India & Japan Resilience and National Spirit
Relevance: Mains: G.S paper II: International
Introduction:
• Indian delegation for 11th India-Japan Joint Working Group Meeting on Urban Development reached Japan just 3 days after super Typhoon Hagibis, one of the most powerful in the last six decades, hit Japan.
• Despite this, Japan had not changed the schedule and events were organised according to the plan. This reflects resilience in Japan’s approach towards disasters.
Disaster and Japan:
• The most devastating being Great Hanshin earthquake 1995, Great East Japan earthquake 2011 and Tsunami which triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
• Japan’s political and economic commitment to disaster risk reduction and resilience has been a leading example for the whole world to see.
India’s Preparedness:
• In India as well, natural disasters are a common phenomenon.
• Cyclone Fani wreaked havoc in Odisha. The preparedness of disaster management authorities was well appreciated across the world, when the coastal authorities in Odisha moved more than a million people from the area within Cyclone Fani’s projected path onto higher ground, significantly reducing the death toll to 89.
• India’s preparedness for natural disasters has increased a lot in recent times, but there is still a long way to emulate the Japanese Spirit.
How Japan was able to stand again after WW-II?
• In the 1950s, Japan, still ravaged by the war, aimed to become modern, peaceful and part of the world’s economic elite.
• One of the key elements in the construction of this renewed Japanese society was building of a monument to symbolize Japan’s ascendancy as a global economic powerhouse.
• This led to the planning of Tokyo Tower by Hisakichi Maeda, to be taller than Empire State Building and Eiffel Tower. The project attracted thousands of Japanese construction workers and instilled a greater sense of nationalism in the hearts of Japanese people.
• In 1964, Japan became the center of attention when it hosted the Tokyo Olympics.
• Simultaneously, completion of many large-scale infrastructure projects was timed to coincide with the 1964 Olympics, including the launch of the globally famous Shinkansen bullet train. Tokyo Station was rebuilt as a heritage building.
India’s Potential in This Regard:
• India too has a rich history and culture. To realise Sardar Patel’s vision, ‘Statue of Unity’ was unveiled as world’s tallest statue in 2018, taller than the Statue of Liberty.
• Lately, the monument has witnessed high tourist footfalls, making it one of the most visited destinations across the country. Like Tokyo Tower of Japan, the ‘Statue of Unity’ of India will serve as a symbol to imbibe a sense of national purpose.
• India is working towards the holistic achievement of the global SDGs.
• It is running world’s biggest health assurance scheme as well as world’s biggest financial
inclusion scheme opening over 370 million bank accounts for the poor.
• India has been able to implement the world’s largest sanitation program under Swachh Bharat Mission, building 110 million toilets in just 5 years.
• India is committed to achieving the target of 450 GW of renewable energy and on the other hand India is leading the initiatives like International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
• India has jumped 79 positions in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) rankings, currently ranked at 63, being the only large country in the world to witness such monumental progress.
• The jump of 25 places in EoDB in Construction Permits this year is unprecedented.
• Recently, reforms and policy measures in the country have ensured commitment towards a “one nation one belief” approach, charting its way towards realising the vision of a $5 trillion economy.
What India Can learn from Japan?
• India needs to address the challenge of engaging with modernity and economic development with cultural preservation, learning from Japan.
• Japanese people have always leaned on their own unique culture, despite the global wave of
westernisation. Their united effort at improving themselves, focusing on their internal strengths and competencies is commendable.
• The advanced, precision manufacturing and kaizen quality control principles are leading
examples for the rest of the world.
Conclusion:
• Thus, a lot of lessons can be taken from the Japanese national spirit of collectivism and unity.
• Our country can realise its vision for equitable growth by incorporating a sense of national pride amongst its citizens through projects of national integration, ensuring that each one of us contributes towards the natural goal of meeting the aspirations of New India.
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