Nepal can learn a lot from Japan's experiences particularly on the economic, political and patriotic fronts, experts have said.
Speaking at a seminar titled "Japan: Past, Present and Future" organized by Japanese Universities Alumni Association Nepal (JUAAN) in cooperation with the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu, the speakers highlighted the political and economic gains made by Japan over the years.
Khadga KC, a professor of international relations at the Tribhuvan University, said that Japan has achieved a huge economic stride despite frequent change of governments.
"Despite frequent government changes and midterm elections in Japan, the country has been witnessing a political stability over the years. It became possible due to massive overhaul in bureaucracy, industrial infrastructure and academic institutions that the country built after 1867. I believe that it is worth-learning for the Nepali leadership," KC said.
He went on to say that the highest level of civic responsibility among ordinary Japanese citizens and political leadership is equally worth learning. "The highest level of civic responsibility among ordinary Japanese public, as well as politicians that is highly lacking in Nepal," KC observed.
He also mentioned that Japan has not even attempted to modify Article 9 of the 1947 constitution due to the enriched value of patience for the sake of nation-building and safeguarding its national security.
In another context, Dr KC said that the culture of factionalism is deep-rooted in the Japanese political parties even today.
"Currently, there are half a dozen factions within the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP), and almost every important political figure is associated with one of these groups. To add to the complication, some of the factions are themselves suffering from internal splits," he said.
"As their names imply, the factions are essentially based on personal loyalties - the duty of the members to support the faction-leader in his struggle for power and the reciprocal duty of the leader obtain desirable posts for as many of his followers as possible," KC said.
While talking about Japan's strategic alliance with the United States, Dr KC said that the Article 9 of the 1947 constitution and the 1958 security treaty between the US and Japan placed the latter under the US security umbrella.
"There is no question that Japan`s political system is in the midst of the most profound transformation since the the very beginning of the Second World War," he said.
KC said that Japan's defeat in the World War II, the experience of post-war occupation, and the new threats of the Cold War fundamentally reshaped the country's security dynamics.
"The security role that Japan played in the emerging Cold War environment was influenced predominantly by the United States, its new ally. Accordingly, Japan adopted a pragmatic approach to its alliance with the United States and to its security policy more generally," he said.
In the words of Dr KC, then Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida established a security strategy that trod a line in domestic politics between what conservatives (rearmament) as part of the grand bargain with the US.
"Relying on the United States for security protection in return for bases meant that Yoshida could deliver something to both camps—security for the conservatives and a restriction on Japan’s military capacity for the progressives," he said.
Presenting a paper titled "Japanese economy: Past, Present and Future," Under-secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Damaru Ballabha Poudel, said that Japan’s rapid economic development can be a positive model for developing countries. "Japan’s high rates of saving and investment, skilled human
resources and improved technology greatly contributed to a rapid accumulation of the capital are worth enough to learn," he said.
According to him, the successful land reform in Japan can be a lesson for developing countries. "The long-term relationship between workers and employers in Japan allowed workers to accumulate valuable human capital which can be a lesson to other economies," he said.
Dr Poudel said that the industrial structure, with its competing enterprises, also contributed to Japan’s high economic performance which can be learned by others."Japan transformed itself into a fully-liberalized economy from a financially-closed economy, without experiencing any crises. A gradual but steady liberalization of the financial sector in Japan in the 1970s and 1980s provided a promising way to manage the country's transition," he observed.
Dr Poudel said that Japanese experience of bubble economy period offers an objective lesson to all other countries. "The government could have prevented the problem from developing into a full banking crisis if it had acted early enough," he said. According to Poudel, Japan’s experience of deflation and unconventional monetary policy gave a way out to other developed countries during the global financial recession in 2008.
On the occasion, Chairman of the National Assembly, Ganesh Timalsina, said that the Nepali intelligentsia should play a catalytic role to clean up the messy politics.
"The results from the recently-held elections reflect the people's growing frustration towards the political parties. Independents have made the foray into national politics. It does not bode well for the multiparty democratic system at all. I believe, it is high time the political parties improved themselves. The Nepali intelligentsia should fairly caution the political parties for curbing anomalies and corruption in the country," he said.
Likewise, Japanese ambassador to Nepal, KIKUTA Yutaka, touched upon the excellent state of bilateral ties between the two nations. He also appreciated the role played by Nepali students in the promotion of friendly ties between the two countries.
The program chaired by Nepal's former ambassador to Japan Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai was organized to mark the 120th anniversary of student exchanges between Japan and Nepal.
