Japan was once the world's most advanced manufacturing country, and its products were known for innovation, high quality, and meticulous management, and they were also a role model and mentor in our early industrialization years. However, in recent years, various scandals have frequently erupted in Japan's manufacturing industry, from car companies to steel, from motors to medicines, all of which are shocking incidents of counterfeiting, fraud, and concealment, which are shocking. Recently, Toyota's wholly-owned subsidiary was subjected to a shocking secret: it has tampered with the safety test data of 64 models in the past 34 years, resulting in the recall of more than 1 million vehicles worldwide, which is the biggest scandal in the history of Japanese manufacturing and the biggest betrayal of global consumers.
Behind these scandals is a reflection of a deep-seated problem in Japanese society: class solidification. Class solidification refers to the extremely low mobility between different classes in society, the increasing gap and conflict between classes, and the weakening of interaction and identity between classes. This situation has led to a disconnect between the upper and lower strata of Japanese society, where the power and interests of the upper strata are monopolized by a small group of people, the voices and demands of the lower strata are ignored or suppressed, and the fairness and justice of society are seriously undermined.
A clear manifestation of class solidification is the hereditary phenomenon in Japan's political and business spheres. There are many political families in Japanese politics, and their children or relatives have inherited their political status and influence and become the new generation of political leaders. For example, the son of the current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is a member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party, and the grandfather and grandfather of the former Prime Minister Shinzo are both former prime ministers, and there are many other examples. According to 2021 statistics, 31% of LDP candidates come from political families, and this proportion has been rising.
A similar situation is true in the Japanese business community, where many large corporations are controlled by families, and they often marry to strengthen their relationships with each other, forming a large interest group. These plutocrats are not only allied with their peers, but also close to political families, thus gaining political protection and preferences. In this way, the upper echelons of Japanese society are wrapped in a tight network of relationships, forming a closed circle that excludes and suppresses external competition and change.
Another effect of class entrenchment is the rigidity and corruption of Japan's corporate culture. Due to the disconnect between the upper and lower levels of society, communication and collaboration between the top and bottom of the enterprise are also affected. Executives are often promoted through seniority and seniority rather than ability and performance, and they lack vision and determination for corporate strategy and innovation, and are only concerned with maintaining their own position and interests, rather than taking risks and responsibilities. The grassroots level of the enterprise is strongly influenced by the corporate culture, they are required to be loyal to their superiors, obey orders, and not to question and resist, otherwise they will be regarded as unsociable, or even dismissed or suppressed.
Such a corporate culture leads to the solidification of the hierarchy within the enterprise, the information and opinions between the top and the grassroots cannot be effectively transmitted and exchanged, the decision-making and implementation process of the enterprise lacks transparency and supervision, the problems and errors of the enterprise cannot be found and corrected in time, and the fraud and fraud of the enterprise have an opportunity. Moreover, because the top and grassroots of the enterprise have a strong sense of community and protection, they often choose to cover up and cover each other, rather than expose and punish, so that the company's fraud and fraud can continue and expand, until it is finally sanctioned by the outside world.
The solidification of classes has brought great crises to Japanese society, the most serious of which is the decline in industrial competitiveness and the loss of social motivation. Due to the rigidity and corruption of corporate culture, many industries in Japan have lost the motivation for innovation and progress, and can only rely on past technologies and brands to maintain the market, rather than adapt to and lead the changes in new technologies and needs, which makes many Japanese industries gradually lag behind other countries in the international market, especially emerging competitors such as China and South Korea. Japan's traditional advantageous industries such as home appliances, electronics, steel, and shipbuilding have been surpassed or caught up by other countries, and Japan's high-end industries such as automobiles, robots, and semiconductors are also facing fierce challenges and pressures, and Japan's industrial myth no longer exists.
What is even more serious is that the solidification of classes has also weakened the vitality and confidence of Japanese society, causing Japanese society to fall into a state of passivity and decadence. Due to the unfairness and immobility of society, many young people and the middle class in Japan have lost the opportunity and hope to rise and change, they feel hopeless and helpless about the future of society and their own destiny, and they are unwilling to participate in the construction and transformation of society, nor are they willing to take on society.