A Word to Our Students: Question the "Okashira" (Leaders) | Yasuo Takagi (Dean, Graduate School of Health Management)
April 20, 2011
In the wake of the unprecedented catastrophe of the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear accident, the very fabric of society, not only in Japan but around the world, is on the verge of a major transformation. That is to say, we have been reminded that humanity is like an insect before the immense power of nature, and we have experienced both the ecstasy and the anxiety of possessing the uncontrollable force of nuclear power. The challenges that society and individuals must address in the 21st century have become clear. Particularly in the midst of such a disaster, the quality of ethics, character, and solidarity held by society and individuals has been brought into sharper focus.
Watching the press conferences on the nuclear accident held by the industrial-governmental-academic complex of the government, TEPCO, and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), one sees that they are exactly the same as the "Imperial General Headquarters announcements" during the Pacific War, where "defeat" was rephrased as "end of the war" and "retreat" as "redeployment." I cannot help but be astonished and dismayed that the Japanese societal habit of clinging to hyper-rationalistic "hope" has not changed. There is a saying, "Those who are faithful to logic will be avenged by logic." As a humble researcher myself, I cannot forgive the researchers who commented with the flimsy excuse of an "unforeseen accident." If they are researchers, they should not be able to speak on television without first considering where the logic went wrong and what aspects of their analysis were lacking. If they cannot reach a conclusion, they should have no choice but to remain silent.
Another thing that has become clear this time is the irresponsibility and lack of leadership among politicians and the elites of Kasumigaseki. The reality is that central government agencies, citing precedent and the need for their superiors' permission, are unable to provide any direction in response to inquiries from the disaster-stricken areas. Furthermore, not only are they unable to raise a banner—that is, a policy—of support for the anxious victims, but the existence of these "okashira" (leaders), who waste time in meetings for "consideration" while indulging in self-satisfaction, has appeared as a great mystery to a world that shares this situation.
Our country has astonished the world by achieving two miracles: the Meiji Restoration and the opening of the country, and the high economic growth after the war. However, whether we can achieve a "third miracle" after this great earthquake is an incomparably tougher challenge, considering the social environment of a declining population, an aging society, and low growth. This new academic year must begin with the recognition that a new society has begun with 3.11, that we can no longer return to the past before the disaster, and that we cannot trust the "okashira" (leaders) any more than we can trust certain researchers and scientists. Who are the researchers and the "okashira" who will contribute to the construction of a new society? I want to emphasize that the ability to discern this is precisely what it means to acquire the "spirit of jitsugaku" of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who lived through the opening of Japan from the Edo to the Meiji period.
(Date of publication: April 20, 2011)