The Decline of Japan?

I'm sure many of you have heard great stuff about Japan. OMG samurai, geisha, fashion capital of the world, technology central, etc. But how many people actually see it for what it is? Most of what we've been fed through the media is what Japan wants us to see - greatly preserved history, economic power, honest, trustworthy and moral people, good government. Is this what the tourist sees when he/she comes to Japan? Aren't they seeing only what they expect to see?

What can one really know about Japan without coming here? What kind of information leaks out from this country isolated from the world by a language barrier? When I first heard about Japan several years ago, I just automatically assumed all the Japanese watched anime, read manga and were all electronically proficient. Only after some time when I'd actually thought about it did I realize that only a small portion did so. Even the Japanese live normal lives, go to normal schools, go to work - only the circumstances and culture were different from everyone else's.

So I came to Japan trying to keep an open mind about the Japanese, assuming that they were just as normal as the rest of the world. I was of course surprised by the lack of garbage, politeness and quality of service, but even that started to fade away. Garbage is everywhere if you open your eyes wider, and behind the polite smiles of the service people, you don't know what they're thinking. They've been trained to give you quick and efficient service almost mechanically. Behind their smiling eyes they may be thinking "Fucking hell you dumbass foreigner, figure out what you want and leave so I don't have to deal with your half-assed Japanese and arrogant tourist attitude.".

So if the Japanese people are normal, then they do have the same problems as everyone else does. It's just that unless you're Japanese or have been assimilated into Japanese culture for a long time, you can't pick up the subtle signs in their mannerisms and language. I know that for one, I haven't.

The Japanese people are not infallible. But the problem is that everyone only sees the image they have projected since the 1980s, an economic, social and political utopia brought about by their miraculous economic rebuilding after World War 2. Somehow, everyone just seems to ignore that the bubble burst in the last 1980s, and since then, Japan has sunk into a decline from which I wonder if it can recover.

I'll try and list several of the problems that have cropped up in the news in recent times, as they seem to be the ones that may plagued Japan for some time more in the future.

1. Ridiculously low command of English and an ignorance of the outside world. The Japanese learn about other countries in school, but apparently this is exceptionally limited, and treated as just another subject. Furthermore, they happen to pigeonhole each country, as if each country could be describe in just a few sentences. I would suspect that all students in all countries do the same - however the supposed standard of Japanese education even fails at this. I wonder how they would feel if someone did the same to Japan: `Japan. Capital Tokyo. Delicacy: Sushi. Lost World War 2, suffering two atomic bombings in the process. Rebuilt economy thereafter to First World country standard, before collapsing in the late 1980s. Most popular export is anime. One of the latest fads in Japan is being an otaku.' Learn some geography, fags, and that applies to all non-Japanese people as well. However, this problem also seems to be plagueing America - if they can get all their stuff domestically and live their lives not caring about the international scene, why bother learning about the capital of Mongolia or other shit?

2. Extreme social problems - Bullying in school in Japan is one of the worst in the world. Delinquency in school is bad, especially since corporal punishment is not allows. Teachers have to treat students like customers. Politeness and decency are declining. Sexual discrimination and sexual harassment are still high, a throwback to Japan's history of male dominance. School exams are toughest in the world, creating a pool of those who know nothing but schoolbooks, and an atmosphere of extreme competitiveness. Hikikomori, those who isolate themselves from society and never leave their room, are most common in Japan. Violent crimes are rising. Thefts are rsing due to the economic situation. Paedophiles are rampant. Middle school girls and high school girls are prostituting themselves. There are many more, but I'm sure you can come up with a few yourself.

3. Falling birth rate - The high cost of living in Japan, and the high cost of raising a child, is driving many to only have one child. Some even choose to not marry, so as to have more money to spend on themselves. In 2006, Japan's birth rate fell below its death rate, meaning that the population is decreasing. You could actually say that Japanese is a dying language, since the number of native speakers is falling. At this rate, Japan will eventually disappear. Before then, it would be full of old people - and who knows what would happen to them?

4. Aging society - As stated above, due to Japan's social security plan, more old people would be getting pensions - however the number of people working and pumping money into the economy that supports such a plan would be decreasing. Eventually a collapse is predicted, leaving the old to fend for themselves. This may not be too far away - Japan is expected to have one in three people to be over the age of 65 by 2025. How did this come about? Because Japan had a baby boom lasting only 3 years - before the oil shock of the 1970s and then the 1980s.

5. Government bullshit - Lately, a scandal involving losses of records of pension payments plagued the government and resulted in horrible election results for the ruling LDP party. Furthermore, secret slush funds, theft of taxpayers' money and scandals involving ministers not reporting receipts, receiving kickbacks and other dirty deeds, demonstrate that the government is not the squeaky clean, efficient entity it appears to be.

Where is Japan going? For now, all I can see in the future is further decline. If you want to visit Japan, now's the time before it all turns to shit.

By the way, the capital of Mongolia is Ulanbaatar.