China’s tremendous economic development was originally made possible by Japan; if China refuses to acknowledge this and credits everything to the Chinese Communist Party, its future is plain to see.

November 30, 2019

The following is taken from “Hints for Prosperity,” Kimindo Kusaka’s regular column published under the title “Prime Minister Abe’s Unorthodox, Effortless Style” in the monthly magazine WiLL, released on the 26th.

When Lee Teng-hui was mayor, he created parks every one hundred meters as part of Taipei’s urban planning.

Large green trees flourished there, and there were food stalls where soup and rice dishes were prepared and served before one’s eyes.

As a result, the women of Taipei were freed from having to prepare breakfast, went to work, and worked as hard as, or harder than, men; I therefore thought that Taiwan’s economy would eventually achieve tremendous development.

It was truly a reform of working practices.

However, the people of Taiwan said that this was something the Japanese had taught them through their own example, and wondered what would happen after the Japanese had withdrawn.

I thought that the Taiwanese would return to being Chinese and take pleasure in constructing enormous buildings—but, considering that saying so would be discourteous, I pointed instead to the fact that Taipei’s air was filled with exhaust fumes from American-made automobiles and said, “Eliminating this should come first.”

I said that prohibiting the import of Japanese compact cars, which were already ahead of the Muskie Act’s exhaust-emission regulations, was like strangling themselves, but those who delighted in driving American cars did not seem to understand.

However, they understood relatively quickly, and before long Japanese cars were everywhere.

Because good money drove out bad money so quickly, I saw this and realized that “the world will eventually become Japanized.”

In the same way, I thought that Xi Jinping would soon reach an impasse.

That was because he spoke of things on an outrageously enormous scale, and I felt that this would eventually lead to his self-destruction.

I believe it is important for those in power to acquire the prudence to apply the brakes to their own ideas, but very few people are capable of doing so.

Most try to gather even more power and build a tower soaring into the clouds.

The People’s Republic of China, which succeeded in its postwar revolution, provided a good example when it adopted a new constitution and proclaimed the nationalization of land; that could be done merely by writing it on paper, but it had no idea what would happen after that.

In Greek mythology, there is a story about a man who asked a god to make everything he touched turn to gold. His wish was granted, but then even his own daughter became a golden bronze statue—no, a golden statue—and he hurriedly begged the god to reverse the gift.

Looking at today’s construction boom in China, which began with the nationalization of land, I cannot help thinking: So that is what happened after all.

Whether land has utility depends on how it is used, but that requires capital, technology, and a vision of the future market.

China has none of these.

Things accomplished through the absolute power of authority have no permanence.

Most Japanese understand this, but some do not; when Japanese who do not understand and Chinese who do not understand join forces and act out of greed, the result is a tremendous failure.

Even if Communist Party officials became the new landlords through the nationalization of land, no profit could be made from development plans that were utterly haphazard.

Mountains of unprofitable developments accumulated, and as a result, China’s economic growth rate continued to decline.

In the past, when the order was given to “maintain eight percent,” reports of eight-percent growth appeared across the board; now even the reported figures continue to fall.

It will probably soon fall below five percent.

And the combination of Prime Minister Abe and President Trump now appears to have Japan playing the leading role.

Looking at the European Union and the refugee problem, Europe has dropped out, and Japan appears to be the only country left with the power to lead the world.

China’s tremendous economic development was originally made possible by Japan; if China refuses to acknowledge this and credits everything to the Chinese Communist Party, its future is plain to see.

In the end, China’s aim becomes taking Taiwan in its entirety, and so Taiwan has awakened and is now faced with the choice of siding with Beijing or siding with Washington.

Japan, too, cannot remain a bystander.

What, then, will happen?

I believe Taiwan will side with Washington rather than Beijing, but what will Beijing do then, and what will Japan do after that?

When one considers these questions, the discussion inevitably returns to Japan, but Japan appears to have entrusted all matters involving foreign countries to Prime Minister Abe alone.

Yet that would turn Japan into an autocratic country.

Prime Minister Abe may say that he can no longer continue looking after a country like this.

It is also conceivable that President Trump may say the same thing.

If that happens, whether it should be called a state of rival regional powers or a Balkanized situation, I do not know; however, the emergence of such disorder in Asia is not what Japan desires, and therefore Japan must state what it wants before other countries do.

As a result, Japan will come to lead the world.

Enormous expectations are being placed on Japan, but perhaps victory through an unorthodox, effortless approach will come.

Prime Minister Abe is already putting that approach into practice.