise and seeming slide. However, history has proven over and over that nothing is permanent. The dominance of Japan did not just cease or decline due to its own doing. The world just caught up. It is cycle that is sure to repeat itself. It is now up to Japan and any other country in the same situation to reassess the direction they want to take and the strategies they will use to attain them. Adaptability and the peoples will and efforts are the secret ingredient. But it is easier said than done!