Murakami

Over the past few years, Japan has faced a series of crises. Big banks and companies have gone bankrupt or been forced into mergers to survive. Workers are afraid of losing their jobs and constantly feel on edge.

However, Ryu Murakami--a prolific novelist, film director and producer of Cuban music--stresses that these turbulent times provide a golden opportunity for Japanese, who are at a loss and no longer enjoy the protection of communities as they once did, to confront this so-called sense of crisis and change their mind-set.

The 47-year-old urges society to embrace the concept of individualism, and not to be afraid of the globalization of the economy.

By Sayuri Saito
Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Daily Yomiuri: You frequently emphasize that it is essential for Japanese to adopt a philosophy of individualism. However, you also point out that most would not be able to achieve this. At the same time, you often cite Hidetoshi Nakata--a young soccer player who was on the national team in the World Cup in France and who now plays in Italy--as an example of this new breed of Japanese. Why are you interested in Nakata?

Murakami: Because Nakata does not blindly follow orders from a team manager, he can see openings and decide for himself when to pass the ball, reading each moment of the game.

The best players in Europe play like that. Nakata's game relies on this individualistic judgment--most Japanese players can't play without direct instructions from their team managers.

In this way, Nakata rebels against Japanese society--which doesn't have any concept of individualism--and so rejects it. That is why he left for Italy.

Why do you think individualism has not taken root among Japanese people?

Because it was not necessary. Since the time of the Meiji restoration, the Japanese have grown up under the protection of a community--neighborhood associations, companies and the government.

Moreover, Japanese society binds people with restrictions and forces them into uniformity. Thus, people have no choice but to obey these values to obtain this community protection, this is what the seniority system is all about.

Under these community values, most people can't grasp the concept of individualism. Even if they use the word "individualism," it carries the meaning of "to oppose the masses."

But the true meaning of individualism is different. It means that each person considers how he or she should contribute to the masses or maintain their relationship among them. In other words, you should not follow orders from above blindly, but should oppose them if you can't accept them in light of your judgment.

In your essays, you say that individualism is the next step for Japan, which has already finished its modernization.

Yes. I think Japan's modernization--building its infrastructure under the guidance of the government--finished about 20-30 years ago. Thus, our next goal should be to become more individual.

A sense of crisis?

Yes. Take the example of the word "risk," which is often used in neologistic Japanese expressions (in katakana), especially in the world of economics or finance. In Japan, the word just carries the meaning of "danger," a wholly negative meaning.

However, in the West, which has long embraced individualism, the word also has positive connotations--as in the idiom "take a risk."

However, there is no real concept of "risk" in our language because our society has not been individualistic.

Nevertheless, our media continues to use such words and phrases, even though nobody understands their real meanings. Such unthinking behavior shows that the Japanese do not feel any such "sense of crisis" to a serious degree.

All of us feel uneasy and confused because we can no longer seek the support of our community as we previously could. After all, these are the days in which the Finance Ministry abandoned Yamaichi Securities Co.

Thus, we should act in accordance with the real meaning of risk management and start living life at our own risk. It is very important to show that we can live, with a sense of stability, without any protection or evaluation from above.

Recently, I have talked with a lot of people, such as dealers and traders, who work in the front line of finance. They feel that they feel this sense of crisis more than anyone else because the situation surrounding them really is changing.

I am currently working on a series of interviews based on my coverage of the economy. They will be available via e-mail.

Could you tell me about the concept?

In the interview series, I ask economists a variety of questions--for instance, "What is your scenario for a recovery of the Japanese economy?" I also want to clarify the concept of words such as "risk" and "hedge fund" through these e-mail reports. I will start this free service on March 15. (jmm-info@agey.co.jp)

Why are you so interested in the economy lately?

I have been interested in the economy ever since I wrote "Fascism of Love and Illusion" (in 1984).

I think the market is very similar to a human body or soul.

I feel this way because, for example, if the Russian market reaches the verge of a crisis, it will set off a chain reaction in other markets. This phenomenon resembles the structure of the human body, in which a minor deficiency of protein in an organ causes trouble in another part of the body.

It is very interesting. And I think the economy and finance embody the current situation of Japan more than anything else.

If you want to understand what is happening now, you must monitor economic issues.

Smoke and mirrors

I think we are facing a turning point, not only economically, but also culturally. Some are worried that Japan will lose some of its good points if it accepts the globalization of the economic and finance system.

I don't think so. For instance, one of these good points--the lifetime employment system--is just an illusion. According to some reports and statistics, only about 30 percent of employees in Japan stay at the same company for as long as 20 years.

Such an illusion will fade out through globalization of the economy. But I don't think Japanese people will lose their good points because of this globalization.

Some people blame defects in Japan's postwar democracy for today's problems. They think the achievements of politicians in the past hold the keys to a way out of our current difficulties. What do you think about this trend?

Even after World War II, the Japanese sense of value never changed because since the Meiji era our society has maintained a semiwartime structure. So, I don't think that today's problems are attributable solely to postwar society.

Moreover, I think the trend--learning from the past--is pessimistic nostalgia. It is just an anachronism. Because we have to tackle things we have never before experienced.

