More than four months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the unprecedented disaster that it brought upon the Japanese people. Unfortunately, however, our politicians have almost totally failed to present the Japanese people and international society with a clear and viable vision for recovery and reconstruction.

The foreign media has described the situation as one in which a “people of high civic standards is being led by incompetent leaders.” The expression “high civic standards” refers to the orderliness of the Japanese people, the high level of public safety that was maintained and the perseverance of the people. On the other hand, “incompetent leaders” refers to the delay in decision-making, the failure to respond to emergencies and the total lack of the ability to communicate.

Where does this gap between “high civic standards” and “incompetent leaders” come from? I believe it originates in the poor capacity of our politicians and the absence of leadership education. It is my observation that our leaders were not educated in analyzing and understanding the situation on hand, making speedy decisions and appropriately conveying information. Moreover, they have been placed in leadership positions without ever taking the time to develop a personal philosophy, a sense of mission or high aspirations that would provide them with a sound personal foundation.

Leaders are expected to perform the following three tasks under all conditions.

(1) To develop a vision, to make decisions by collecting necessary information, to put these decisions into action and to take responsibility for the results to improve Japan.

(2) To properly ensure and protect the national interests of Japan by communicating effectively with stakeholders both inside and outside of Japan (the Japanese people, government administration, local governments, foreign governments, international organizations, the people of the world), by making Japan a country that is widely liked and respected, and by raising the value of the “Japan brand.”

(3) To speak and act appropriately based on the positive values that are intrinsic to Japanese culture in order to serve as a role model for the people, to convey at certain times harsh and difficult messages to the people and to thereby shape public opinion, and to foster the positive culture that exists in Japan.

To sweep away the sense of gloom and uncertainty, anxiety and distrust that encompasses Japan, our politicians as responsible leaders of the nation must now more than ever before (1) act based on a positive and bright vision for the future of Japan, (2) communicate effectively with persons both inside and outside of Japan, and (3) build a good and sound Japan by restoring the beautiful culture that we have in Japan. To accomplish this, we expect our politicians to do the following.

1. Bring Vision to Politics!

First of all, politicians must develop a positive and bright vision. We want them to present us with a vision that says, “This crisis, how hard it may be, will definitely make Japan a better country.” What politics lacks today is this kind of vision. The most important thing for any organization is a vision based on firm and definite principles. Armed with a bright vision, we can work together to break free of the current sense of gloom and uncertainty. This will allow us to take effective action. We want leaders who will develop a vision, convey it to the public, and lead the people in the right direction.

2. Strengthen the Economy as Source of National Power!

We want our politicians to consider what the most important requirement is in enhancing Japan’s national power. Without a strong economy, new industries and new jobs will not be generated. Without a strong economy, a good social security system cannot be created. Without a strong economy, tax revenues will not increase and fiscal collapse cannot be avoided. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan prioritized the economy under the slogan, “rich country, strong military.” Japan should today adopt a new slogan, “rich country, happy people” (coined by Hori) that commits us to “strengthening the economy to ensure the affluence of the people.”

3. Think globally!

Today, the ability to make judgments and decisions based on a global perspective is an absolute requirement in all areas of politics, business and economics, science and culture. An inward-looking nation will be left behind by the rest of the world. For Japan to protect and assert its national interests in the critical areas of foreign relations and national security and beyond to such fields as food, environment, resources and energy, it must at all times participate in the affairs of the international community on its own initiative. To achieve this, it is absolutely necessary for our political leaders to possess sophisticated international sensibilities and to have personal networks that span the globe.

Political leaders must of course participate in international conferences. But that is not enough. They should actively express and convey their opinions to the international community as representatives of Japan.

4. Act with Conviction!

It is not an easy task for a nation to make decisions through an appropriate process and to translate these decisions into action. This is especially true under the current conditions of Japan’s “split Diet.” But it is exactly for this reason that the parliamentarians of both the ruling and opposition parties must bring together their highest wisdom to ensure that the affairs of the nation do not become bogged down. This requires unity of thought and of action. The disastrous earthquake has brought the nation to the edge of the abyss and has left Japan with no time to waste. We find ourselves in turbulent times and in an age of social upheaval where the lowly in rank supplant their superiors. Armed with a firm conviction and vision and acting on their own accord as individuals, our politicians need to engage in debate and the exchange of views amongst themselves. In the course of this debate, they should always be open to the possibility of leaving their parties to form new political parties and committing to actions that lead to the emergence of new alliances and new realities.

When taking action, partisan interests and tactics must be set aside, and personal interests and selfish desires must be discarded to ensure that action is being taken from the perspective of, “what is the most important for the people of Japan.” Let our politicians be reminded that the people are carefully and calmly observing their every action and every word. The people are keenly aware of who is sacrificing the best interests of the people for his personal gain, which political party is guided by its own partisan interests and tactics, and who is busy engaged in discussions that leave the entire public out in the cold. Our hope is that our politicians will act out of strong conviction and that they will break through the current impasse with a commitment to wisdom and action.

5. Deploy, Train and Elect Individuals with True Leadership Qualities

In recent years, Japan has experienced an abnormal situation in which prime ministers have changed at intervals of about one year. This has seriously undermined the public’s confidence in politics and has done grave damage to Japan’s diplomatic and national security policies.

We want to see an immediate review and revamping of the current processes and procedures that determine the deployment, training and election of our leaders. As in the cases of the United States and Korea, it will henceforth be critically important for Japan to elect people who have had actual experience running an organization (for example, governors, mayors and corporate executives). In particular, we look forward to having politicians with a strong background in economics and extensive international experience. This is not to say that second and third generation politicians, ex-bureaucrats, former executive secretaries of politicians and graduates of the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management do not make good politicians. The point is that we want politicians with a lot of experience representing a highly diverse range of backgrounds.

Politicians who are constantly electioneering are not what we want. We want politicians who take the time to study current problems in depth, who endeavor to develop and enhance their capabilities and who will not be labeled as “incompetent leaders” in the foreign media. This is what the public wants and expects of our politicians.