日本と米国の人種・民族問題 2006年4月7日在ヒューストン日本国総領事 加茂佳彦
It is my great pleasure to be here as a guest lecturer at Texas A&M Corpus Christi in this beautiful coastal city.As a Consul General of Japan I have given many speeches and lectures on various occasions, but they are mostly at social occasions or Rotary Club meetings and the topics are generally about either Japan-U.S. relations or Japan-Texas relations or Japanese politics or the economy.So before I begin, let me make the excuse that this is actually my first attempt at speaking about a matter of sociology—a real world issue like your class on “Race and Ethnic Relations”—that I am not accustomed to speaking about, especially to an academic audience.
As I was preparing for today’s lecture to talk about “Race and Ethnic Relations,” I tried to link “race and ethnic relations” and “Japan,” but it was a difficult job and nearly impossible to do.Japan is ethnically homogeneous and we do not have race issues.
On the other hand, the United States is a melting pot, as they say, of many different races and peoples.Race and ethnic relations is one of the most popular subjects to study in college and this tells us that the issue of race and ethnicity is a highly significant issue in this country.
Accordingly, it is probably fair to say that Japan and the U.S. are two societies that have marked contrast to each other in terms of the existence of race and ethnic relations issues.Therefore, is it really worthwhile to listen to Japanese consul general talk to this issue?I hope so!
Today, I would like to give you a picture of Japanese society and I think that it will provide useful input into the study of race and ethnic issues in the U.S.
Race and ethnic issues symbolize the light and shadow of the U. S. society.The U.S. is a country made up of immigrants, adopted cultural pluralism and is a country that has high regard for promoting the nobility of mankind and human rights.The U.S. considers it an important mission in life to do this.It was the immigrants who gave vitality to this society and have supported the prosperity of the United States for the past 230 years of its existence.
Although the U.S. has accumulated a certain know-how to reconcile differences and resolve conflicts, there are still a number of unsolved issues to be dealt with like poverty, education, equal opportunity assurances, social justice and so on.How can these realities be realities in the world’s richest society?These are serious issues and that is why you are taking this class, I think.
What about Japan?Do we have to deal with these issues?The short answer is NO.Basically there are no race or ethnic issues in Japan.Japan is a homogeneous society and we do not have the multiplicity of characteristics, cultures, religions, and economic backgrounds that exist in the United States.Should Japan feel fortunate that we do not have to deal with these social challenges?It is true that Japan does not have to bear the huge burden of adjusting to social differences, but the question of how Japanese society maintains its prosperity and dynamism still remains.
Japanese society is ethnically, culturally and linguistically the same.It is generally described as a collective, consensus-making and conservative society.The advantage of this type of society is that we spend less time and money adjusting to each others’ concerns and interests.In Japan there are rarely lawsuits; lobbying for political or economic advantage is not common and there are no religious or cultural clashes of any import.
Japanese society has been described as solid and stable and Japanese people are said to have a strongly established sense of duty.Furthermore, Japanese people are sensitive to economic disparity, to the unjustness of great wealth along side desperate poverty and we tend to pursue social fairness.
On the other hand, the weakness of Japanese society is that it lacksdiversity.If dynamism is enhanced by diversity, Japan is not an ideal place for dynamism to flourish.It is said that we have little resilience to change, lack leadership skills, have few successful diplomatic experiences with other countries and are not comfortable with being on the offensive.Japan has a dependent and compromising society that is not used to dealing with foreign cultures.
Although Japan has not had to deal with race and ethnic issues at home, there were times when we struggled to cope with foreign countries and people in our external relations in the past.We had too little contact with other races and cultures, which made us vulnerable to the backlash of the great power games of the world powers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
History tells us that Japan also gained dynamism from encountering foreign cultures, but Japan’s contact with foreign countries was selective and cautious.Japan had outside contact only with certain countries, initially the KoreanPeninsula, and when Japan closed itself off from the outside world during the Tokugawa Era, only the Chinese and the Dutch were allowed to come in through Nagasaki to trade with the Japanese.
