What is leadership? Everyone probably has their own definition, perhaps something about individuals with natural talent having the courage to stand up and be a beacon for others to follow, hopefully choosing to do what’s right rather than what’s popular with the most people. While Japan currently faces a huge number of problems ranging from economic stagnation to population decline to an infrastructure in need of renewal, I think one of the biggest challenges is the chronic lack of leadership in Japanese politics. While you or I may think that leaders should have unique skills and vision that set them apart from the average person, in Japan people spend their lives learning the importance of getting along harmoniously and not expressing your opinion in an overt way, and the best leaders are those who can gently nudge others to see things their way. A lot of Americans complain about the two-party system, which makes it hard for serious third party candidates to get a toe-hold in the minds of voters, but Japan takes things to the other extreme, with 14 large and small parties that make a lot of noise but don’t move the country in any specific direction. Then there’s the tendency for all Japanese to immediately turn on anyone impudent enough to actually become Prime Minister, which is described by the Japanese proverb deru kui wa utareru or “the standing nail is driven” (e.g. anyone who stands out for any reason will be hammered back into place). This more than any other reason is why Japan’s leadership has been so dysfunctional over the past two decades, a period which has seen only four leadership changes in the United Kingdom but a staggering 15 in Japan
Meanwhile, in an alternate moe universe… (game link here)
