1.Prologue
Japan’s, current education system has its roots in a curriculum created under the Meiji era slogan fukoku kyohei—the pursuit of wealth and military strength. After World War II, all of the requisite skills for an industrialized society were merely piled onto that framework. Simply put, it is utterly behind the times.
What’s more, it is a hodgepodge of an education system founded on militarism (right-wing educational policies) and an education system founded on postwar democracy (left-wing educational policies).
As a result, the system waves the flag of individualism as the ideal, all the while shackling its participants with the constructs of conformity and peer pressure—making the system a hotbed for bullying and resentment.
Nonetheless, this paradoxical state of affairs remained, for the most part, hidden from view and undetected during the postwar period of rapid economic growth and the bubble economy years.
Then, after the bubble burst and the Cold War order crumbled, the world underwent a paradigm shift from being centered on industrial societies to information societies. Computers and subsequently the internet spread at an explosive pace in the second half of the 90s, and the world entered the era of the advanced information society.
Amid those circumstances, Western societies were largely able to adjust their respective higher education systems to adapt to the changes in our world.
Then in the beginning of the 21st century, when the limits of socialism became evident, financial capitalism spread rapidly. Here too, Western societies and their higher education systems were largely able to adjust accordingly.
American universities revamped their MBA programs and began teaching the IT-based knowledge and skillsets needed to succeed in the new paradigm centered on financial capitalism.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the government implemented yutori education (a more “relaxed" policy that reduced the number of hours and content of the curriculum of primary education), universities increased the number of students they accepted in order to compensate for a lower number of applicants caused by declining birthrate, and universities also became popularized as a result of more people pursuing higher education. As a result the quality of education has started dropping even more drastically than before.
Looking at world university rankings posted by media outlets around the world, Japanese universities continue their descent in prestige and standing.
From before World War II up until today, in Japan the purpose of education has been to teach an ideal. (Before the war that was the ideal of Imperial Japan, and postwar that was the ideals of liberty, equality, and peace.)
In the West, especially in America, education is about teaching usable skills for reality. Another way to say that is the purpose of higher education has been to teach students how to become rich. To accomplish that, they teach business skills.
In affluent households in America, children are encouraged to read business-related books from an early age (as early as grade school).
In Japan, business—and by extension, making money—is seen as something bad. To have a grade school child read a book about business would be unheard of. But considering the times we live in, business skills can be said to be an indispensable part of an education.
Japanese parents tend to want to teach their children English conversation skills, but looking at the way artificial intelligence is advancing, in another few years your smartphone should be more than adequate to interpret everyday conversations and business conversations. English conversation skills will not be paramount. (Although I personally believe that AI will never be able to do literary translations.)
If you want to cultivate the kind of human resources and talent able to be active wherever the world takes them, I recommend you have them start reading business books around grade school and middle school.
Today I want to talk about some of the greatest business books out there—recommended reading for college students and businesspeople, but also selections for students in grade school, middle school, and high school.
2.4 Business Books That Everyone Should Read
●How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
For most Japanese, the first Carnegie that pops into mind is usually the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who funded the construction of the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City. But writer Dale Carnegie was not related to the steel magnate.
Nevertheless, for Americans, his seminal 1936 book How to Win Friends and Influence People is as widely known as the steel magnate himself.
These days, the word self-improvement, like it’s Japanese counterpart jiko-keihatsu, carries somewhat dubious connotations in both America and Japan. In any case, the category refers to books that are not just about business skills, but also about how to lead one’s life, and how to attain happiness.
For modern-day Japanese, who have a fading connection to religion and ethics, these two books give some sense as to how to lead your life in times like these.
●The Path: Find Fulfillment Through Prosperity from Japan's Father of Management by Matsushita Konosuke
●A Compass to Fulfillment by Inamori Kazuo
If Carnegie’s two books listed above can be said to be classic examples of American business books, two classic examples of Japanese business books are The Path: Find Fulfillment Through Prosperity from Japan's Father of Management by Matsushita Konosuke, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd (currently Panasonic), and A Compass to Fulfillment by Inamori Kazuo, the founder of Kyocera and KDDI.
While Carnegie’s philosophies are supported by the kind of rational thinking that developed out of Judaism and Christianity, Confucianism and Buddhism form the backbone for the philosophies espoused by Matsushita and Inamori.
These two books should be read by all adults who are out in the world, but they also would have plenty to say to students in middle school. Thinking about the meaning of life and the meaning of work from an early age is the best way to make your life a happy one.
3.4 Business Books to Read Before High School
●Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
It seems to me that Japanese society is one that asks its children to act like children—and its adults to continue to act like children.
Even after they join the workforce, they continue using their character-themed merchandise and stationery in everyday life, and it is considered perfectly normal to have a fondness for video games and anime.
In America, to be childlike is to be seen as less than human—it is to be seen as a fool.
So naturally, most Americans want to grow up as fast as they can.
I believe that learning about business is a necessary step toward becoming an individual, becoming an adult. That process can begin as early as grade school.
This book has been used by many major corporations—both throughout Japan and overseas—to train employees, and is a great book for learning about the essence of business. Clever grade school readers will pick up a thing or two.
