JAPAN 2000: The View From Within Courtenay Fisher Martin de Laureal Economics 285 November 2000

Our Mission We aim to highlight the key social and economic changes that Japan has undergone over the past ten years and will continue to undergo in the future.

Produced in 1989, this film provides candid commentary and significant insight into the fears and aspirations of the Japanese people. Their anxiety and hope, as they face the dawn of a new century, revolve around great cultural changes, both socially and economically.

Economic evolution in Japan After WWII, Japan modeled itself after America ( more likely, however, the United States modeled Japan after itself during the American Occupation). Throughout the past half century though, Japan has started to look within for solutions to economic objectives.

Industry to information Japan has transformed itself into an information based economy. Three major innovations have brought the Information Age to Japan:  The Computer  The Jet Airplane  Evolution of Telecommunications These three innovations have allowed the day-to-day transactions of the Japanese, both domestically and abroad, to occur more quickly than ever before.

Internationalization of Japan Foreigners want Japanese products (ie. Exports are increasing). More and more foreigners are speaking Japanese. Foreign tourism in Japan has become an important part of the economy.

While the Japanese economy shifts to Information, the Societal structure of Japan is also evolving

Social Evolutions The Roles of Women in society The Roles of Young People in society The Inclusion of Non-Japanese into the Japanese culture Concerns for the Elderly population

Changing Roles of Women Traditionally, the Japanese have observed a strict division between Men and Women in the workforce. Several Factors have brought change, including:  During the American Occupation, the 1947 Constitution gave women more civil rights.  The 1985 Equal Opportunity Law placed more women in the workforce. In general, the Japanese have faced the same gender equality issues that the U.S. has experienced over the past century.

Changing Roles of Young People The numbers of young people (those <21) in Japan has grown significantly. Although the Japanese education system remains highly traditional and culturally based, children are now learning a broader based skill set. This influx of new students has brought greater reform to the Japanese educational system.

A Bit On Education For years, the Japanese education system has focused on wrote skills and the memorization of facts. The classroom teacher was the source of knowledge…what she knows is what will be taught. This has differed greatly from the American system, which has aimed to promote independent thinking and the application of education to real life situations. Today, many Japanese students study abroad and nearly 94% graduate from High School (vs. 76% in the U.S.).

Changing Roles of Foreigners in Japan In general, the Japanese have maintained a social prejudice against foreigners, especially other Asians. However, because of the growing importance of tourism among other things, this prejudice is lessening.

Concern for the Elderly The elderly population (those >65) is growing and will reach 25% of the total population by Healthcare and social programs for the elderly have become cultural pressure points in Japan.

A Bit on Healthcare Japanese Healthcare trails other developed nations.  Only 40% of population has sewage disposal services  Tuberculosis mortality is still a key concern  Few physicians practice preventative or primary healthcare  Japan has no care system for home patients  Physical rehabilitation and mental health services are not priorities in Japan