Koizumi Cabinet E-mail Magazine No. 223 (February 23, 2006)
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[Lion Heart — Message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi]
(Provisional Translation)
A Japan that is more open to the world
Junichiro Koizumi here.
In last week's issue I talked about encouraging more foreign
tourists to visit Japan. On this subject I received many e-mails
including comments on how we must have exchanges with people from a
wide range of countries or on how readers want to let the world
know about the positive aspects of Japan and Japanese people.
I also received specific suggestions on building communities easy
for foreigners to get around in and requests concerning measures to
reduce crime committed by foreigners. I am grateful for your
feedback.
Raising the number of foreign visitors to Japan is merely one goal
of the Koizumi Cabinet as it strives to realize its goal to double
the flow of overseas funds to Japan, or the amount of inward
foreign direct investment (FDI).
Japanese people by nature have two conflicting sentiments towards
foreign countries. The first is respect for foreigners or foreign-
made goods, the other is caution towards foreign countries.
Somewhere in our minds we always have this instinct to embrace or
take caution.
Even when Japan had closed itself from the outside world in the Edo
period, there were people who were strongly drawn to foreign
countries as well as those who were xenophobic. As soon as the Edo
Shogunate fell and the Meiji period began, these views at once
changed to respect towards foreign countries, while even today
there are people who start to take caution when foreign capital
flows into the country. In fact, the level of foreign direct
investment to Japan is now no more than one-tenth the level of FDI
in Western countries.
However, in the era of internationalization in which we live today,
it is my belief that we must change our attitude of caution towards
foreign capital and embrace it. If the people of Japan close their
doors to the outside world, we will only grow smaller. Cherish the
intrinsically good aspects of Japan while actively incorporating
the good aspects of foreign countries.
In Japan there is the word "wakon-yosai," which means to maintain
the spirit of Japanese people while embracing Western thinking and
learning. As this word suggests, if positive elements of foreign
countries are brought to Japan and become a part of our country,
that in turn becomes a momentum for spreading the word about the
draws of Japan to foreign countries.
The plan to double foreign investment to Japan in five years has
been steadily moving along. In recent years, more skiers from
Australia, which is nearly in the same time zone as Japan but where
the seasons--summer and winter--are opposite, have been coming to
Hokkaido. An Australian company in Hokkaido has started a resort
business for these tourists coming to Japan from overseas.
At one time concerns were being raised that Japan might hollow out
with factories and research centers moving from Japan to such
countries as China where costs are lower. Recently, however,
foreign companies are beginning to build research facilities in
Japan with state-of-the-art technologies. I think as the backdrop
of this new trend there is a belief that indeed Japanese
researchers are at the top of their fields and that if a company's
goods and services are accepted by Japanese consumers, who are the
most difficult to please in the world, they will be accepted in the
world market.
I believe embracing foreign capital will provide a large stimulus
to the Japanese economy from here on and open new avenues towards
the vitalization of the Japanese economy.
By increasing the number of foreign tourists to Japan coupled with
doubling foreign investment to Japan, I intend to make Japan a
country whose charms also appeal to foreigners, and in so doing,
make Japan an even better country for the people of Japan as well.
I am sure many Japanese people want these Japanese people working
hard in foreign countries to be embraced warmly there. Likewise is
it not as important to warmly interact with foreigners who are here
in Japan?