Published on October 17, 2019.
Based on a dialogue among Hiroshi Furuta, Gemki Fujii, and others, this article discusses the principles of “do not help, do not teach, do not get involved” as a way to deal with South Korea and China.
It develops a civilizational critique centered on the distinction between modern states that observe rules and ancient states that assume rules are meant to be broken, touching on China’s 5G, electric vehicles, autonomous driving, North Korea’s nuclear development, and South Korea’s failure to modernize.

October 17, 2019.
The world today can only be dealt with by using a double standard.
It is divided between modern states that obey rules and ancient states that think rules are things to be broken.
The following is the continuation of the previous chapter.
Deal with them by the “Three Non-Korea Principles.”
Furuta.
In the 1980s, Chinese scholars who came to Japanese universities were masses of inferiority complexes.
Fujii.
That is true.
They had the attitude of, “Thank you for allowing us to come to an advanced country like Japan,” and “Our country is hundreds of years behind.”
Furuta.
They used to say, “China is already hopeless.”
The Chinese people of that time were good.
Fujii.
When people approach the Japanese humbly, Japanese people want to teach them with all their might.
Furuta.
And that is how we were deceived.
It is the same as the “Three Non-Korea Principles” I proposed for South Korea—do not help, do not teach, do not get involved.
Toward China as well, it should be the “Three Non-China Principles,” using the shi of Shina, China（笑）.
Fujii.
There is no way to deal with the “ancient brain,” so the best thing is not to associate with it.
The world today can only be dealt with by using a double standard.
It is divided between modern states that obey rules and ancient states that think rules are things to be broken.
If they break the rules from the very beginning, even the WTO cannot impose sanctions.
One should impose tariffs as an exceptional measure and not associate with them.
Countries such as Japan, the United States, and Europe should proceed according to the principles of free trade.
That should be enough, should it not?
Shirata.
It would be best if countries with ancient brains dealt with one another.
Fujii.
When it comes to Africa, that is another matter.
Furuta.
In a sense, that is the “primitive brain”（laughs）.
Fujii.
When China does whatever it wants to do in Africa, incidents occur in which local Africans massacre Chinese people.
It is frightening when primitive people are angered.
Japanese people have modern brains, so we cannot do such barbaric things.
Furuta.
So the primitive brain contains the ancient brain.
That is dangerous too（笑）.
It is almost the world of Walter Bagehot, the son of a British banker and a political scientist.
He may appear to write about Africa in a way full of prejudice, but looking back now, much of it is quite accurate.
The professors at the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo also praised him, saying that he “has explanatory power beyond his age” （Political Thought Studies, No. 2, May 2002）.
That was a careless remark.
Fujii.
China is trying to promote “5G,” but it is said that autonomous driving of automobiles will finally become practically usable only when we reach 8G.
Furuta.
Enough already（笑）.
Even electric vehicles need electricity, so more nuclear power plants will be needed.
Fujii.
That is why I think electric vehicles will fail technologically.
They cannot generate enough power.
Furuta.
There is a program called “Can I Charge It?” on TV Tokyo, in which Tetsuro Degawa travels all over Japan on an electric motorcycle.
When you watch it, the bike stops along the way（笑）.
Fujii.
With today’s technology, there are limits to driving distance and transport capacity.
It also seems impossible for autonomous driving to become fully practical for the time being.
It could be done if a dedicated lane were built separately on expressways.
Furuta.
It would be dangerous in the city.
Moreover, it could be hacked and operated without permission.
Fujii.
From China’s point of view, if the world shifts to electric vehicles, it will involve an entirely new manufacturing process, so China thinks it has a chance to become number one in the world.
But it will probably come to a standstill.
Furuta.
The progress of technology has frightening aspects.
In the twentieth century, people said “history progresses,” but what progressed were only technology and the civic standards of the people.
Fujii.
Was that not only in some places?
Korea and China remain with the “ancient brain,” do they not?
Furuta.
That is right.
South Korea has failed to modernize, and North Korea does not understand “modern rationality” itself at all.
They are building a power plant for nuclear development in Nyongbyon, in a place called Taechon, but they planned as many as five dams on the Taeryong River there.
If they build that many, the water at the end will only trickle, will it not?
I have written only such trivial papers, but it seems that they somehow noticed this halfway through and stopped one of the five dams（笑）.
Fujii.
It is frightening because the ancient brain possesses technology.
Furuta.
To use an analogy, it is like an Inca person riding an electric motorcycle.
Fujii.
After all, they possess atomic bombs and long-range missiles.
Furuta.
The conflict between the modern brain and the ancient brain seems likely to continue for some time.