Japan is different from many other non-western countries.
After having talked to both a French Canadian as well as a Muslim Canadian, I found that my own attitudes towards society were somewhere in the middle, between the two of them. I have an understanding of both Western liberal society and Muslim conservative society because I can see some similarities not only between the lives of Muslim people and the lives of elderly Japanese people in their 90’s, but also some similarities between the lives of westerners and the young Japanese generation in their 20’s. I believe that this big generation gap is caused in a large part by the U.S. occupation just after WWII. I think that the U.S. changed Japanese society in a big way.
I have seen that some Europeans and Australians come to Japan and criticize the U.S. presence in Japan. If you are one of those people please question if you would be able to enjoy the same kind of life in Japan if the U.S. had not brought democracy to Japan after WWII. I know about European history and society from traveling, studying history, movies, magazines and TV, and I respect many aspects of European culture. I understand why many Europeans look down on the U.S. If you are European or Australian my advice to you is to learn how the U.S. changed Japanese people’s lives.
Actually, Japan had already been westernized before the U.S. occupation after WWII. Unlike many other non-western countries, in the 19th Century, the Japanese government sent missions to the U.S. and to Europe in order to carry out research in those societies. After this, the government created a constitution, a cabinet and political parties that all referred to western systems. This is not because western countries forced Japan to do so but because the Japanese people recognised values that were important to them. In addition, some Japanese people introduced the idea of human rights and equality before WWII. I think that this open-minded Japanese attitude is one of reasons why Japan was able to become be a developed country earlier than other non-western countries.
I think that democracy and human rights are not a western tradition but a universal idea which had developed earlier in the West than in other regions because western countries also took a long time to develop their systems of modern democracy and human rights.
I have been to many regions in the world such as East Asia, South East Asia, Europe, Russia, Turkey, North America and Australia. I felt that the natural environment in Europe was the most comfortable excluding the New World (North America and Australia). The summer is cooler, there is not much rain, no earthquakes, vast flat lands, no deserts or rainforests. For me, this is the main reason why democracy and the concept of human rights developed earlier in the West than in other regions.
So, if you are a non-westerner, why don’t you import western democracy and human rights in order to make your people happy and so that finally your country will develop more; like Japan?
I personally think, the idea of a positive effect on Japan by the U.S. because of loosing the war pretty dangerous. It is exactly the argument, which is still popular to have a reason or an excuse for starting a war o conquering other countries ( like Iraq and others ) … to bring freedom and democracy to the people ???
I also believe, that Japan would have developed itself even without being still a little bit like a colony of the U.S. ( as some people sometimes joking ). The Soviet-Union and all eastern european countries are a recent example for a society-changings without loosing a war against a western country.
Societies are always changing, by reasons from inside or outside and mostly it is good, that these changes happen slowly and naturally, considering the special culture of the country. The best example for a big failure is Africa. Since about 200 years, western countries try to bring their culture and ideas of democracy there but it still doesn’t work until now.
It is also interesting, that political and social systems always change between democracies and dictatorships, already in the ancient Greek or Rome. It seems, that there is no final state of a perfect society or political system. If there is a dictatorship, the people are suffering and crying for freedom and if they get their democracy, they are complaining, that there is nobody, who can make urgent and necessary decisions. It is an everlasting cycle between both systems until the end of all mankind.
Back to the topic of Japan, I can feel in many ways, that Japan is turning more and more away from western ideals ( which is not neccesarily bad ). Looking at the U.S. now, with its economical and ecological problems and imperialistic policy, Japan is getting more an more selfconfident about its own culture and way of life. The western “gaijin” is not the “god” anymore and big companies like Toyota are turning back to more japanese company-structures.
Of course, their are still a lot of things, that should change in Japan but it is good, if it happen the “japanese way”, considering the japanese mentality, history and culture of the people.
I have a good example from my own country. After the reunion of east- and west-germany, east-germany was completely assimilated. It was simply turned into what was west-germany before. There were a lot of people, saying, that even east-germany has been a communistic dictatorship before, some of its structures ( like social life and supports for kids and families ) had not been so bad. But … proved by the fact, that the democratic and economical successful system must be better, all other ideas have to be bad. Now, the people can buy oranges whenever they like and they can travel wherever they like, but they suddenly noticed, that an appartment or having a family can be really expensive and if people do not have any work ( there was no unemployment in east-germany before but now it is huge ), they can’t buy all the things, they wanted to buy and might not be able to travel anywhere either. I often thought, what would have happened, if the former east-germany would have become an independent state ? Impossible of course, because all people tried to escape into the rich west anyway … but … just as an idea, it might have taken more time to delope a state, which can economical survive but it could have become a different society ( and not neccesarely a worser one ). And … 20 years ago, it was also impossible to imagine, that such a poor country like Romania could be able to join the European Union.