●The Max Strategy: How A Businessman Got Stuck At An Airport and Learned to Make His Career Take Off by Dale Dauten
According to the Old Testament, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden for eating the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, which God had commanded them not to eat. Their punishment was “labour"—childbirth labor for Eve, and physical labor for Adam.
As the Old Testament is the common foundation for both Judaism and Christianity, to many Westerners the idea of labour feels like divine punishment.
Of the Christians in the world, this is especially true of Catholics—many of whom reside in Europe. Catholics hope to retire as early as possible, and like to make their summer vacations as long as possible.
On the other hand, for Protestants in America, diligence is a virtue, and any earnings that come from that hard work are a noble possession.
In Japan, the words shigoto (仕事) and roudou (労働) are used almost interchangeably to refer to “job", “labour", and “work", but in English these three words have distinct meanings. A job is something you reluctantly do to earn a wage because you have to: divine punishment. Work, on the other hand, is what God put you on the Earth for: your purpose. (Note that the word “lifework" has entered the Japanese lexicon.)
Keep these cultural and linguistic differences in mind when you read this book—you’ll come out with a slightly different take.
●Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The urban myth/conspiracy that Jewish people have a stranglehold on the financial market is perhaps half true and half false.
It is true that many of the world’s financial institutions were founded and continue to be run by Jewish people or people of Jewish origin.
But that makes sense when you look at the historical and religious background.
Until the middle ages, Christians saw money—more specifically, the charging of interest—as a sin.
Under Jewish law, however, loans made to other Jews are to be interest-free, but loans to persons who were not Jewish could be made with interest. This, coupled with a number of socio-economic factors, meant Jewish people in Europe were motivated to be involved in money lending from around the Middle Ages. Their amassing of wealth would only fuel anti-Semitism. Those interested in learning more should read The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare.
The Reformation would lead to a reinterpretation of Christian injunctions on money and charging interest—which in turn would lead to the development of capitalism.
When assessing the history of the Western world, an understanding of money and interest is critical.
●The Millionaire's Philosophy for a Happy Life by Honda Ken
While the Japanese do possess a sense that money is evil, many of them also adhere to thinking like “more power to the person who makes a killing through whatever means necessary" and “there is no problem that money can’t take care of". It seems to me that this is why they assume that all rich people doubtless earned their money through morally questionable means.
But it is matter of fact that it is better to have money than it is to lack it. The important questions are: through what methods you amass that money, and how do you choose to spend that money?
It can be argued that the reason why so many successful people in not only finance but also science, math, cinema and the arts tend to be Jewish is because the Jewish faith places a high value on education.
For followers of the Jewish faith, thinking and acting rationally and logically is engrained in their lifestyle.
And what’s more, they teach their children the value of money from a young age.
4.4 Business Books to Read in High School or College
●Letters of a Businessman to His Son by G. Kingsley Ward, translated by Shiroyama Saburo
Japanese fathers are always busy with their jobs, and spend practically no time interacting with their families. It goes without saying that you will never see a father with his children at the park on a weekday, and the reality is that the sight is equally elusive on non-working days.
In America, fathers are required by custom to teach their sons how to play catch, as well as the basics of business and money.
In Japan, the ideal path in life involves getting into a prestigious school and getting employed by a well-known major corporation. In America, it is about creating and owning your own business in the way that only you can.
●What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig
For Japanese university professors, I hear that the way to advance your career is to write the kind of dense, difficult academic papers that confuse readers. In America, advancement comes down to how effectively you can convey to your students the kind of know-how that will bring them business or financial success.
In American universities, the kind of abstract research that provides no clear financial gain tends to be frowned upon; resources are more often poured into concrete, financially advantageous research fields.
Stanford University, which is located in Silicon Valley is one such American university. And this book, in fact, comes out of that school’s well known MBA program.
Although, truth be told, I took more interest in abstract, romantic Japanese literature than I did in substantive, programmatic American literature.
●Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
Japanese society is a demerit point system. They revere the merciless finding of faults—as opposed to strengths—and taking people down a notch as an absolute good. Faults and mistakes are unforgivable, and that never-ending pursuit is one that seems to bring them enjoyment.
That goes for places of learning, that goes for society, and that goes for political arenas as well.
This philosophy—this religion—is why the Japanese are able to produce industrial products with very few defects. When it takes the form of peer pressure, it gives rise to cookie-cutter fashion styles and more nefariously, power harassment.
Meanwhile, in America, the focus from a young age is on building on strengths. Society asks you to nurture your individuality. People who do nothing and wait for the world to come to them are disparaged, and those who take on challenges, undeterred by failure, are respected. For Americans, those who have courage and confidence in spite of failure are seen as potential leaders.
●Rongo to Soroban by Shibusawa Eiichi
In prewar Japan, Confucian traditions—which had spread to the public in the Edo period—were entrenched in society. Given that Confucianism taught concepts like loyalty (忠), it has come to be seen as wrong or evil in the postwar democratic society we live in.
However, the core concept of Confucianism is what it means to be a kunshi. A kunshi is a man of virtue, a person of high rank—in today’s parlance, an elite, or a leader.
