(Japan Times) Glenn Newman - Japan has been struggling to find a suitable vision, or model, for its future. A partial model for Japan could be Israel. Temperamentally, Israelis and Japanese are near-polar opposites. Japanese abhor conflict and strive for harmony; Israelis relish a good argument at any time, for any reason. Japanese practice tatemae [facade]; Israelis are pure honne [true feelings or desires]. Japanese demand order; Israelis thrive on chaos. Japanese plan meticulously; Israelis prefer improvisation. Japanese are formal and reserved; Israelis are informal and familiar. Japanese find comfort in settled vertical relationships; Israelis have little use or respect for hierarchy. Cultural traits aside, however, at a macro level Japan and Israel share a common core: Both nations possess few natural resources but their people. Both rose from deprivation to prosperity in, historically speaking, the blink of an eye. Japan and Israel both live or die on their wits alone. Israel is now in the midst of an economic Golden Age, with healthy growth continuing despite the global financial slowdown and a perpetual state of conflict with their Mideast neighbors, amazing technological innovation at companies big and small, and the development of a wildly disproportionate number of world-beating startup companies. Israel is punching far above its weight.
2012-01-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive