Japan has had a complex history. During several moments in its existence, the Japanese burst into periods of openness to, and learning from, the outside world. These periods are then followed by long, profitable periods of closing and stability.
Right now, Japan is moving into a period of openness and tremendous change as more of its people exhibit "Square II" beliefs. We believe we know what is causing this, how it’s likely to play out, and finally, what needs to be done to react to it in the right way — whether your point of view is Japanese or non-Japanese. This story — reflected in dozens of individual corporate examples, and in provocative findings from a new international survey — contains important lessons. If you want renewal, in any setting, study Japan.
Japan is now exhibiting prominent signs of an economy on the verge of rebirth as many important economic indicators are headed up. This current rebirth is no accident. Japan has been accomplishing this same basic “miracle” for its entire known history. And you can accomplish it too, even in your country, even with your culture.
Certainly Japan is not the only country with the ability to change rapidly and completely — nor is its pattern perfect. In fact, there are times when Japan’s method of revival seems balky and old-fashioned. We can find many of the elements of the mindsets and methodologies that drive Japanese revival in other countries and in companies outside of Japan. But Western companies, even Western individuals, can learn the resilient approach that seems to come naturally in Japan. It is not Japan itself, but the core of the Japanese method of rebirth and renewal that counts. By looking closely at Japanese renewal, from its swashbuckling historical roots to the very latest corporate examples, you can understand this method ... and adapt it for yourself.
That’s what this book is about—understanding this uncanny ability to regenerate, and getting to the point that we can make it happen, for ourselves, in our own cultural setting.