Even the development of modern Japan was based on the principle of self-help and Japanese ownership.Thus Japan, an inexperienced novice in the international relations, managed to survive without calamities.The turning point was in the mid 19th century with the arrival of Commander Perry and the great Black Ships.After all, Japan’s encounter with the Western imperial powers was a shocking experience for the whole Japanese nation.Western military might and civilization overwhelmed Japan.Our independence being threatened, Japan made every effort to build a more competent, modern nation with the slogans of “building a rich and militaristically strong nation” and “employing the Japanese spirit, while utilizing Western ability.”
Japan, after its victories in wars with China and Russia, became a novice imperial power and competed with the Western powers that also had imperialistic ambitions in Asia.And, as you know, the pursuit of militaristic adventurism led Japan to devastating defeat in World War II.This was the gravest experience for the Japanese nation of all time.
Japan’s rise as a modern nation was in some ways a fight against racism and prejudice.There was no other non-white nation on the scene when Japan struggled to achieve a decent standing in the international community.It is little known, perhaps, that Japan made a proposal calling for the elimination of racial discrimination at the drafting process of the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War.This proposal was not adopted for it “failed to meet consensus,” which greatly discouraged Japan.Another moment that the Japanese were exposed to racism and discrimination in the early 20th century was when California enacted the Anti-Japanese Immigration Law of 1913.These frustrating experiences brought home to us the reality of the world.
From 1955 to the early 1990’s, Japanese politics have been stable with the Liberal Democratic Party as the ruling political party. With the concept of a homogeneous society deeply rooted in Japan, this political stability worked effectively for Japan’s business management model to function well and helped Japan to achieve economic growth.Under the administrative guidance of its government, Japan rebuilt its industry and conflicts of interest were settled by providing governmental financial support to the concerned parties to their mutual benefit.
Japan was also fortunate to have favorable international relationships during this period.Being part of the Western camp during the Cold War enabled Japan to concentrate on economic growth.Peace and stability were maintained for Japan thanks to a military alliance with the U.S.Japan commercially benefited from regional conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam Wars.Japan also enjoyed free trade and cheap energy resources at this time.
Another factor that explains Japan’s economic miracle after World War II is that Japan’s relative weaknesses did not stand in the way of catching up to the economies of the West.In catching up to something it is not always necessary to lead, create or challenge to break the new horizon.We executed economic catch-up in a most efficient manner, as recapturing what was done before is always easier.
Thanks to these factors, Japan has achieved economic growth.What are the current challenges that we are facing and need to address?The first one is how to deal with globalization.
As you know, Japan suffered through 15 years of economic stagnation that forced the government and private companies to restructure.Private companies regained profit by wage and labor cuts, which led the way to economic recovery.R&D investments are helping to maintain capabilities in high tech industries.Growth in Chinese and American economies is benefiting Japan’s economy.Globalism has helped our economic recovery, but it has also created various social disparities at the same time.Our challenge is how to minimize or adjust these gaps.
The second challenge is the declining birth rate and the aging society of Japan.It is actually said that the Japanese population reached its peak in 2005.The aging society has made pension reform one of Japan’s most urgent issues today.The consumption tax, currently at 5%, will most likely be increased.
The third challenge is how to open up to the prospects that the 21st century has to offer.The “catch up” economic development model is outdated and the Japanese people are wary of their future.There is a sense of uncertainty and stagnation that needs to be quashed.We need a new economic model and vision for the future.We need to further develop, for that matter, creativity, diligence and diplomatic assertiveness.
Last, but certainly not least, the issue of the shortage of labor should be addressed properly.There are three related issues in this argument.The first one is the immigration issue.There are currently 760,000 foreign workers in Japan which is about 1% of the entire labor force.By comparison, there are about two million registered foreigners in Japan.They are mainly Koreans (600,000), Chinese (500,000), Brazilians (300,000), Filipinos (200,000), Peruvians (55,000) and Americans (50,000).According to U.N. statistics, Japan needs to increase its labor force by 650,000 every year in order to maintain our economy.However, the number of foreign workers who came to Japan in 2004 was only 160,000.
