The Power of Words, A Leader’s Power to Sense, Judge, Understand, and Reason

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

Since seeing Mr. Kurihara of the Harvard Kennedy School this May I’ve written several columns about him.

Since then I try to see Mr. Kurihara every time he comes back to Japan.  He is a wonderful person of broad topics, and global thinking with a sophistication based on broad readings including history, philosophy, and literature.  He is also a rare person (a true human asset) who is capable of seeing Japan from the outside, thus has the ability to see the fundamental principles of our country.  Talking with him is thrilling because he introduces me to many perspectives that are seen from fields which are not mine.  

So, when he came to my office again the other day, time flew by and we could not help but talk for nearly two hours.  As you may know from my posting, he issues a periodical titled the Cambridge Gazzette (in Japanese). He kindly commented on our meeting in this yeat's final edition that features  power of insight and words.

His writing was again surprisingly dynamic, telling stories accompanied with rich references from books and articles about his friendships, human networks, historical views, and about how Japan has truly talented individuals on the one hand, and has fickle, intelligent idiots who mislead this nation on the other.

If you closely look at the current situation of “Sad Japan” you would inevitably notice that it basically has not changed, or rather, was incapable of changing, at all.  I am truly impressed with the huge volume of Mr. Kurihara’s readings not to mention his rich connections with people as an independent individual. His talent to assimilate a large body of information into one piece of writing and his huge knowledge from many layers of culture coupled with his eagerness for investigating different topics are most impressive. The process in which he thinks about the things is admirable.

At any rate, I have to say that the comments made by leading Japanese are the strangest of all.  Admitting that they have any extent of knowledge or information, they still do not have the ability to seize upon the principles and essences of things. Instead, their words sound uninspired and do not connect to the hearts of the people. I am quite concerned and saddened by this notion recently.  These leaders always have scripts in their hands when speaking, and they fail to convey their own will or thoughts by looking directly into the eyes of their audience. What is probably true is that they hold no confidence or genuine belief in what they are conveying. They do not have a good grasp of history or for any other topic for that matter, though I assume they made decent efforts for high scores at the university entrance examinations.  I feel obliged to say that everything from their policies to their discussions and work is shallowly conceived, despite the volume of knowledge they have.  These greatly respected individuals, don’t recognize how tragic they are; they only make excuses for their inabilities to step outside of their comfort zones and truly inspire the people who look to them for solutions. 

I also agree very much with Mr. Kurihara’s citation regarding Hirofumi Ito’s English ability.  However, I tire of persistently hearing the worn out discussions on policies for English education in Japan in this global age.

Today, facial and other expressions are clearly depicted on high resolution television. So I am even more convinced when I say that I cannot recall hearing insightful words that are spoken from the bottom of one’s heart, either from legislators questioning at Congress, ministers, high officials, distinguished professors, executives of companies, or so called journalists.

I think people of Japan share this feeling with me, too.  I am truly concerned and sad about the disgracing television programs, newspaper articles that originate from kisha club, and the meaningless words uttered by television people (all in Japanese language….)
 
Words are indicators of mental power and intelligence (not knowledge).  Since we cannot see inside people’s hearts we have to depend on words to judge the depths and broadness of one’s character, and their personality.

Mr. Kurihara is one of those people who has the sort of intelligence and heart that is lacking in Japanese intellectuals today.  He doesn’t let this show to many.  So, I am looking forward to seeing him again to partake in an enjoyable intellectual battle.

 

‘Book Return’ Project: Let’s Support Learning For All

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

I assume that you remember my postings on ‘Learning for All’ (Ref.1).   Mr. Matsuda and his colleagues are working hard every day.

I think this activity will become one of the major movements for creating a positive cycle of change in Japan for the future.  If you look at Teach for America’s 22 years of history  in the United States, it is quite clear that the outcomes stemming from it are extraordinary.

Raising funds to support Teach for All is a very difficult task.  Hard work does not necessarily mean enough funding.

