The coming months will probably see one policy proposal after another, both official and private, for Japan in the 21st century, in the wake of a challenging report last week from a private advisory council to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. A review of Japan's options titled "Japan's Goals for the 21st Century," the report urges drastic reform and rethinking of everything from existing political and legal institutions, education and immigration to diplomacy and national security.

Many of the ideas expressed are audacious. Politically, the panel advocates a dramatic shift away from organized institutions to the individual. A new Japanese term, "kyochi" -- or cooperative governance -- was coined to highlight the need for popular empowerment and the promotion of a two-way exchange of ideas between government and governed. In diplomacy, another new phrase, "rinko," or neighbor diplomacy, was created to underscore the need for comprehensive relations with Japan's neighbors, particularly South Korea and China, and an improved relationship with North Korea.

But it is the underlying theme of promoting individualism and individual responsibility that probably sounds most anomalous, even heretical, to Japanese ears. For decades, indeed for centuries, Japanese culture and society have been rooted in the collective. Our values have always championed the common good against the demands of individual rights. We have created a system in which personal accountability and responsibility have been accorded a lesser place. Homogeneity and harmony have been the keywords in ethics and social behavior.