Search:

How fear of colonialism spurred Japan into industrial powerhouse

[ Posted On: 2007-03-14 ]

Picture this. Japan is about three quarters the size of Kenya. Most of the land consists of mountains or uninhabitable islands. Forests take up 67 per cent of the land while the roads network gobbles up 3.7 per cent. That means that only about 30 per cent of the land in Japan is suitable for building houses and factories and farming.

This small portion supports about 130 million people, compared to Kenya's 33 million, yet Japan is among the most industrialised nations in the world and the leading donor, while Kenya is a debt-ridden, developing country in which the average person owes about Sh22,000 to the World Bank and other lenders.

What is the difference between the people of these countries?

"What impresses me most about the Japanese is their discipline," says Mr Dennis Awori, Kenya's ambassador to Japan. According to him, the Japanese follow the laid down rules without being forced. He adds: "Everybody in Japan, irrespective of what job they do, works hard".

Twelve education administrators from Kenya on a tour of Japan agree with the envoy.

According to Mr Mwaura Njoroge, the principal of Jamhuri High School, Nairobi, the sense of discipline is evident in the way the Japanese manage their time.

Mr Thadeus Awour, an official at the DEO's office in Siaya District, says he noted the discipline, time-consciousness and willingness to work hard in the schools he and his colleagues visited in Hiroshima and Tokyo cities.

According to the officials, these qualities were important in Japan's development because they created people who were committed to making the systems in their country work.

Kenyans, too, can learn from such experiences.

But the Japanese did not always have things easy. About 130 years ago, most of them were peasant farmers living in abject poverty. Land was owned by a few who sub-let it to the peasants, often at high prices.

There were no schools and jobs were hereditary, so the children of peasants were fated to follow in the footsteps of their parents. That meant that the rich were growing richer while the poor grew poorer, says Ms Yukiko Hirakawa, a lecturer at Hiroshima University.

This trend changed when Japan adopted radical land reforms in mid 1800s during what is now called as the "Meiji Restoration" era which began with a coup that marked the beginning of Japan's modernisation.

Landlords were forced to sell their land to peasants at affordable prices, ensuring that the poor became self-sufficient in producing their own food, particularly rice, the country's staple.

As part of the reforms at the time, schools for the poor were also opened in villages. Because there were no classrooms, the schools operated from the houses of village chiefs or their assistants.

Parents were called upon to contribute to the development of the schools although education was free of charge. In this way, more than 2,600 schools were built and all children were required to attend. As a result, enrolment rose to 100 per cent. At last, the children of peasants could pursue an education and get the opportunity to become professionals.

At the time, Japan wanted to catch up with the west. Its main motivation at the time was to avoid being colonised like other nations in Asia. The only way to prevent this was by producing military equipment similar to that of western nations. That meant building iron and steel factories to manufacture the weapons and other western technological products.

Before this time, Japanese citizens were not allowed to leave their country and foreigners were prohibited from entering the island nation.

But because the new rulers wanted the country to develop and remain free, they embraced western technology and opened Japan's borders, allowing their citizens to leave and foreigners to visit, mainly to transfer their technological skills to the locals.

The Japanese who visited Europe returned home with the knowledge they had acquired and started building iron and steel industries, thereby putting their country on the path to industrial development. But they did not just ape from the west.

"They used innovations to make better and stronger tools from steel," says Prof Yasuki Ochi of the Faculty of Economics at Hiroshima University. They achieved this, he says, by combining what they had learnt abroad with their traditional skills and expertise.

According to him, any country – Kenya included – needs two factors to become industrialised: Technique and the human factor. Transfer of techniques can be achieved through education, particularly in science and maths. This was one of the reasons why the 12 education administrators from Kenya visited Japan this month.

The aim was to expose them to how the country had strengthened the teaching of these subjects to enhance industrialisation.

Japan has also sent experts to Kenya to work with teachers in secondary schools as part of the country's technical assistance to developing countries. The programme, known as the Strengthening of Science and Mathematics (Smasse) was first implemented in 1998 and is funded by parents through school fees.

Ms Sadako Ogata, president of Japan International Co-operation Agency says: "Knowledge in science and mathematics, in particular, is essential for ensuring tens of millions of children fulfil their individual potentials. It also forms a building block for nations to advance their capabilities in technological development."

Besides enhancing discipline and strengthening its education system, Japan has been committed to peace at home and abroad especially after its devastating defeat in the Second World War. This has helped the country to focus its attention on development.

"The decision to live in peace has fuelled growth," says Prof Ochi.

And according to another lecturer, Mr Nishitani Hajime, Japan's constitution stipulates that the country cannot be engaged in military activities. A treaty between it and the US says that the US has a responsibility to protect Japan from external aggression.

Technically, therefore, Japan has no military but in fact, the money it spent on its land, sea and air "self-defence forces" was slight more than Kenya's entire Budget for the financial year ending in June.

Mr Hajime also says that political stability is critical for other forms of development, including industrial and technological growth.

In the past, adds Mr Matsuoka Hideaki, the Jica officer in charge of the East African team, Japan did not pay close attention to governance issues but has in the recent past revised its policy to reflect the importance that multilateral donors attach to good governance.

"Our purpose of Overseas Development Assistance is not just giving support," he says. "We also try to help the recipient countries improve their standards of living. To do so, improvement of governance is very important."

However, Japan's assistance to developing countries has been in the decline because the country's economy has also been declining. The best years of Japan's economy were between 1955 and 1973, during which years it recorded GDP growth in excess of 10 per cent.

Many Japanese workers say the economy has not been growing in the last few years and they have had to endure pay cuts as a result. As such, Japan needs to re-invent itself and find another formula for renewed growth.

Another lesson

According to Prof Ochi, the future lies in the telecommunication and multi-media industry. And here-in lies another lesson for Kenya and other nations seeking to be newly industrialised in the near future.

After achieving the desired industrial growth, they will face the even more daunting challenge of sustaining the magic and ensuring that their citizens continue to harvest and enjoy the fruits of technological advancement. Unless they do this, their citizens risk reverting to the throes of poverty especially because industrialisation inevitably pushes up the cost of living.

At present, Japan is growing increasingly worried by China's economic and industrial growth. According to Mr Hirakawa, workers in Japan earn 20 times more than their counterparts in China but this could change if China continues on its path of meteoric rise.

"The risk of reverting to poverty is high, so the Japanese have to be more productive to remain rich," he says. As the saying goes, it is easier to become number one than to remain there. No wonder the Japanese work so hard that Mr Shafiul Alam, a journalist from Bangladesh, thinks they have lost their souls.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Ng'ang'a Mbugua

| View Profile & All Articles By: Nganga Mbugua |

		Post Comment
		Blog This Article!
		Discuss Article in Forum(s)
		Publication \| Reprint Terms

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive African Insights Articles Via RSS!

| Category Feeds | All-in-one Feed | Other Feed & Syndication Options |

Additional Articles From - Home | Afro Issues | African Insights

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email To Friends
	Ezine Ready \| Syndication
	Make PDF Article
	Post To del.icio.us
	Post To Furl
	Add To Google Bookmarks
	Submit To Netscape
	Add To Yahoo! My Web
	Add Main Feed To Outlook
	Post to BookMarks @ AfroArticles.com

	Post To BookMarkAfrica.com

Site Home

Article Categories

More Search Options

Site Map

Submit Articles

Top Authors

Most Recent Articles