Because of this, Mr. Matsuda and his colleagues have been trying to think of ways to lessen the expenses. One idea is the Book Return Project  (in Japanese).  This project is basically about recycling used books.  As you see at their web site (in Japanese), the books can be of any category.  If you have more then 5 books to give, the Yamato Transport will come to your place, pick them up and will deliver them to the Project collect.  All you need to do is fill in the form and call the organizer.
 
What a beautiful idea this is to support the future of less priveledged children.

Such small things accumulated become a forceful power in making children’s future bright.

Here is my message of support to Learning For All:
By teaching, you teach yourself.
Education for poor youths, by youths.
Through this youths will grow to become true leaders.

Learning For All – Anyone can participate in this fantastic project. By participating you are taking part in that which will trigger a positive cycle for the future by educating children and nurturing youths to become leaders.

The Job Fair in Boston:　An e-mail from a local observer

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

On October 20th I reported about the job fair in Boston for Japanese companies to recruit bilingual (English and Japanese) young professionals.

In this regard, I received an e-mail from someone who had been at the Forum both this year and last year. The person said this year’s experience was completely different from last year’s.

The person wrote the following: “I was astonished. By just strolling along the streets of Boston, I felt that something was different from last year.

“I thought that this Job Forum was a U.S.-Japan Career Forum, focused on English-Japanese bilingual professionals. But, throughout the city I saw mostly Chinese and Korean people carrying plastic bags distributed at the Job Forum.  I even saw some Western people, which made me think that this Job Forum has now become a place for Japanese enterprises to recruit professionals from all over the world.  I was told that these non-Japanese people do not necessarily speak Japanese.
 
“I had an opportunity to listen to a Japanese person who had interviewed with some companies. This person said, ‘there was a time when it seemed that I was the only Japanese in the interviewees’ lines.’  Given this information, I think that current companies are shifting their recruitment strategy; from limiting to Japanese students studying abroad, to accepting any good talents regardless of their nationalities.

“I also talked with one of the people in charge of recruiting the students. When I asked what was his/her impression of this year’s Job Forum was, the person replied that the overall preference was changing from hiring Japanese to hiring non-Japanese.

“Apparently going abroad and broadening one’s views is not enough any more.  Companies are seeking people who are capable of enhancing ‘their own unique talents’, and this trend is getting stronger every year. Which means, it seems to me, that the key word is probably not ‘quantity’ but ‘quality’.  Recent Japanese media seem to be concerned only about the number of students studying abroad, but we have to understand that ‘the issue is not about numbers but about what students do with their life after going abroad.”

The observations from this individual are very important and valuable information to us.  However, though this impression is based on the Job Forum itself, we also have to consider extending those observations outward toissues existing in Japan regarding conventional Japanese employment and working style.

In Japan, University of Tokyo is regarded as the top university. But let’s admit that the students are selected by just one entrance examination: the T-scores.  What we should really care about is how to help students discover their potentials, and nurture their unique talents while they are within the university to become true assets of our society. In other words, we must be able to distinguish between between the person who ends in Todai, with the person who starts from Todai. (in Japanese)

Furthermore, we must admit that it is not good to linger on the conventional habits of companies providing informal employment offerings exclusively to students in the 3rd year of college, or of limiting recruitment to newly graduated students only.  Also, we need to closely monitor how the companies, especially the top ones, treat those bilingual talents after they are hired.

Students and youth, I want you to know that confining yourself within Japan will not broaden your perspectives for your future.  Why not collect your courage and take a leave of absence from school (Ref.1, 2). Go abroad for a while. Explore for even a few months. By doing so, there is a good chance for tapping new potential and talent within you. Taking time to travel more extensively -  maybe for about the length of a year – to broaden your perspective and refine who your are is so important.

Youths’ futures lay ahead of them.  I don’t see any promising future in any Society or Nation that is not willing to carefully and patiently nurture its younger generation.  Elders must encourage and support youth. They must refrain from oppressing their future by getting in their way.  There are no excuses for interrupting a young person’s potential. That you are older or wiser should only be an excuse to withhold your meddling and to support from a distance by encouraging exploration of opportunities.

Hot Youths Helping Themselves to Create Careers

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

As I have written on many occasions, today’s Japanese youth is not in as bad of a place as you think (Ref.1). They are just perceiving the world differently from conventional Japanese views, and therefore are taking courses of action that diverge from traditional paths.

