innovations and find a solution to the problem of these two contradictory ideas: the preservation of the individual and the presentation of the future. Technical innovation is nothing but modernization.
At present, it is true that the Asian economy is experiencing a setback. This problem was not caused by modernization, but rather, by insufficient modernization. Saying this, some of my Asian friends may be offended. However, Asian nations including Japan have not been fully modernized yet.
For example, some nations have societies where a few families, called "zaibatsu" in Japanese, still control the national economy and where there is great disparity between the rich and the poor. In particular, because farmland has not been opened to the general public yet the extremely poor population is concentrated in farming villages. Once modernization starts, there will be a rapid inflow of the poor from farming villages to the big cities, which will increase city crime rates.
During the post-war era under the advice of the American military and through in own efforts, Japan dismantled the Zaibatsu and freed farmlands. The Japanese government spent a lot of energy maintaining rice prices after World War II. When we look back, we find that the residents of the city helped farmers with their own tax money, bearing an excessive burden in those days, and in effect contributed to the maintenance of rice prices. Other policies were established to subsidize farmers in various ways, maybe even too much. The government's actions put a great burden on farmers and considerably subsidized an industry which was suffering from delayed internationalization and obsolete technology. In this way equality had been established throughout Japan, resulting in Japan's present stability. However, corruption also emerged from this system. Because the Japanese government poured too much money into the economically weak sector, going against the market principle, bad habits were formed during that process.
Politicians exerted their rights and interests, while bureaucrats exercised their authority. So I do not say Japan is far superior to other Asian countries. Japan also failed in its own way. However, Japan also managed to achieve a highly egalitarian society, even more so than American society. There are, of course, various problems even in this egalitarian society, but Japan's very low crime rate is an apparent positive result .
Therefore, I think each Asian nation must try to reform itself based on the universal theory of modernization, instead of saying that Asia must have an "Asian sense of value." And what I want to emphasize as an Asian to western people, is the importance of religious tolerance. An American university professor, Samuel Huntington, predicted that "perhaps Confucianism and Islam will join hands and fight against Christianity in the 21st century." His prediction is unrealistic; Islamites, Christians and Buddhists are getting along fine in that very Asia. Islamites are very open-minded in Asia, and yet in the west they are still fighting. Of course Asians must try hard to realize various senses of modern value' but Western people also have things to work on. While recognizing one another's merits and difficulties, modernization can transcend the borders of Asia the borders of the Pacific Rim community, and serve as a common bond for the world. Hoping for that, I would like to end my speech.
Thank you very much.
