2024/04/28

Editor’s Introduction
The following is from Mayumi Tanimoto’s regular column, which opens the issue of the monthly magazine WiLL that came out today.
It is essential reading for people in Japan and around the world.
This month’s issue of WiLL is once again full of articles worth reading.
Japanese readers should go to their nearest bookstore and order a copy.
Its pages shed light on matters that remain unclear if all one does is read the Asahi Shimbun and watch NHK, among other outlets.
The Low Status of Manual Work in South Korea
KidZania, a theme park where children can try out different trades and professions, is growing in popularity in many countries.
Through play, children discover the variety of jobs people do.
The park also appeals to parents who want their children to learn how society works while they play.
The jobs children can try at KidZania vary from country to country.
What makes these differences interesting is what they reveal about each society.
In Japan, children can try their hand at being firefighters, mechanics, gas station attendants, police officers, care workers, pastry chefs, or machinery development technicians.
Among these many options, jobs that require physical effort and manual dexterity are also popular.
Many of these occupations fall under skilled work in economic statistics.
In South Korea, however, there is a tendency to steer clear of manual jobs at KidZania, according to Ikumi Haruki’s South Korean Society Today: Extremely Low Birth Rates, Poverty, Social Isolation, and Digitalization (Chūkō Shinsho).
The South Korean park offers activities that are unavailable in Japan.
Children can play the roles of national team athletes, diplomats, archaeologists, or tax officials.
In Tanimoto’s view, that selection reflects the low regard for manual work and the prestige attached to power, government, and white-collar jobs.
She sees in this contrast the strength of class consciousness in South Korea.
The Status of Skilled Trades and Industrial Development
How a society values different occupations is closely tied to its economic development.
In South Korea, where manual workers receive little recognition, there are few small and medium-sized businesses.
Entrepreneurial spirit is also lacking.
Tanimoto sees this as one reason South Korea’s industrial development has lagged behind Japan’s.
In discussions of business management, this is sometimes identified as one of South Korea’s most deep-rooted problems.
Economic inequality in South Korea is stark.
Manual workers are essential to society, yet they are poorly paid.
If politicians understood the importance of their work, they would pursue policies such as income redistribution.
But they do not.
According to Tanimoto, wealth is concentrated among a small group of politicians, large conglomerates, and white-collar professionals.
The public tolerates that system as well.
Tanimoto sees similar patterns in South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and some developing countries in South America.
She is struck by how little recognition engineers and craftspeople receive.
In societies where nomadic life and hunting were long the main sources of subsistence, she notes a tendency to look down on those who work the land with their hands.
She also attributes part of that hierarchy to the influence of colonial powers.
In some developing countries, people of a certain standing have domestic workers who attend to their daily needs.
A company president or executive is considered out of place doing simple tasks alongside employees.
They are even expected to eat and take their breaks in separate spaces.
In Japan, by contrast, a company president who arrives before the employees to clean the office is often praised.
Elsewhere, the same gesture can draw puzzled looks and be seen as giving up some of the authority that comes with the position.
Tanimoto attributes that difference to the customs of each society.
Respect for Technical Skill and How It Is Passed Down
Tanimoto attributes the industrial success of the United States, Japan, and Germany to their respect for practical learning and craftsmanship.
Many German immigrants settled in the United States.
According to Tanimoto, their presence helped foster an appreciation for engineers.
In Germany, engineers who apply their knowledge to practical problems are held in high regard.
The word “engineer” is printed with pride on business cards.
A similar attitude can be found in Eastern Europe.
Many Japanese engineers enjoy working with their German colleagues.
Among East Asian countries, Japan stands out, in Tanimoto’s view, for the respect it shows engineers.
Difficult geographic and climatic conditions may have forced people to be resourceful.
Japan is an island country with little arable land.
The scarcity of animals also limited opportunities to make a living from hunting or trade.
In Japan, people who are unrelated by blood have traditionally formed bonds much like those of a family.
Within these families formed around a trade, masters pass their skills on to apprentices.
According to Tanimoto, this tradition is less common elsewhere in Asia.
One of Japan’s strengths is its ability to work as an organization.
That ability allows knowledge and skills to be handed down from one generation to the next.
Tanimoto links this continuity to Japan’s large number of businesses that have been in operation for a century or more.
Frequent natural disasters, including earthquakes and typhoons, may also have played a role.
When there is a risk of losing a family member, having trusted people outside the family can help one cope.
Tanimoto argues that in South Korea, the importance placed on blood ties makes it harder to form the kinds of bonds found in these families of tradespeople.
In her view, that difference helps explain the appeal of professions that offer stability or access to power.
People who feel they can rely only on relatives may seek to secure their position through qualifications or protect themselves by joining the ruling circles.
Tanimoto sees that same insecurity as one reason people in developing countries may find it hard to devote time and resources to making art.
Even services designed for children can reveal a country’s strengths and weaknesses.
Japan values its engineers, and its potential is hard to measure.
Japan’s future is bright.