The Analects of Confucius, which is a collection of ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, is essentially an elite theory—it’s a leadership theory.
Learning about Confucianism and studying the Analects of Confucius is not only a window into Japanese thinking, but also a window into Korean, Chinese, and East Asian philosophy as a whole.
Morality seems to be at a low among those who should theoretically be Japan’s elite: politicians, bureaucrats, legal professionals, doctors, and scholars. It’s quite clear that this can be attributed to the fact that we’ve stopped teaching Confucianism.
5.4 Business Books to Read in College or When You Join the Workforce
●The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
The 7 habits that Stephen Covey has distilled from careful survey and study of texts about personal success are as relevant today as when they were first published.
Covey, who is a Mormon, studied many different philosophies and ideologies and ultimately arrived at what he calls “the character ethic".
If you had asked Covey why so many Japanese nouveau riche don’t look content despite their wealth, he would have likely answered that it is because they have character defects.
Japan’s nouveau riche leverage the power of money to lord over others, with their only goal to feel superior. Of course, while the power of money may make people subservient or envious, in will not inspire respect.
Perhaps true success is possessing the kind of character that is respected by others.
●As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
There is no such thing as someone who attained success without effort. But putting in the effort does not guarantee success.
This book, originally published in the U.K. in 1902, is a seminal work of the self-help genre.
Causal theory (the idea that there is a traceable relationship between cause and effect) first attracted attention in the West in the early modern/late modern period (if you don’t count Aristotle’s Four Causes), but in the East it has been taught as a universal principle since Ancient India 2,500 years ago.
Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence also existed in Eastern ideology as rinne tensei (metempsychosis)--common wisdom since 2,500 years ago.
And the logical, scientific knowledge accumulated by the West through modern and contemporary times existed in the East in the form of satori (enlightenment, comprehension) since time immemorial.
Phenomena like the Big Bang, the multiverse, dark energy, dark matter, antimatter and antiparticles—I would submit that these things can be found in the famous Heart Sutra from Mahāyāna Buddhism.
●The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
In 1984, Israeli physicist Eliyahu M. Goldratt published a novel that introduced a management philosophy called the theory of constraints (TOC).
TOC was a theorization of the rules of thumb the Japanese followed at their manufacturing sites, such as the kaizen, the continual improvement process made famous by Toyota. The Japanese manufacturing industry at the time used these types of production methods to such great effect that the country’s international competitiveness got too high, and would eventually lead to the U.S.-Japan Structural Impediments Initiative.
Rumor has it that the book was not translated into Japanese until 2001 for fear that it would make Japan even more competitive.
Although Japan doesn’t have what it takes to instigate the kind of dramatic developments often called “disruptive innovation” or “creative destruction”, it does have the skills to optimize creative destruction instigated by someone in the West (in other words, continuous innovation). This applies to Toyota, as well as Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic)—jokingly referred to as Maneshita (copycat)—Rakuten, Softbank, etc.
●Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
●Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
●How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In
●Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck-Why Some Thrive Despite Them All
A visionary company, according to the Daijisen dictionary via Kotobank, is “a company that possesses ideals and attempts to capitalize on change, and remains a blue-chip company over the long term."
The author of these four books, James C. “Jim" Collins, received a BS in Mathematical Sciences at Stanford University before going on to obtain an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Afterwards he worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and then as a product manager at Hewlett-Packard.
The strength of his insights comes from how he possesses both knowledge of theory as a scholar, and familiarity with business practices as a businessman.
All four of these books, known as the “Visionary Company" series in Japan, are worth a read.
After reading the entire series myself, I was left with the impression that the term visionary company could very well refer to Japan’s zaibatsu conglomerates.
6.Epilogue
When I was a kid, I attended Japanese elementary school during the normal school year. Come summer break I would be sent off to kids golf camp in Hawaii or California, or tennis school in Florida, and for winter break and spring break, I was sent to a ski school in Canada. (Each school provided lodging in a dormitory.)
As a result, by the time I was around 10 I was able to have everyday conversations in English, but my reading skills were still lacking.
For my tenth birthday, my grandfather gave me Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People—both a Japanese translation and the original English.
He also gave me Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten (a dictionary of the Japanese language) published by Sanseido, as well as a compact travel-size Japanese-English English-Japanese dictionary.
I first read the Japanese version of How to Win Friends and Influence People using the Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten, and then later made it through all of the original English text using the English-Japanese dictionary.
As a result, I started really enjoying business books in the original English and the Japanese translation, and by the time I entered middle school I had read over 20 business books in this way.
Here’s an anecdote from my childhood:
It was when I was in the third grade. At the time, a relative of mine was in a semi-pro college band and had been asked to perform Beatles songs live at an upcoming dance party, and so he was always walking around with the musical score so he could practice.
I found the score lying around and began to practice on the piano. After a while I turned to my relative and said, in Japanese, “The title of this song is ‘She loves you a lot’, right?"
My college-age relative asked me why it was “a lot" of love. I replied that it was because of the plural “s" on the end of “love".
My grandmother, having overheard this exchange, commented, “This kid, he’s going to be a romantic poet someday."
