GISPRI Symposium '94:
"Civilization in the 21st Century and
the Global System"
On November 30, 1994,
the international symposium, "Civilization in the 21st Century
and the Global System," was held by the Global Industrial and Social
Progress Research Institute (GISPRI) at the International Conference
Hall of the United Nations University in Aoyama, Tokyo, with the support
of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and NHK (Japan Broadcasting
Corporation). This symposium was planned based upon the content of work
of this institute's study group for "study on the framework for
civilizations and national states in the 21st century." The symposium
was held with the aim of searching for arrangements, methodology, and
international rules for achieving cooperation and harmony, rather than
conflicts, in the rapidly developing region of Asia, from the perspective
of thinking about a new world system in the post-Cold War period. The
specific focus was placed upon the world of Islam and China which are
likely to exert a big impact in the world, as one of the unstable elements
in the global system, to find approaches for cooperation and harmony
through discussions among researchers from both Japan and overseas.
Speaking at this symposium
were five specialists from overseas including Gilbert Rozman (Princeton
University), and ten from Japan including Shozaburo Kimura (Professor
Emeritus, The University of Tokyo) or a total of 15 top level researchers.
The members are listed in the program below. With Hatsuhisa Takashima
(Chief Commentator of NHK) serving as the overall facilitator, speeches
and panel discussions with a very rich content were carried out.
On this day, about
240 participants from the research organizations, corporations, and
universities connected with the GISPRI, as well as from the general
public, attended the symposium. To open the symposium, Senior Advisor
Shinji Fukukawa of GISPRI gave a greeting message on behalf of the sponsor.
The symposium program consisted of three parts: "The Impact of
Islam," "The Impact of China," and "The Role of
Asia," in that order. With such a rich and extensive content for
one-day symposium, with the speedy facilitating of Mr. Takashima (the
overall MC) and efforts of the speakers, the program ended roughly within
the set time- frame. Given the limited time, not all the opinions could
be fully expressed, but members of the audience gave a high evaluation
for the timing and content of this symposium, especially given the lack
of transparency in the post Cold War world. Also, the content of the
program was recorded and parts were broadcast on NHK's educational channel
in late January. Below, we will introduce the main content of the symposium.
Program
of Symposium
(honorifics omitted)
Overall MC: Hatsuhisa Takashima
10:00 Opening Address:
Shinji Fukukawa (Senior
Advisor, GISPRI)
10:10 Keynote Address:
Shozaburo Kimura (Professor Emeritus, The University of
Tokyo)
10:30 Session-I
"Impact of Islamic Power on the Global System in the
21st Century"
? Presenter:
Masayuki Yamauchi (Professor,
The University of
Tokyo)
? Commentator:
Hassan Hanafi (Professor, Department
of Philosophy,
University of Cairo)
? Panelists:
Motoshige Itoh (Professor, Department
of Economics,
The University of Tokyo)
James Piscatori (Professor, Department
of International
Politics, University of Wales)
Hisashi Yoshikawa (Director for International
Petroleum
Affairs, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy)
12:35 Lunch Break
13:35 Session-II
"Impact of China, which is in transition to the socialistic
market economy, on the Global System"
? Presenters:
Satoshi Amako (Professor, Department
of International
Politics and Economics, Aoyama Gakuin University)
Gilbert Rozman (Professor,
Princeton University)
? Commentator:
Fan Yong Ming (Director, Development
Research Dept.,
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank)
? Panelists
Nobuyuki Kaji (Professor, Department
of Literature,
Osaka University)
Ryuichiro Matsubara (Associate Professor, Department of
Liberal Arts, The University of Tokyo)
15:25 Coffee Break
15:40 Session-III
"Roles of non-Western civilizational areas, in particular
the Asian region, in building the Global System"
? Presenters:
Shin'ichi Kitaoka (Professor,
Department of Law, Rikkyo
University)
Saneh Chamarik (President, Thai
Local Development
Institute)
? Commentator:
James Piscatori (See above.)
? Panelists:
Youichiro Ichioka (Chief, Editorial
Board, Nihon Keizai
Shimbun, Inc.)
Shinji Fukukawa (See above.)
Gilbert Rozman (See above.)
18:15 Concluding Remarks:
Hatsuhisa Takashima (See above.)
18:30 Closing Remarks:
Katsuo Seiki (Executive Director, GISPRI)
18:40 End of the Symposium
[Keynote Address]
"Civilization in the 21st Century and the Global System"
Shozaburo
Kimura
Prof. Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
As the world moves
toward the 21st century, the global political and economic order is
likely to undergo reorganization. We are now feeling the birth pangs
accompanying that process. The core technologies related to iron &
steel, electrical power, oil, etc., that sustained the modern technical
civilization from the late 19th century has entered the stage of maturity,
and it will take another 30 years before the new core technology can
develop to sustain the progress in the 21st century. That is, we are
placed in the predicament of "a deadlock due to exhaustion of our
stock of wisdom." The era of modernity characterized by the spirit
of independence and self-reliance and faith in the future progress and
development, which began in the 19th century, has now come to end.
