The Death of Development

7 September 2004

Japan is dying.

Japan, a nation that has existed for thousands of years, a nation that has the world’s most developed infrastructure, a nation that has the world’s most rigorous academic system, a nation with the world’s second largest economy, a nation with the world’s fourth largest military spending, a nation with one of the world’s highest standards of living, is dying.

Japan, a nation long defined by its collective and individual iron will, is unable to gather the strength to make the necessary societal and personal decisions to save itself. Japan, a nation whose successes have been built on societal and individual self-sacrifice, is unwilling to make the sacrifices required to rescue itself. Japan, a nation whose businesses are renowned for their long-range planning of ten, twenty and fifty years, is unable to look beyond the short term and take action to prevent the inevitable consequences of long term trends.

Japan is dying.

For the rest of the story please see the PDF document at:

http://www.hackneystravel.com/writing/2004/japan/08-The-death-of-development-10.pdf