The issue goes beyond the mere economics of the labor market.Are we ready to accept foreign workers, not just as workers, but as future Japanese citizens?I don’t think we are quite ready to introduce a bold immigration policy yet.The selective acceptance of skilled labor into the market, such as hiring nurses from the Philippines to work in Japanese hospitals could be the first step in this regard.
The second issue is the role of women in Japanese society.Although women are highly regarded in Japanese society, their advancement in the workplace is still low and slow, compared to Western countries.As the number of career-minded women increases, their entrance to the workforce has increased drastically.On the other hand, there are problems because of this.Career women have a tendency to marry late in life or to stay single.This results in the declining birth rate.Values are changing.We need to improve the workplace to accommodate women’s needs.
The third issue is education.It has been said in the past that the Japanese education system is first class at elementary and middle school levels, but it is second rate at the college level. To the contrary, nowadays, Japanese parents are worried about the deterioration of early education in Japan due to the easing up on discipline and educational requirements for the students.The Japanese education authorities are discussing what to do about this.
Universities and colleges are changing too.First of all, the national universities have become independent administrative agencies.This means that universities and colleges should become more competitive in this society with fewer students.University ranking surveys seldom give high rating to Japanese schools.They underestimate them mainly because their educational curriculum is not based on the English language. Don’t underestimate Japanese schools.With hardly any natural resources, Japan has depended heavily on human resource development.It is too obvious that the second largest economy in the world cannot be sustained by poor advanced education.The Japanese university education system, which does not rely on the English language, including lectures and textbooks, is exceptional.It has both strengths and weaknesses; however, there have been arguments for strengthening English education in this globalized world.
Now, let’s switch gears to the United States.In contrast to Japan, the United States is the country with a growing population and is highly dependent on immigrant labor.The U.S. has made the most of the non-equivalent labor exchanges and has used them as a source of national wealth.An example of this is the influx of foreign workers to work for low wages at jobs Americans don’t want to do or to serve in the U.S. military as non-citizens.Latin American countries have become the new frontier of the United States.
The core issue of American society is the equality of opportunity.Is the United States giving equal opportunity to every member of its society?Aren’t minority groups being left behind?The answer to the poverty problem in the U.S. also rests here.
What kind of policies should the U.S. adopt?Is the current Social Security System doing enough?What about the “Great Society” initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson?Did it help to eliminate poverty and achieve racial justice?
Even if the distribution of resources is accomplished in the market place, the government still needs to provide checks and balances.However, it is not likely that the U.S. will provide massive social welfare from tax dollars as Scandinavian countries do.Americans value and attach importance to minimum government intervention in their lives.Apparently the “ownership society” advocated by the incumbent President Bush is aiming to strengthen this American creed of individual freedom and self-governance.
Instead of budgeted public funds, the U.S. is more dependent on ad hoc donations and charities to help those less fortunate to recover income disparity.In any market economy there is a necessity for the spirit of “noblesse oblige.”But in the case of the U.S. with smaller government orientation, this ad hoc mechanism of income redistribution is crucial to support the weak in society.
The question is whether the U.S. should be less dependent on people’s goodwill and generosity or not.Simply put, it is a choice of freedom or protection, market or government, donation or taxation.The U.S. choice seems to be to let the market do the work. But the U.S. needs to have a society where the losers in the market place can keep trying to take their chances there.How can they achieve this?
I have no definitive answer to give, but I do say that education is the short and simple answer.Because I believe that to overcome social disparity and to secure social justice in the long term, one has to train oneself to become an effective worker.Good education gives one better prospects for success in life than other measures, including receiving donations or depending on social welfare.
This is all I have to say for today.Thank you for your attention and I am happy to respond to your questions.