So at least, do you still think, that the “import of western democracy” would make people happy ? I was living all my life in a western democracy but looking at the world now and its history, I doubt it.
Berndt
2008/04/04
Hi Berndt,
1) As you wrote, “political and social systems always change between democracies and dictatorships, and have done so since ancient Greece and Rome,” both Western Europe and Eastern Europe have had a heritage of democracy since ancient times. This is why Eastern Europe could easily become democratic after Communism collapsed. Japan did not have a heritage of democracy and that is why we needed to lose a war against a democratic country to gain a democracy, I think.
2) Japanese considered westerners as Gods? I do not think so. I think that it is your own opinion.
3) As for Africa, western countries divided Africa without considering ethnic groups or tribes, which is a source of many problems today. The reason why it is difficult to bring democracy to Africa is more a matter of their level of development rather than their ethnic culture, I think. But this is all speculation on my part and I do not know about Africa well.
4) Your question, “import of western democracy” would make people happy?
People in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan I have met in person or have seen via mass media are all happy with western democracy. Why are people in India, Egypt and Iraq not happy with western values? Because they are religious. It is difficult for religious people to accept anything, outside of their religion even if it may be a good idea.
japaneseview
2008/04/08
“And… 20 years ago, it was also impossible to imagine, that such a poor country like Romania could be able to join the European Union.
So at least, do you still think, that the “import of western democracy” would make people happy ? I was living all my life in a western democracy but looking at the world now and its history, I doubt it.”
. 20 years ago (198
Ceausescu was still alive and Iron Curtain & Soviet union were still holding ground in the east.after 1989 we were not so poor but we were kept in the state of poverty just to be bought cheaper (a western commodity) romania at that time had 0 national debt ( now is like 25 billions of $ )
o personally agree with this because you are very right : “But … proved by the fact, that the democratic and economical successful system must be better, all other ideas have to be bad. Now, the people can buy oranges whenever they like and they can travel wherever they like, but they suddenly noticed, that an appartment or having a family can be really expensive and if people do not have any work ( there was no unemployment in east-germany before but now it is huge ), they can’t buy all the things, they wanted to buy and might not be able to travel anywhere either”
i can see this things now in my own country [i am young,i was little when the “revolution” happened and i grew in one of the worse periods of my country.i dont like communism and i hate “russians/soviet union and what they represented to us” big time but i am not much happier with ever more present “western ” life. flats prices grew up more than 20 times in 5 years, cities became crowded (in bucharest there are 1,5 mln cars for 2,5 mln people) there are bigger differences between poorer people and the(few ) middle class ones. joining e.u doesn`t made us better than we were nor wealthier. we became only second level eu citizens and a country of emigrants / cheap labour (i`d say some kind of modern slaves). also,we will contribute to e.u fund with much more we got this years (money anyway spent in dubious ways but that is our fault anyway). nato membership is also a source of spending money for no purpose just to make other countries wealthier (armament trading. romania in 1989 wes selling armament of 1 bln $ worth,now only 3 mln $ and buying from others goods 300 mln $ , not to also mention we have to buy like 50 planes worth 4-5 bln $ ) and no real protection (georgia is a nato partner country and see the reaction this days when russia invaded the independent country and is still bombing georgia after the country signed a peace agree in “white” to the eu representative )
so,what is a better way ?doing what is good for a nation or joining some other nations for some utopic purposes ? (i doubt e.u/ nato will protect / support romania if this country will claim a re-unification with republic of moldova as happened with the reunification of germany )
so? what we should do ? became more westernized or make our own version of a “western” society ?
as a old word says :” time will heal all the wounds and solve all the problems”
LostSoul
2008/08/17
You speak and think too highly of your Western kind.
Japan Westernized because Matthew Perry sent strange-looking American ships to Japan and forced the Shogun to open up their markets, and subsequent Western invasion of Asia and the diplomatic bullying of China convinced them to Westernize to save themselves.
You Westerners destroy our Asian culture and our way of life. You Westerners are viruses and diseases that should be eradicated by all means necessary.
In future I am sure China would be strong enough to right what is wrong that you viruses did to us then and now.
Jin Taibao
2008/11/05
Can you type in Japanese script so I can try to read your statement better please. I dont agree that simply typing western looking and western consciousness on the internet gives one clear Japanese understanding. A requirement to learn oriental ‘Japanese’ in a western university or even in Japan might help me to read Japanese script. But I do not think that japanese script alone will be non western enough. Hey the internet is big right! So why not advertise this with every other non western site on a western site.
Sean
2008/12/14