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Japan Enters the World Series of Technology
| Article
# : |
13441 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1987 |
3,528 Words |
| Author
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Justin Bloom
Justin Bloom, president of Technology International, was
Science counselor to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, Japan. |
Today Japan is both feared and admired for its consummate skills in manufacturing and marketing products that seem to peculiarly address consumer needs and that are also of high quality and reasonable price. The mixed feelings about Japan and its people are due in part to a great lack of understanding of Japanese society. Even foreign "experts" are competent in only limited aspects of the Japanese phenomenon, and each expert introduces a certain amount of bias reflecting his own interests and objectives. This lack of general understanding is logical, considering the problems entailed in learning the Japanese language and the fact that Japan did not enter fully into commerce and social intercourse with the Western world until only 120 years ago.
In discussing some of the factors that have contributed to Japan's success in high technology and then to assess the direction that Japan may take in the future as a leading nation in science and engineering, a metaphor familiar to all Americans will be used: the game of baseball.
Baseball, the national sport of Japan, is played with the same intensity and commitment that the Japanese apply to all of their other endeavors. Although baseball was borrowed from the United States, it has developed into a peculiarly Japanese form - designed to fit the cultural attributes of the country and to accommodate the generally smaller stature of Japanese athletes. One has to observe the fervor involved inplaying baseball in Japan to understand fully how much a part of national life it has become. The spectators are as well organized as the teams. They urge their teams on in unison, led by exuberant cheerleaders and accompanied by
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