On the other hand,
maturing of the technological civilization bring about expansion of
the sense of space and sense of communication. This is similar to the
situation 500 years ago when the adventurers such as Columbus sought
to escape from the closed social situation characterized by stagnant
agricultural technology and the end of cultivation of new lands by opening
up the "Era of Great Voyage and Exploration" in search of
new lands. With the increased interchange within regions, modern nations-states
were formed first as "regional federations." The situation
today is somewhat similar. For we are in the second era of Great Voyage
and the second era of regional federations. We can see such a direction
in the development of EU (European Union) and NAFTA (North American
Free Trade Association), and in Asia, too, it is likely that a third
federated body of states is likely to emerge in the next dozen or so
years, centered around ASEAN and Chinese economic zone in the southern
China. Underlying these developments is not only the expanded sense
of space that I mentioned, but also, shared "sense of ease and
safety" based upon having similarities in culture and religion.
Anxieties about how to live tomorrow creates the desire for such sense
of ease and safety in living today, on the part of everyone and every
country. So, both EU and NAFTA can be described as a "community
based upon sense of ease and safety" by Europeans and North Americans,
respectively, of largely Christian background.
In the foreseeable
future, there is not likely to be big wars. While there is technology
and capital on the part of developed countries, there is not much vitality.
On the other hand, developing countries have vitality, but not adequate
technology or capital. However, since not everyone is satisfied with
the present situation by any means, the coming period may be described
as a gray era of peace with small conflicts occurring without stop.
Also, activation of exchanges across national boundaries means, in the
final analysis, that the role of cities serving as arenas for exchange
of people, things, information, finance and service, will increase.
And, it has been none other than Islam that has historically demonstrated
much wisdom for shared coexistence in the cities. It will be necessary
in the future for us to make good use of this very positive body of
wisdom. And the road to federations of states will mean a transition
to the era of cities which will capture more and more freedom and powers
from the states' control, without limit. In other words, we must make
the transition from states with closed borders to the development of
networks of cities that are open to the world, in order for us to realize
world peace.
So, I would like to
identify these three as the defining characteristics of the global system
in the 21st century, namely: formation of the "regional communities
based upon sense of ease and safety," the era "of gray peace"
accompanied by regional and ethnic conflicts, and the "era of cities."
Thus, the primary
purpose of today's discussion should focus on these three characteristic
features of the global system in the 21st century, and discuss how we
can build a large boat (the present-day version of the Noah's Ark) on
a global scale, in this age of uncertainty. With this, the keynote speech
was concluded.
Session-I: "Impact
of Islamic Power on the Global System in the 21st Century"
[Summary of the
speech by Professor Yamauchi]
He brought out three
points that when we consider the impact of Islam on the global system,
we should confirm from the present situation. They are:
-
The phenomena
of revival of Islam has become salient even on the level of citizens
at large, and this is occurring not just in the Middle East, but
even inside the United States and Europe.
-
Islamism is not
an unitary or monolithic phenomenon, but is highly diverse with
varied ideas competing with one another, which has given rise to
instability in much of the Islamic world. And, this, in turn, is
being perceived as posing a threat by the West.
-
When we look at
the Islamic communities spread throughout the world at the present
time, it becomes very important to examine the trends in the phenomenon
of revival of Islam and Islamic movement in the post-Cold World
War period.
Terroristic activities
that are seen often as a threat by the West represents only a small
and extremist part of the world of Islam. Having made those points,
he pointed out the following.
In the background
of the Western perception of the Islamic movement as a threat, there
are two types of perception of the source of Islam as a de-stabilizing
factor. Some link Islam with energy crisis based upon the associations
with the Middle East oil. Others see the Islamic communities within
the West as a de-stabilizing factor for their own society. And so, it
is wrong to focus on the terrorism aspect in viewing Islam. The reason,
he pointed out, is that some of the Islamic terrorism is directed against
fellow Moslem compatriots, rather than against foreigners. This represents
largely an internal conflict within Islam itself. While there is some
resentment against Western ideas and approaches within the Islamic world,
the idea of different Islamic sects or factions cooperating and banding
together organizationally to struggle against Europe and the United
States is not borne out by the reality. Rather, we should turn our attention
more to the trends and developments among ordinary people who live in
the Islamic world, for, much of what they seek and want is not much
different from our own values, he said. If we learn from history, we
find that after radicalism always comes a more rational response which
proves to be dominant. He concluded his talk with the expectation that
the radical activities that we see now represent "the beginning
of the end."
* "The beginning
of the end" ... The ideology of radicalism and extremism occurred
in the past in Japan as well. The movement to "respect the Emperor
and chase out the barbarians" (Son'no-joi movement) in the mid-19
century which brought about the Meiji Restoration was also a radical
movement. Later, however, the Meiji State consolidated itself, and from
this kind of historical currents, we can say that radicalism is often
a precursor for the move to stability.
