Publisher’s Note

What Kind of Country Will Japan Aim
to Become in the Reiwa Era?
By Kazumasa Kusaka
The 30-year Heisei Era in Japan, which was marked by astagnant economy and a series of natural disasters, has beensucceeded by the new imperial era Reiwa (“beautiful harmony”).
Prior to Heisei, the 64 years of the Showa Era encompassed bothWorld War II and the subsequent high-growth boom, but what
path will the younger generation in Japan today pursue?
The people born in the first decade of Showa, though having
experienced the great setback of defeat in war, bounced back witha rapid growth period. Young people in that period believed theywould enjoy a richer life than their parents did. By contrast, thoseborn in the last decade of Showa and who grew up in the Heisei
period and also those born in Heisei have not experienced any“success story” in the post-bubble economy, and feel doubtful
about economic growth. But now could be the time for those who
were born and grew up during Heisei to begin exploring its
identity.
One emerging concept of recent times is that of “middlepower” – a nation not as powerful as a superpower but with
sufficient abilities and leadership to influence global governance.
Its own military strength and more importantly geostrategic
position will dictate its potential choices. In the context of theAsian continent, there are two major military-political powers,
Russia and China, and China is also now a major economic
power. In Europe, the United Kingdom has successfully exercised
its influence so that no single hegemon dominates the continent.
However, in East Asia, for more than 2,000 years, China has mostof the time been the dominant power, while the key challenge forneighboring countries has been to manage their relationship withChina.
A middle power with good leadership and a certain set ofvalues, such as democracy and commitment to the legitimate
international order, could be a model for other nations. According
to Portland Communication’s “Global Ranking of Soft Power2018”, Japan ranks fifth after the UK, France, Germany and theUnited States. Joseph Samuel Nye, Jr. originally introduced theconcept of soft power as being the influence a country can exert
through means other than military power, and thus an effective
government policy tool. The concept has been further broadened
to capture the attractiveness of a culture, society or ideology.
Rome during the Roman Empire, Changan (present-day Xi’an)in the Tang Dynasty, and cities such as London and Paris areexamples from history of places that have attracted diverse
human resources, and traded in goods and currencies from allover the world. The Tang Dynasty accepted Buddhism andhttps://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

multinational talents through the Silk Road, and that in turnenhanced its attraction for other countries. But we will have tosee whether the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), a current
version of the Silk Road, will serve a similar purpose.
In times of leadership transitions, the Ancien Régime in France
used to register skepticism. Faced with the rise of the US, French
political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out the possible
danger of democracy degenerating into a soft despotism. When,in modern times, Russia offered an alternative model to market
capitalism, the spread of its highly contagious Communist
ideology invited a strong reaction from Western countries in theform of the Cold War. Are we now witnessing a Chinese model
blending state capitalism and Communist Party dictatorshipstaking claims to global leadership but provoking criticism fromsome Western nations over its aggressive initiatives to dominate
the developing world, such as the BRI?
Japan is facing the demographic challenge of a graying
population as a frontrunner among nations that will soon follow,
and for the first time has dared to actively seek multinational
human resources. This policy will create job opportunities forgraduating foreign students and they could help Japan to form
more open and diversified communities. Can Japan also offer asafe space for dissidents in Asia to continue to study inuniversities and research institutions?
Whether one likes it or not, a country cannot move to the otherside of an ocean or continent. The only true means of connecting
neighboring countries is “trust”. With trust, we can share theresponsibility of keeping global and regional institutions relevant
to meet today’s challenges, by providing human resources, knowhow and finance.
Should “One’s Own Country First” become more than acampaign slogan and be translated into policies that lead to thesabotage of global public goods, the soft power of that country
will be damaged. Soft power backed up by democracy and trust
has been an important element in Japan’s foreign policy
throughout the postwar era. Japan is now at a crossroads as towhether it will be a middle-power model with these elements ornot.

Kazumasa Kusaka is chairman and CEO of the Japan Economic Foundation(JEF), as well as being a professor of public policy at the University of Tokyo. He
previously served as special advisor to the prime minister on global warming
after having been vice minister for international affairs at the Ministry ofEconomy, Trade and Industry.
Japan SPOTLIGHT • July / August 20191