Formed in response to cyberattacks, “One Japan” has a sound motivation and vision, yet suffers from a critical flaw.
Without strict protection of confidential information, and with media organizations included, its research成果 will inevitably leak to competitors such as China and South Korea.
This essay issues an urgent warning to prevent all efforts from being wasted.

2016-09-19

On “One Japan.”
As already described, after July 20, when it became clear that we had been subjected to astonishingly crude port-scan attacks, I learned many things in the process of dealing with them, despite being a complete novice with computers.
During this period, I spoke several times with the technical support staff of NTT.
While doing so, I told them to convey my proposal—an embodiment of One Japan itself—to the president of NTT.
I explained that the president of NTT is someone equivalent to my senior, classmate, or junior.
In fact, until recently, the presidents of KDDI and SONY were alumni senior to me at my alma mater.
When I later saw news reports showing young NTT employees at the center of forming One Japan, I wondered whether my proposal had reached them.
In the past, Japan’s first-rate companies never allowed a customer’s phone to ring more than three times.
Second- and third-rate companies left customers waiting without concern.
The persistent deficits of the PC divisions of Japan’s leading electronics manufacturers can be understood from this alone.
Today, among companies dealing with PCs, smartphones, or internet services, it is no exaggeration to say that only Apple truly values its customers.
It is deeply ironic that Apple, an American company that introduced the bad habit of automated customer service into Japanese corporations, now embodies the spirit of Japan’s former first-rate companies in its treatment of customers.
Apple, like Microsoft, possesses the software that runs PCs.
Having had TRON PCs destroyed and reduced to mere box makers, the PC divisions of Japanese electronics manufacturers have no way to generate profits.
I had been using Vista and Windows 10, but I stopped using Vista.
It will become unusable next year.
A high-end machine that cost hundreds of thousands of yen will become nothing more than trash.
The PC divisions of Japanese electronics manufacturers should be separated and merged into a single company.
In doing so, minor differences must be overcome through integration.
This is precisely where our tax money should be invested.
Manufacturing Japanese-made PCs must never be abandoned from the standpoint of national security.
At the same time, Japan must gather the outstanding minds of its world-class companies and create TRON once again.
The essence of this effort is to develop software with 99.9 percent fail-safe security.
If that is achieved, Japan will immediately become a world leader.
It will be able to fulfill its role as a nation where the turntable of civilization is turning.
I have consistently argued that this is true innovation and the most urgent task Japan must undertake.
More than a month later, news of the formation of One Japan finally emerged.
It is 99 percent correct.
However, the remaining 1 percent is fatally flawed.
The major issue is how to protect confidential information.
The young employees who appeared there likely have no awareness of this at all.
Because multiple companies are involved, preventing information leaks becomes the most critical issue, far more serious than in a single-company setting.
That they have not recognized this is made obvious by the fact that The Asahi Shimbun was included among the founding members.
The countries that most desire Japan’s advanced technology, and that seek to know its cutting-edge成果, are South Korea and China, Japan’s strongest competitors in the global market.
The engineers gathered in One Japan are all equivalent to my juniors from my alma mater, but in their understanding of the Asahi Shimbun, they are no different from who I was before August two years ago.
The motivation and concept of One Japan are correct.
But there is one thing that must be done immediately.
The Asahi Shimbun—that is, all media-related personnel—must be removed from the membership at once.
If this is neglected, your research成果 will be fully exposed to South Korea and China.
If I were the president of your companies, I would never allow such childish folly—worse than that of kindergarteners—to conduct重要な研究 in such a place.
Young engineers who represent Japan.
You must understand that this admonition is a conclusion I reached at tremendous personal cost.
If employees of the Asahi Shimbun are included as members, the成果 of your diligent research will leak freely to South Korea and China.
Your efforts will be stolen without compensation.
You must realize immediately that all your efforts will be reduced to nothing.