Originally posted on July 5, 2019.
Continuing from the previous chapter, this piece, drawn from Kim Bi-rei’s essay in the August issue of WiLL, discusses the self-reliance, personal responsibility, social reality of an aging and shrinking population, and parental resolve needed to pass Japan on to the next generation as a “beautiful country.”
Through the so-called 20-million-yen retirement issue, the irresponsible attacks of opposition politicians on the government, the meaning of work, and even the problem of social withdrawal, it sharply asks what kind of resolve and action are necessary for Japanese society to recover.

2019-07-05
Japan must, by all means, pass on to the next generation this “beautiful country,” rich in nature, with delicious food and kind people.

The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
To bear responsibility for one’s life.　
The Hong Kong students who attend my Japanese language school never call themselves “Chinese.”
They are, to the end, “Hong Kong people.”
I feel the difference between them and Japanese people, who lack a sense of nationhood.　
Japan must, by all means, pass on to the next generation this “beautiful country,” rich in nature, with delicious food and kind people.
The wall standing before us is the declining birthrate and aging population.
Amid this, the so-called “20 million yen problem for old age” is being loudly discussed.
It is said that a report by the Financial Services Agency stated that in order to live until the age of ninety-five, savings of 20 million yen are necessary.
The opposition parties are attacking the government as if they had seized the demon’s head.
One can plainly see their intention to turn it into an election issue ahead of the House of Councillors election.　
Renho once again shouted loudly, “Since when did this become a country of self-help?”
But because of the declining birthrate and aging population, the number of workers decreases and the nation’s social security costs increase.
A certain amount of savings, in other words self-help effort, is only natural.
Japan is a country where each person can design a different life and live freely.
That means one must bear responsibility for one’s own life.
The figure of 20 million yen is, after all, nothing more than one estimate.
If one lives modestly, one can manage without 20 million yen.
If one wishes to live luxuriously, even 100 million yen would not be enough.　
Even so, the state must care for the elderly with a certain level of pension, and must provide welfare assistance to those who cannot work for unavoidable reasons.
For that, it is necessary to improve the economy and increase tax revenue.
In the end, there is nothing for us to do but spend money.　
The only way to reconcile saving and consumption is to work and earn money.
Unlike opposition lawmakers, who can receive a salary merely by criticizing the government, ordinary citizens must sweat.
I encourage my university-student grandson to work part-time, telling him, “At least earn your own spending money.”
My grandson, who works at a restaurant, was delighted that his hourly wage had gone up by thirty yen.
It is not a question of the amount.
When one’s contribution to society is recognized, a person feels happiness.　
It is said that a former Administrative Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries killed his socially withdrawn son.
The mistake was that he had done nothing but spoil him.
Praise when it is time to praise, and scold when it is time to scold.
That is what discipline is.
Before it became too late, he should have made him work.
If he was going to trouble others, then it would be better for me to kill him myself—after agonizing over it to the utmost, that was the conclusion reached by an elite who had risen through the bureaucratic organization.
It is a sad thing, but one could say he fulfilled his responsibility as a parent.　
There are surely many parents who, to varying degrees, bear the same distress.
Fortunately, under Abenomics, labor shortages are being loudly spoken of.
Precisely now, when work is easier to find, I would like people to regard this as a chance to break through the present situation.
To be continued.