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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
JAPAN'S IMPACT ON THE ASIAN IMAGE
t has long been seen as the fountainhead of consumer electronics technology. Its cars are consistently among the world's most admired. Its corporations own two major Hollywood studios. Its kiddie culture has all but killed off Mickey Mouse and Barbie. Its $4 trillion GDP is number two behind the U.S. and its workers earn 25% more per head than Americans.
Bravo Castrati!
That's how many Asian Americans see Japan. A nation that should command the stature of a powerhouse -- and elevate the image of all Asians in the process -- possesses the geopolitical profile of, say, Switzerland, a nation a thirtieth its size. Japan's leaders are seen as mere hand puppets in a sad half-century charade of democracy. Its homes are cramped. Its men function as soulless drones whose women fly into the arms of western males. Even its vaunted economy has been on the ropes for ten years and looks ready to go down for the count. What little testosterone it possessed seems to have left with Ichiro.
A nation that should champion the Asian image has only reinforced every insulting stereotype. To many Asian Americans, Japan has done less than its smaller, poorer neightbors. Little Hong Kong exports asskicking action stars. South Corea exports people who take hooey from no one. Taiwan exports tech entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley. Impoverished China, Vietnam and even nutcase North Corea showed balls in standing up to the west. But mighty Japan? Spiritually it seems never to have recovered from its defeat in World War II.
Is Japan carrying its weight or slacking in the Asian image department?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:00:40 PM)
Oh my gosh, that last poster has to be kidding. Of the Asian countries, China is the greatest challenger to America not only economically, but politically. China's growth rate is incredible. Japan will not rise again, but instead will stay in a state of perpetual prosperity like Switzerland. It seems very common on goldsea that there are Korean propagandists, which is fine, as long as you don't bring other countries down.
some respect please?
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 21:25:04 (PDT)
Dear AC Dropout
Japan has always had a history of shutting foreigners out who had too much influence on the island. They shut out Koreans and Chinese first. Then they limited (not completely shut out) European access to the country (they still had to get guns from someone to fight each other). The truth is that they shut out those who tried to spread Christianity--which left the Dutch to trade with in the ports of Dejima. The shutting of it's doors is actually a little bit of a myth the history books like to blow up and perpetuate.
Actually, less than 50% of the citizens of Japan vote. Most of the people who vote are those who exercise power and influence far beyond that of normal citizens. The farmers in this country still have a very 'special' place in this society, so if they don't want something to happen, they have the power to change it. Ordinary citizens have stopped voting because they pretty much believe their vote doesn't count, and to a certain extent, it doesn't. Many Japanese people don't know who the elected officials are. They only know Prime Minister Koizumi because he has cool hair and an attitude. Is Japan a democracy? Not in the American way of seeing things. The people vote for a leader, but the leader does not necessarily have to adhere to the ideals of the people who voted them in (there are also cultural reasons why he doesn't have to serve the people). Pretty much the officials do what they want. Their 'constitution' isn't taken too seriously because many times it's not really followed (the section on women's equality is funny, especially when I see OLs-office ladies-serving tea to their male bosses, but I have never heard of an OG-office guy-serving tea to his female boss) and not considered as important as America's constitution is to us because they had very little or no say in what was going to be written on it (again, I've spoken to many Japanese who resent that).
Many Japanese I spoke to didn't want the prime minister visiting the shrine, but he did anyway. When the Japanese citizens voted for him, they were actually voting for the foreign minister Tanaka. His approval rate has plunged since he gave her the boot.
Also, to comment about the nuclear weapons. The Japanese government is talking about reinstating it's armed forces so they can fight overseas. Koizumi fully supports changing the constitution and sending the US forces back home. Again, this is how democracy works. If you polled the citizens of Japan, less than 30% support the idea. This is facinating too, being Japan has one of the most sophisticated weapontry in the world. Democracy? Don't think so.
As I said before, Japan is a beurocracy. It takes a long time for anything to get done over here. It takes a long time for laws to get passed, for court cases to go to the courts, for me to make a deposit in the bank. People over here are not as politically active as they are in America.
Black gyrl in Japan
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 19:35:59 (PDT)
Do you think Americans will stop buying Japanese cars/electronics because they don't like Japan? HOw about the kids shows?""
If they are hungry and want to put food on the table, do you think that the Americans would stop working for the Japanese corporations in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and South Carolina? So there is something more basic here than buying game shows...putting food on the table.
Economist
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 11:32:26 (PDT)
As I have mentioned before.
Japan can't do it alone. It's kind of unfair to say Japan is slowing down when you compare it to the rest of North America and Europe.
NOrth America has about 400 million. Europe about another 500 million. Japan has 126. Now look at the poverty levels between the three groups. The homeless are way more common in America and probably Europe.
Japan will rise again once it and the rest of Asia learn to cooperate. When it rises again, it will bring Korea, China and the rest of the Pacific Rim with it. Korea may be getting wealthy, but its infrastructure isn't completely modernized yet (think of when the two Coreas become one). China is even worse off.
Name any other country in Asia that can, by itself, stand up to the United States economically. Do you think Americans will stop buying Japanese cars/electronics because they don't like Japan? HOw about the kids shows?
huu76
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 03:35:02 (PDT)
Black gyrl in Japan,
Japan shut it ports to European. While European beat up China. Then China beat up China. Now Japan want to develope their own nuclear weapons.
So now the leadership of the Diet is evil, but the people who elected him are innocent. Didn't know a democracy worked that way.
Japan is the way it is because it chooses to be that way. It's democratic society chooses to ignore the truth of history. It's democratic society chooses to allow its Prime Minister to pay tribute WWII war criminals.
In a democratic society final burden rest on the populace. Unless your say Japan is not democratic.
AC Dropout
Tuesday, June 04, 2002 at 13:33:52 (PDT)
"> I hate to see Asia become another unproductive Europe.
Not for at least few more generations. There are still masses of people hungry for success/wealth and know what can be gotton with hard work."
This is what I meant! People who actually work and who are hungry for success and wealth. I just hope conservatism doesn't play a role in breaking down the dreams of these people. There are many talented and capable people in Asia but their energies cannot made into something tangible because they are hindered by their selfish govts. If these people do break down, Asia becomes a stagnant place like Europe, which then becomes a breeding ground for major conflicts such as those found in Africa, and in the Middle East extending into South Asia.
"Japanese companies are moving their R&D wings to China where the managers compare Chinese workers of today to the self-sacrificing Japanese workers of 1960s"
Exactly, Japan needs to invest in Asia. Asia needs Japan because the country is sophisticated and more advanced than China or any other Asian region. To this point, there is very little dialogue between the Asian countries, which is causing a major rift or gap in the continent. These countries need to shed their past conflicts with each other and move on with LIFE!
The Asian Dream
Tuesday, June 04, 2002 at 10:47:26 (PDT)
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