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Japan Enters the World Series of Technology
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13441 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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9 / 1987 |
3,528 Words |
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Justin Bloom
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Today Japan is both feared and admired for its consummate skills in manufacturing and marketing products that seem to peculiarly address consumer needs and that are also of high quality and reasonable price. The mixed feelings about Japan and its people are due in part to a great lack of understanding of Japanese society. Even foreign "experts" are competent in only limited aspects of the Japanese phenomenon, and each expert introduces a certain amount of bias reflecting his own interests and objectives. This lack of general understanding is logical, considering the problems entailed in learning the Japanese language and the fact that Japan did not enter fully into commerce and social intercourse with the Western world until only 120 years ago.
In discussing some of the factors that have contributed to Japan's success in high technology and then to assess the direction that Japan may take in the future as a leading nation in science and engineering, a metaphor familiar to all Americans will be used: the game of baseball.
Baseball, the national sport of Japan, is played with the same intensity and commitment that the Japanese apply to all of their other endeavors. Although baseball was borrowed from the United States, it has developed into a peculiarly Japanese form - designed to fit the cultural attributes of the country and to accommodate the generally smaller stature of Japanese athletes. One has to observe the fervor involved inplaying baseball in Japan to understand fully how much a part of national life it has become. The spectators are as well organized as the teams. They urge their teams on in unison, led by exuberant cheerleaders and accompanied by bands.
The baseball analogy
It is tempting to draw an analogy between baseball and the processes by which Japan has achieved such marked success in basic industries and in the manufacture of commercial and consumer goods. In fact, the analogy is quite good, provided that it isn't stretched too far. Baseball is a team game, particularly in its defensive aspects. The Japanese social condition demands that the group be given priority over the individual. Yet, like-minded groups (and within them, individuals) are encouraged to compete fiercely to raise the general level of accomplishment and to achieve superiority. In contrast to the American game, the umpire is highly respected and his decisions are never questioned; discipline must be maintained for the common good. As part of the adaptive process, outfield fences in Japan are closer to home plate than in the United States, enabling home runs to be hit with about the same frequency as in the United States by the Japanese players. To avoid domination of the game by foreign players, professional teams are strictly limited in the number of foreigners they may employ, and foreigners do not become team managers or owners in Japan. (One Japanese-American did succeed in becoming a manager as an exception to the rule.) the implications of these policies when applied to trade are obvious.
The analogy breaks down when we attempt to apply it to international relations. Although Japanese Little League teams have demonstrated great competence in the Little League World Series, professional teams avoid pitting themselves against their American counterparts in any meaningful way. It will be some time before Japan deems itself confident and proficient enough to take on the United States in anyway approaching
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