Bosco, the fear of losing is a very important piece of the puzzle.
I think you could not have been more right. Every time , in any sphere you go to , someone is ready to make a change that matters, there is always a small interest group which fear losing out and comes in to oppose the proposed change.
I think there is both a lot of soul searching and also plenty of "sho ga nai" , (it can't be helped) at work at the same time. While TV currrent events programs ( NHK reporting - Close-up Gendai for one) examine current problems at length, there also seems to be the hope held by many that things will take care of themselves... I also hear in discussions with friends and acquaintances (including among people who travel abroad for business) that they believe America will be in a down cycle soon and that is when Japan's renewal will gather momentum.
That remains to be seen... as so far US growth has helped Japan "hang in there"...
In the meantime, although involved in education over here, I can tell you that every company, institution and school I deal with has some drastic measures on the drawing board ... Especially when it comes to government though, changes take an incredible amount of time...
later
sg |