I hope you remember Mr. Saisyo (in Japanese), a Waseda University student who took leave of absence from school and founded the ‘Dragon Cherry Blossoms E-education’ in collaboration with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. I have great respect for his work and so I’ve written about his story and his progress in many different entries (Ref.1, 2). 

After being on ‘sabbatical’ for two years, he has returned to school. To hold his place, Waseda charged him 100,000 yen (1,200 dollars) for each year of absence.  I do not agree with this policy. It seems to me the University should encourage such experience by reducing the tuition. Still, Mr. Saisyo’s friend, Mr. Miyoshi (in Japanese), is now traveling around the world to discover his passion for the thing he really wants to do in his life.

I spoke with Mr. Saisyo soon after he returned to Japan. I listened to the difficulties he faced, learned of all the plans he worked on, and discovered how though his work was very challenging, the tasks were extremely rewarding. He also told me that after spending 2 years in Bangladesh, he is able to see that the focus and seriousness between the teachers and the students at Waseda is severely lacking.

Recently, I introduced another group, Mr. Matsuda  (in Japanese) (Ref.1) of ‘Learning For All’  (in Japanese) and Ms. Muto, a proxy for Mr. Fukazawa, the secretary-general, to speak at a 2 hour meeting hosted by the National Institute for Educational Policy Research of MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology).

 They spoke about a new organization that will appear in Japan soon. ‘Learning For All’ is a new project in Japan that is a prerequisite to associate with ‘Teach for America’, a highly respected organization  amongst American college graduates of which I wrote about 2 years ago.  Teach for America is a body of outstanding college graduates from all different backgrounds. They commit to two years of teaching in urban and rural public schools of underprivileged communities of USA, abecoming leaders and broadening opportunity for themselves as well as for the students they teach.  Still in it’s infancy, Mr. Matsuda and his colleagues plan to test and prepare the details and operations of ‘Learning for All’ for two years before making ‘it a public opportunity in Japan.

In the beginning of the meeting, the officers at MEXT were curious about many things. In particular, they wanted to know why Mr. Matsuda began such a project and how it could be funded.  But as they listened to Mr. Matsuda, they gradually understood his passion and the deep implications such an organization could have on the Japanese youth and education.  I felt this visit very worthwhile.  Thank you all for your time and commitment.

As adults, it is our responsibility to help youth with dreams and passion explore as many paths as possible and to alleviate whatever obstacles might be in their way  They will benefit from our helpful guidance, but to block their way is a sin.  Big cheers to all the youth!!  I ask you all to please join me in supporting them in becoming diverse and impassioned. . They are our only future.

 

Welcoming Mr. Kohei Nishiyama at the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

This semester, I am conducting a course on ‘Innovation in Globalization’ at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus. (Ref.1)

As I have previously reported here, I recently was traveling outside Japan for a duration of two weeks. Because of this, Dr. William Saito  and Mr. Kazuhiko Toyama (in Japanese) kindly helped me with my course and delivered exciting lectures to the class in my absence.  Just after the October 13th class, I called from Seattle and thanked them.

This week, on October 20th, my guest was Mr. Kohei Nishiyama of Elephant Design.  He delivered  a very stimulating lecture about his business and on how he founded such an innovative enterprise that incorporates unique global vision and processes.

If you are interested in hearing this lecture or another from previous weeks, all of the lectures from my class are online in Japanese. They have all been extremely informative and I recommend that you take time to watch them.
・ Dr. William Saito
・ Mr. Kazuhiko Toyama
・ Mr. Kohei Nishiyama

After class that day, I went to PASONA’s head office in Tokyo to give a lecture at the joint session by Osaka University Graduate School and PASONA Career Juku.  This was again a very exciting session.  Mr. Nanbu, the CEO of PASONA, is a wonderful business leader.  He designed a program to support young professionals find jobs by providing them opportunities to learn business skills through hands-on experience.  By providing such opportunities, Japanese youth gain invaluable knowledge about what they want to do in their professional life. It is important to participate in this sort of activity in anyway possible.

Supporting and encouraging Japanese youth to build their careers is crucial for the Nation to prosper.  Elders must never try to discourage youths from dreaming. The more repressed children and students are, the less chance there is of this portion of our population to reach their full potential. If a country is dominated by adults who only want to fit youth into a preconceived box, limiting opportunity and growth, then the future of the country will not be promising.

So I encourage you all to invest in our young people.

Boston Career Forum: Companies in Japan Recruit Japanese Bilingual Professionals

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

In Boston, on October 22-24 Japanese companies will hold a Job Fair to recruit bilingual (Japanese and English) young professionals. For 20 years this event has supported people dedicated to their goals, believing that where there is a need, there is a business.

Their invitation reads as follows;
? 130 companies and institutions will gather for 3 days from October 22nd (Fri) to 24th (Sun) to recruit university students, graduate school students, researchers, and professionals from all over the world.
? While we understand that many of you plan to remain in universities as researchers or faculties, many top companies in and outside of Japan gather here to offer variety of positions not only to new graduates but also to people in specialized fields, engineers, and researchers.
? This Forum is a great opportunity for those who consider working for private companies as part of their career.
? We have travel scholarship for participants who are traveling from long distance.  Please check the web site below for information and registration.
? It is a great pleasure for us to offer you variety of career information and opportunities.

The list of participating companies and information on travel scholarship are posted on the website.  Similar events are also held in London, Tokyo (Summer and Winter), and Los Angeles this year.

A little more about the event:

What have some of the outcomes of Job Forum been over the past 20 years?  How have the jobs been of the people who found opportunities through the event? Just recently I heard that even now, Japanese companies have had young non-Japanese professionals sit idle at their desks everyday from 9am to 5pm in order to “get them used to the Japanese business system” rather than utilizing their talents or qualifications.  This is hard to imagine but it happens.

Excluding Western companies, I am curious how these companies have treated people and whether those people have been held outside the standard “seniority-based promotion system”. Or, were these talented people subjected to those rules, where time spent in employment counts more than your performance?  I hope not!

I understand that it is a very difficult time now for students in Japan to find jobs.  People have different views on this issue, perhaps believing that education’s sole purpose should be to enter directly into the work force. But I think what we need now is to broaden basic awareness.  I wonder what Japanese companies expect of students. Ater they have made informal offers to students during their third year at university, how do they expect the students to spend rest of their college career?  Are they expecting them to start preparing for the new job?  Do they expect them to stop exploring their interests? I certainly hope not!

I hear that even at the University of Tokyo, the parents accompanying students to the graduate school education briefing demand explanations and methods on how their children should find employment after graduation. (in Japanese). What kind of society is this?  Both parents and students are lingering to other people’s support.  They are by no means independent, self supporting individuals.  Regarding this issue, I recommend reading the blog posting (in Japanese) by Professor Iiyoshi of MIT who specializes in education and authored ‘Learning by the Web (Web de Manabu).  We must recognize that the Japanese society of ‘life long employment and huge pensions” is quite over.

The media reports that the number of researchers studying abroad is also declining (in Japanese), (and　Ｉ intend to analyze this on another occasion…).  In the meantime, I think it is a good option for young people today to go abroad for higher (graduate school) education and to pursue careers showcased in overseas recruitment seminars as I have introduced to you above.

The younger you are, the more potentials and options you have for your future.

‘Because This is the Time of Uncertain Future, Be More Courageous’ is my message to you.

 

GLOBE Live 2010

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

'GLOBE'  is an eight-page long special brochure created by the Asahi Shinbun, a widely distributed newspaper.  Twice a month on Monday mornings these stylish brochures appear and cover various topics of the world. As you have read in one of my posts on GLOBE (Ref.1, 2), I was invited to write some articles for them.

The title of my article was "Why University of Tokyo is Poor in Producing Nobel Laureates – Blame Goes to the Easy Going Conditions of the '4 Lines Professors' " (in Japanese) . The  term '4 lines professors' seemed to have been a catchy expression, and the editor received many comments from the readers.  However, my primary message was to 'Make the Best Use of Human Resource' – one of my core themes which I have been writing about repeatedly in my website.

