Still Corporate Japan?
Recently The Nihon Keizai Shimbun conducted an image (favorite rating) survey on businesses in Japan.
1 Toyota Motor
2 Google
3 Honda
4 Uniqlo
5 Suntry
6 Japan Coca Cola
7 Kirin Beverage Corporation
8 Apple Japan
9 Nissan Motor
10 Sony
Among top 10, auto manufacturers take three positions. Another three are of alcoholic/soft drink makers. And the IT industry has also three entries. The rest is an apparel maker.
So, Japanese today have a life style of working in a car related business, using the Internet, drinking something cool, and wearing fashionable clothes.
However, a business magazine, The Toyo Keizai, reported ranking of Japanese companies in terms of their ability as a corporate.
1 INPEX (oil developer)
2 FANUC (robotics)
3 Yahoo
4 Denso (car components)
5 GREE (Internet)
6 NTT DoCoMo (telecommunications)
7 Canon
8 Komatsu (Heavy Machinery)
9 DeNA (Internet game)
10 Takeda Pharmaceutical
These companies enjoy high profits and financial strength. Japan is based on industry but its society is highly connected to Internet services.
Further as of fiscal 2012, the total amount of internal reserve of Japanese businesses capitalized at 1 billion yen ($10 million) or more is 272 trillion yen ($2.7 trillion in today's rate).
Though Japan has been in 15-year long deflation (no prices/salaries up) this amount has been increasing. For example, it was about $1.6 trillion in fiscal 2002 and $1.42 trillion in 1997.
This deflation can be translated into depression, but Japanese businesses have been accumulating profits. Or it shows that the Japanese society opted to put higher priority and preference on corporations while sacrificing workers and citizens.
What is worse, more and more Japanese makers have come to operate their production in foreign countries but not in Japan. For example, several years ago Japanese auto makers totally produced 8 million cars abroad but today 16 million in plants built in foreign countries.
So still as was seen in the 20th century, Japan is corporation centric while forcing citizens and workers to live with less respect.
However, Japan is not a poor country. According to another survey, an average amount of financial assets per household in Japan is about 11 million yen ($110,000). In addition, a ratio of households without any financial assets is 31%.
It is hard to judge whether or not Japan as a whole is going to prosper materially more. But one thing true is that Japanese have to find value of life outside a domain under influence of modern industry. It is because we cannot trust those companies at all in leading people to meaningful and spiritual value of living.
*** *** *** ***
Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: