Today's Japanese leaders have belatedly started trying to open up Japan to the rest of the world. While this is generally a good thing, there's one bad idea in their way of thinking. They immediately attempt to create "Japanese versions" of various things from abroad.
It's true that the copying of good ideas from abroad made a contribution to Japan's postwar development. But today there is no time to create Japanese versions of such ideas. Moreover, many of the "Japanized" copies will soon be useless because the world and technologies are changing rapidly, and the aging and shrinking of Japan's population is accelerating.
Politicians, business leaders and bureaucrats with whom I am friends often express hopes of creating Japanese versions of liberal arts colleges, research institutions like Rand Corp., Silicone Valley, international research universities and MBA courses to nurture Asian leaders — and ask me for help.
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