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totally without the raw materials and energy they need
for lheir industry. A J apanese prime minister, seeing
the vast natural resources of lhe Uni ted Stales, was
moved lo say, ••1 think God has nol been fair in the
dist ri bution of resources."
Nearly everything lhat J apan needs must be
imported. They mus t use lhe same iron ore, timber,
rubber and oi l that everyone else does.
lt
is what the
J apanese
do
with those resources that makes the dif–
ference.
lt is neither fair nor conslructive to believe that the
J apanese worker is a robot , working long hours for a
pittance. He works about 40 hours a week for which he
is paid a wage that is as good as his counterpart in
Europe. His accommodation may be cramped, but he
is well-dressed, well-fed and enjoys a paid vacat ion
every year.
The big d ifference is that the
average
J apanese
worker st ill has a strong sense of commitment to bis
job. lf there is a mystique about J apanese success, it is
in the attitude of the girl at the bench assembling a
radio, the technician in the laboratory designing a new
camera or the man on the production line building a
compact car for export. They get to work on time, and
they work carefully and hard whi le they are there.
They bel ieve in an honest day's work for a fair day's
wages. They have a sense of pride in what they-and
their nation- produce. Slap-happy, hal f-hearted, slop–
py work that might just squeak by quality control (but
who cares if it doesn't ?) is not the J apanese way.
The Japanese resent the accusations of "unfair com–
petilion." Competi tion it may be- but why is it
unfai r? l n 1970, the then prime minister of Japan,
Eisaku Sato, warned the editor-in-chief of this maga–
zine, Herbert W. Armstrong, " 1 see approaching the
danger of an economic and industrial war between our
two countries." Today, that danger is greater than
ever. American industry is steadily losing out to J apa–
nese products.
In an advertisement that appeareq in many leading
newspapers in America, including
The Wall Street
Journal,
Mr. Armstrong explained why the J apanese
auto industry has passed Detroit. lt needs no compli–
cated economic formul a.
lt
is simply that whi le a
J apanese auto worker has a sense of responsibil.i ty to
his job, his employer and his country, his U.S. coun–
terparl is primarily interested in gett ing more for
him–
se/f.
There are exceplions on both sides, of course. But
it basically explains why J apan is pulling ahead.
When lheir industry was ruined after World War 11,
the J apanese dedicated themselves to recovery. They
were relieved of the burden of national defense by the
United States. But even so, without a prodigious effort,
they could nol have done it. The Japanese are not unique
in this. Other peoples have demonstrated that they can
perform major feats of sacrifice when called on to work
logelher for national survival.
The British did it in World War 11. The West
Germans did it afterward. The Chinese bui lt the Great
Wall. And 200 years ago the newly independent
people of Haití toiled with lheir bare hands to build La
C itadelle, an incredible fortress on a 3,000-fool moun-
20
tain peak. All members of the human race, il seems,
can rise to the occasion. And later generations marvel
and wonder, " How d id lhey do it?"
The t rouble with later generations is that they are
rarely as motivaled to sustain the effort of sacri fice.
The hard-won prosperity or security becomes a
curse-providing a foundation for decadence.
Yes, even the J apanese "miracle" is showing signs
of wear and tear. Japan's youth today do not seem to
catch the vision. A new generation of J apanese chil–
dre n is not as interested in following the tradition of
d iscipline and hard work. Last year set a record for
juvenile arrests. Youth crime rose 55 percent in five
years. Teenage gangsters are becoming a serious prob–
lem. Violence in the schools is increasing. Sorne
school teachers, members of a t raditionally revered
profession, have asked for police protection. Like the
chi ldren of affiuent societies everywhere, J apanese
youth are turning off. The older generation is worried .
They know
that there is nothing miraculous about
their country's success. They
know
what did it-sacri–
fi ce, dedication and hard work.
Will the 21st century be the Japanese century?
Sorne J apanese observers say, "Not necessarily." They
feel that their society is headed for a d rastic change.
They are right. It is.
The world cannot keep going on like this-with
even supposed allies watching each other warily, like
wild animals around the common water hole. Imposing
sanctions and tariffs leads to trade wars. Handicapping
the diligent, while protecting incompetence and idle–
ness, prevents progress. The economic problems of the
20th century are showing us that either everyone
works together--or ultimately,
everybody loses.
Bible
prophecy shows that the latter
is
what wi ll happen–
sooner than we expect.
We are on a coll ision course with trade wars-which
lead to hot wars- and the ultimate d isaster. Regular
readers of this magazine know that God will have lo
intervene and save man from himself. That includes
call ing a halt to the suspicion and greed that character–
izes trade among nations.
Who wi ll the 21st century belong to? It could be the
Uni ted States, Britain and Germany. And J apan, Chi–
na and India. And Iceland, Somalia, Bulgaria and
Tonga. And the Australian Aborigines, tbe American
l ndians, the Eskimos and the Pygmies. In short, eco–
nomic success in the 21st century wi ll belong to
any
people who are willing to learn how to work together,
marshal thei r resources and harness their God-given
potential for the good of all .
Any
group of human beings with intelligent leader–
ship, proper goals and right education can become a
formidable team. Success, prosperity and accomplish–
ment are not the prerogative of the few. God made
al/
men in his image. Under his guidance, we will one day
understand what this means. The most startling inven–
tions and the greatest achievements in industry, engi–
neering and architecture are sti ll ahead. Few realize it ,
but the world is on the brink of an "economic miracle"
that will last not just for the 21st century, but for a
thousand years. o
The PLAIN TRUTH