Another nice thing about the 'GLOBE' is that everything is On-line. (in Japanese)

On Sunday, October 17th, I was invited to 'GLOBE LIVE 2010' (in Japanese) held in Tokyo to celebrate its 2nd anniversary (the 1st anniversary took place in Nishinomiya, the western part of Japan…).  The venue was packed with guests.

The programs were fantastic (in Japanese); the guests were interviewed, there was a performance on the piano by Mr. Takatsugu Muramatsu, (Ref.1 in Japanese) and during intermissions, songs were sung by Ms Miu Sakamoto.  The  interviews started with myself, followed by people such as Mr. Atsushi Ogata,  a multi talented film director 、Mr. Dai Fujikura (Ref.1), a composer, Mr. Steve Yamaguchi, (in Japanese), (Ref. 1 in Japanese), (Ref.2) , Ms. Sakie Akiyama (in Japanese),   (Ref.1 in Japanese), (Ref.2),  Mr. Hiroshi Watanabe  (I have introduced him to you as one of the '7 samurais') . It was a breathtaking list of talents of which I am humbled to have been included.  These people are all introduced in the GLOBE, so please see their web site.  The host of this event was Ms. Maki Nomura of Asahi Television (in Japanese) ,and editors of GLOBE, Asahi Newspaper.

Overall, the production was conducted nicely and with good tempo. I fully enjoyed this event.  Thank you to all who participated.

(I removed the sentence about the reception because it seemed “anti-climactic and to derail attention from the event itself)

Below are some of the blogs commenting on this event.

． http://legendokiki001.at.webry.info/201010/article_1.html　
． http://changemylife.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2010-10-17　

It would be great to have English version On-line report on 'GLOBE LIVE 2010' .  I am looking forward to seeing it.

 

 

Another Visit to Toronto in Autumn, A Meeting with Munk School on Our Collaborative Project

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

I have been visiting Toronto twice a year, in Spring and Autumn for the past two years (Ref.1,2,3,4,5). 

This time, I left Singapore early in the morning of 7th, spent 2 hours each for transit at Narita and Chicago O’Hare airport, arriving at Toronto at 7pm.  By coincidence, I came across President Hatta and Vice President Fukushima of GRIPS, where I currently work for, at the Hotel check-in.  After taking a short rest, we went for dinner at the near by Italian restaurant Fieramosca.  Actually the place was quite nice.

Next day was a perfect autumn day, without a single cloud in the sky.  Dr. Sunami,  of GRIPS, myself, Dean and our partner at Munk School of Global Affairs (Ref.1), graduate students, and other interested people, total of 10 or so gathered to finalizing our plans for our collaborative Project.  This Project is about ‘Integrated Innovation’ in global poverty and development, to investigate the current status and craft practical policy recommendations.  We have been working on this for some time and this meeting in effect finalized the basic outlines for grant application.  I am very pleased for our progress.  By the way, we also plan to invite interested and committed researchers in this project, too.

While the meeting was still going on, I left the room to visit President Naylor at his office, to join Drs. Hatta and Fukushima, who were visiting him as part of their effort to set up exchange programs with several universities in Canada and GRIPS, and we discussed various subjects including possible future exchanges between GRIPS and University of Toronto. University of Toronto is very positive about encouraging international exchanges.  In Japan, on the contrary, not many students today are interested in seeking overseas study and expreiences, and this problem is becoming a hot topic in Japan recently (Ref.1), which is a huge difference compared to Canada, a quite a cosmopolitan naton.  But I think, in Japan, it is not the young generation that are reluctant to leave home, but the grown ups around those young people.  This will naturally make young people while they grow, lose interest in the outside world.

I enjoyed nice time over lunch at the faculty club dining room located in the building beautifully decorated with wild vines.  The huge campus is surrounded by trees and greens, it is clear at a glance that the students come from quite diversified backgrounds.  Everyone looks lively and cheerful.  Since it was the Thanksgiving season in Canada (one month earlier than U.S.), there seemed to be fewer students around, though…. I spent rest of the day taking a walk through the charming small paths behind the Four Seasons Hotel, visiting Japan Foundation Office in Toronto, having dinner together at the local Chinese restaurant.