Youth culture

I think most teenagers get bored with their daily routine.They (those born or brought up after the collapse of the bubble economy) can't enjoy the benefits of Japan's past success. Nevertheless, they will have to live in this (post-bubble economy) world for a long time. It is very tough and hard to bear.

So, some of them turn to crime?

Yes. Many people are confused when they read about about boys who carry knives, a murder case involving a telephone message service, and the spate of suicides involving poison bought via the Internet.

But I wonder why they get so upset. Juvenile crime is increasing in all developed countries, not just in Japan.

Any ideas on how young people can overcome their problems?

They only need to change their way of thinking just a little.

For instance, Nakata is not a special person, but his way of thinking is different from others.

What is the difference?

I think people who strive to obtain more information than others, people who discipline themselves to acquire skills--these people achieve their goals. My advice is to find something you want to do.

People need to change their way of thinking, even the very young. Because the days when you were encouraged to join a big bank or company and get promoted by buttering up your boss, are over.

So, you need to understand that the best way to succeed is to master what you like, even if you are working at a small company, or on your own.

But even though I say "find what you like" in this interview, most children will not heed me. I understand it is difficult for us to convey such a message.

However, if some of them find what they like and consequently succeed in their life, they can pass on that message to their children.

I hope this way of life will gradually take root over several generations.

Then we will face a more competitive society in the future?

No, I don't think so. Many regard a competitive society as a society that defeats others. But I think a real competitive society is one that nurtures one's skill and human relationships. Thus, we have no time for the idea of defeating others.

In society, even if you are defeated in a competition within a company, you can move to another company easily because you have already acquired useful skills.

More smoke and mirrors

No, it is just a deception because if you want to teach children the importance of life, with any degree of real meaning, you need to take a lot of time and effort. Thus, I don't put much stock in such trite, false announcements.

To date, this country has not spent enough money on education. And this is strange. If the government really wants to prevent juvenile delinquency or tackle the drug problem, it will have to spend a lot of money.

Meanwhile, it seems that the outlook of parents isn't changing.

Do you think so? I think it is changing little by little. In the near future, the time will come when we will laugh at stories about 3-year-old children being sent to cram schools.

One of main characters of "Exodus in the Hopeful Country" says, "The country (Japan) has already died." Is that your opinion about Japan? Will Japan become a "hopeless country" in the next century?

No, I don't think so. Rather, I didn't like the early days of the 1980s, when Japan had vast sums of money and there was all that "Japan as No.1" jingoism. In those days, none of us felt uneasy.

Compared to those days, I feel that Japanese society has become far better, even if we are in the grips of recession. Why? Because people are worried about the current situation and the future, and are trying to do something about it. And that is important.

'One of the 11 who will revolutionize Japan'

Ryu Murakami was born in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Feb. 19, 1952. He was raised in the port city that was home to a U.S. naval base until the age of 18 and was strongly influenced by Western culture.

As a student of Sasebo-Kita Prefectural High School, Murakami was intrigued by a move launched by members of the National Federation of Students Self-Government Association to prohibit the U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise from entering Sasebo port.

The following year, he staged his own protest against the U.S. military presence in the area by setting up a barricade on the roof of his school, and was consequently suspended indefinitely.

By this time, Murakami's literary style--a strong reaction to the postwar atmosphere coupled with his insatiable lifestyle--had already developed.

In 1970, Murakami relocated to Tokyo and lived in Fussa, where the U.S. Yokota military air base is located, for two years. He made his sensational debut in 1976 with "Almost Transparent Blue," which portrayed the lives of young people immersed in a culture of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. The book won the Gunzo Prize for New Talent and the Akutagawa Prize while Murakami was a student at Musashino Art University.

Recognizing himself as "a child corrupted by America," Murakami has since continued to tackle a variety of topics --cytology, economics and the sex industry, including "enjo kosai" (prostitution by high school girls)--in novels such as "Coin Locker Babies," "Fascism of Love and Illusion," "Topaz," "Kyoko," "Love and Pop," and "Hyuga Virus." Popular novelist Masahiko Shimada once referred to Murakami as "the unpredictable child of Japanese literature."

Moreover, The Yomiuri Shim-bun's 1997 publication of "In The Miso Soup," a story depicting a U.S. serial killer in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, coincided with a series of beatings and murders committed by a 14-year-old middle school student from Kobe, and Murakami's description aroused a great deal of controversy.

Murakami has also directed film adaptations of his novels ("Almost Transparent Blue," "Daijobu My Friend," "Raffles Hotel," "Topaz," and "Kyoko,") released Cuban music compact discs on his own label and launched his own Web site, titled "Tokyo DECADENCE."

He is currently planning to bring his recent novel, "Line," to the big screen.

In 1997, Time magazine named Murakami one of eleven people who would revolutionize the country. Many of his novels are translated into foreign languages and the writer has a large fan base all over Asia.

"Perhaps my descriptions are very precise and are easily understood not only by Japanese, but also by foreigners," the multitalented novelist said.

--Sayuri Saito

(From Feb. 23, 1999, issue)