Next morning started with a breakfast with Dr. John Dirks, the Chair of Gairdner Foundation Selection Committee, followed by a visit to Royal Ontario Museum to see Terracotta Army, and meeting with several other people. It was a wonderful 2 days in Toronto blessed with beautiful autumn weather.  I will leave for Seattle on 10th.  Toronto is a very Cosmopolitan city.

Although I saw fewer students than usual in the broad campus of the University of Toronto, probably due to the long weekend, I couldn’t help but feel that young people in Japan, or Japanese society as a whole in that sense, are currently in low spirit.  It is fun to go abroad at young age, while you are more capable of being sensitive with a variety of things, having broader career choices ahead of you.  I know that Japanese youths who participated at the Asian Youth Exchange Program in Okinawa (link to the AYEPO report of this year) got the idea of how other youths in Asia think and act, what and how they study.  They continue to keep in touch with each other.  They will make friends with young people around the world, and gradually will be able to find what they are good at or what they want to do.  Human network will expand from such experience and maybe the possible field of their future activities, too.  So, as I always say, I recommend you all, no matter whether you are in high school or university, to ‘take a leave of absence from school’ ? and there would be variety of styles to choose, for instance, what you do, where you go, or how long you stay.  I am pretty sure that you will have some eye-opening experience, and find something that you would really like to do.

From Singapore

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

Click here for photos of Marina Bay Sands Resort

I left STS Forum in Kyoto early in the morning of October 5th, made a brief stop at my home, and arrived at GRIPS early in the afternoon.  There, I had a good conversation over various topics with Dr. Han Seung-Soon, the former prime minister of Korea, whom I have met in Seoul just recently.  Then, I took a train from Tokyo Station to Narita Airport, arriving at Singapore at around midnight.

IMG_0008 (2)

Next morning was a board meeting of A*STAR . The discussion was heated from beginning to the end until the meeting closed after lunch.  This board is working quite vibrantly actually.  Budgets are allocated to make Singapore more competitive in science, technology and research, to build new opportunities ? very constructive and active.  A*STAR is also planning a collaboration with Universities in Iran, in order to develop further exchanges of talented students.  Another project is the Liberal Arts course that has a full boarding system which will be offered in collaboration with Yale University.  In short, they are so dedicated to nurturing global talents.  It is a common sense, so to say, that ‘Nurturing Human Talents is the Base of Building of a Nation’ (in Japanese), but it seems quite different in a country who knows where. The problem is that adults, the grown-ups, are ‘closed minded’, and that will make it difficult for our nation to address problems we are expected to face in this rapidly ‘flattening age of globalization’.

Late in the afternoon, we visited the ‘Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Resort’.  First thing to do was to see the fantastic view from the top of the building, looking down the course of F1 autorace track that took place just recently, Marina Barrage  where I had been not so long ago, and right beyond the ocean lies Malaysia and Indonesia so closely.  The premise is a combination of three 57 stories high buildings, with hotel, condo, major convention facility, casino, etc. and a 150 meters swimming pool on the top of the building. The view is just breathtaking.  Elevators moves up and down in high speed ?very fast- but motions are almost unnoticeable.

Its grand scale, however, is not the only thing that impresses us.  Prices are also soaring high; Hotel, Condo (still some vacancy…), Casino (sheer admission cost 85 dollars), and practically anything.  After the tour, I had a nice cheerful dinner with other members of the board.

I recommend that you visit this Sands Hotel and Resort if you have an opportunity.

After returning to the Hotel, I spent about 2 hours with Professor Ito, who has been working vibrantly at Singapore for about 10 years, Professor Yamamoto, new member of NUS faculty, and Dr. Steve Chu, a member of the board of UCLA.  I have known Professor Ito since he was at Kyoto University, but he moved to Singapore after retirement from Kyoto, and was awarded President’s Science Award this year.   I congratulate him for this great achievement.  We are so proud of him.

Why don’t more professors of Japanese universities broaden their world and go out to spread their field of activities instead of sticking around universities even after their retirement, I wonder?  Recently, it seems that many accomplished professors stay at universities taking advantage of their uiversities being Independent Administrative Institutionization (Dokuritsu Hojinn).  This would cause less room availabilities, and I feel sorry for young people.  Yet, more ‘adults’ and ‘professors’ complain that youths today are not passionate about going abroad.  This is a problem.  Mind you, young people are quite aware that their seniors are not being consistent in their words and actions.

Tomorrow, a car will pick me up at 5:15 am to take me to the airport.  I will fly for Toronto from here.

 

Participating in Variety of Projects, and Once Again, About Armchair Quarterback

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

→Japanese

On September 28th and 29th, Asia Innovation Forum, as you have read in my website last year, was held again.  It is its fourth year and several small ‘satellites’ were set up.  The sizes of the rooms were smaller, in fact that contributed to making the discussions to be more engaging and participatory, and people seemed to like them.

I joined in the last two panels on the 2nd day (in Japanese).  Panelists in the first panel (in Japanese), besides myself, were Dr. Ishikura and Ms. Ishiguro whom I worked with a week ago at the ‘Marunouchi Career Juku’, as I have reported recently, and with Ms. Kaori Sasaki and Ms. Magsaysay Chou, a business leader from the Philippines.  Here, I was again the only male panelist as was the case at the ‘Juku’ last week.  However, this time, the audience consisted mostly of middle aged or senior men and I somehow could feel the difference clearly from a week ago as I participated in the discussions.

The latter panel was hosted by the same host as last year, Mr. Kusunoki, welcoming Mr. Idei (former CEO of Sony) of Quantum Leap, the organizer of this Forum.  I stayed rather quiet this year.  Many views were presented to answer the question ‘One Thing That Would Bring Changes to Japan’, and many panelist pointed more than one Thing; but I had nothing else to say besides ‘Recommendation to Take Leave of Absence from School’, that would give youths broader choices for their future career.  Traditional system of Japan Inc failed to change for more than 20 years even after the burst of bubble economy in 1990, because of the strong opposing power of the establishments. Whatever things that are said have been said many times in the past, but nothing changed as of today.  I sincerely wish to give hope to youths who have long future ahead of them.  To my regret we have seen hardly any changes during these 10 to 20 years, regardless of many policy recommendations made in terms of legislation or budgets.  What matters is ‘execution of plans’!  I think this problem has become basically ‘a battle between generations’, ie, ‘the past vs the future’ generations.

We may need to think differently when we plan our next Forum.  Since Mr. Idei is a wonderful leader in the business sector, together with him, let us craft plans with even stronger impacts for the next year.

On October 2nd, I joined in the ‘Global Agenda Seminar’ (in Japanese) (Ref.1), hosted by Dr. Yoko Ishikura.  Our guest was Dr. Kano, who now works at the World Bank in Washington DC – such youth like him working in global arena has power to easily connect with the hearts of young people who join this very interesting Seminar.

After the Seminar, I headed for Kyoto in the afternoon of October 2nd to participate in the STS Forum.  This Forum gathers so many leaders from all parts of the world, so I enjoy seeing many friends as well as their interesting panels.

Reports will be uploaded on the web sites of each event, so please keep eyes on them.

My schedule is quite tight, I have to admit, but on the other hand I am also concerned about how slow Japan is in its changing.  I think the Democrat Party administration has to face numerous difficulties lying ahead of them.  They are not yet experienced enough in handling the process of politics and legislative processes.  Will it take another 1 to 2 years for them to work effectively?  Also, it is not good that each minister comment on recent China- Japan problems separately and not consistently as one Cabinet.  Diplomacy must have a good, stable leadership in the government.  Even if the ministers think they are speaking to Japanese only, their comments will quickly be translated and be sent out to the people of the world, in particular, to the governments of nations which are interested in Japan affairs.  Current style of press coverage of these Ministers will serve only to give impression that Japanese government has no governance.

I have once written about the effect of ‘Armchair Quarterback (Okame Hachimoku)’  (in Japanese) in my web site, and in that sense, the mail magazines (in Japanese) and twitter (in Japanese) by Mr. So Bunshu are very thought provocative.  Mr. So has deep knowledge about the way people think and feel both in China and Japan, reflecting his own background and real experiences in both countries.