[Comment by Professor
Hanafi]
In relation to the
talk given by Professor Yamauchi, Professor Hanafi made three points.
-
There are stereotyped
images* of Islam when Islam is discussed in Europe, the United States,
and in Japan. We must ask if these images really reflect the reality
of Islam. For Islam has other images as well.
* "Stereotyped
images"...It means commonplace, generalized images about a
given entity. When we think of the image of the Islamic world, there
is a tendency for us to define the Islamic world with a number of
preconceived notions, and make judgments about Islam with such notions.
-
It is not fair
to equate the Islamic movement with Islamic fundamentalism. The
mass media in Europe and the United States see just one aspect of
the Islamic revival, and focus on those who engage in terrorism.
-
It is not fair
to think of Islam as the enemy of the West. It certainly is not
the case that West alone is humanistic, idealistic, and is in possession
of a rational philosophy. When we look back on the past history,
we find that much culture was transferred from the Islamic world
to the West in the past, while the Islamic world learned from the
West in modern ages. In the future, then, we should have give and
take and teach and learn from one another, on an equal footing.
Such is the future that we look move toward. These were his three
comments.
[Panel Discussion]
1) Mr. Yoshikawa:
He explained some of the background of the revolution in Iran, based
upon his experience while he was posted there, and then, stated that
in the present severe financial situation and international environment,
how the Islamic world will secure prosperity will be the key point in
the coming period.
2) Prof. Piscatori:
He touched on what the concerns are on the part of the West concretely,
and pointed to three different forms.
-
Concerns about
Islamic communities: In those parts of the world where Moslems are
a minority, there are examples such as the tragedy of Bosnia and
difficulties experienced by Moslems living in Western Europe, and
so, there is a concern that out of these experiences of oppression,
a common awareness is likely to be developed in opposition against
the West.
-
Concerns regarding
stability: The relationships that most Western countries have with
the Islamic countries are largely confined to the royal families
in Saudi Arabia, etc., and other elite strata, who serve, in effect,
to protect the Western interests, and other possibilities in the
area of ties are rather ambiguous. So, there is a concern as to
whether or not friendly ties can be maintained if and when the present
regimes are overturned.
-
Concerns about
the threat posed by Islam toward the Western values: For example,
despotic or authoritarian regimes exist in some Islamic countries,
and concerns exist that this is likely to lead to conflict with
the Western concept of human rights, etc.
After making these
three points, however, he cautioned that there is much diversity and
pluralism within Islamic thinking as well, and neither Western thought
nor Islamic thought are the same as in the past, but are evolving with
the times. This means, he pointed out, that we need to reexamine the
nature of the threat once again.
3) Prof. Itoh: From
the standpoint of economics, social norms* play an important role for
the proper functioning of the economic system. Now, as the process of
globalization unfolds, can the Islamic world coexist with the Western
social norms? Should we look upon the protest against the present situation
which is made in the Islamic world as a part of the frictions between
the developing countries and the globalization of the world economy,
in a broad sense, or should it be seen as an unique problem of the Islamic
world? He posed these two questions.
* "Social
norms"... Values-based rules for social behavior, which included
a broad range of situations such as the simple rule of moving forward
when the traffic signal is green, and stopping when the signal is red,
to economic rules, values and outlook related to working, etc. Generally,
these norms are not necessarily stipulated in norm, but actual rules
that are practices in each society in a customary or habitual manner.
4) Prof. Yamauchi:
In responding to the questions, he touched on the background of the
rise of Islamism, and pointed out that much of it is influenced by the
failure of the modernization model, or the deadlock in that process.
The failure of such Western-type modernization model left many problems
in both economic and cultural realms. In the economic realm, he pointed
out the following: [1] the failure in fair distribution of wealth and
services; [2] failure to create sufficient employment; [3] failure to
achieve growth on the basis of economic independence; and [4] inability
to secure the social cost of investment. Put another way, the development
model brought in from outside induced the collapse of the social system
which existed in the Islamic society from before, but could not provide
an alternative economic arrangement to take the place of the old, and
this fact exerted an important impact. In the cultural realm, development
and investment were carried out simply as Westernization and going after
Europe and the United States, and so, this brought about a sense of
cultural undermining, the sense of being victimized on the part of many
people in the Islamic world. The responsibility of the West regarding
this should of course be discussed as part of the overall discussion.
5) Prof. Hanafi: He
stated his understanding of the Islamic movement as a movement for reform
of social problems and to defend independence, and asked that we view
this as a movement to establish freedom and liberalism in the Islamic
world, rather than as a revolution. Also, it is up to Japan to select
its own future role, to decide whether it is going to advanced with
the North, or whether it seeks tie-up with the South. He maintained
that Japan can play the role of preventing sharp polarization in the
world and of moderating the U.S. view of Islam as a threat.
6) Mr. Takashima:
He noted through today's discussion that some of the erroneous views
about Islam on the part of the West may have been corrected, and a new
step may have been taken for thinking about the relationship anew, and
closed the first session.
Session-II: "Impact
of China, which is in transition to the socialistic market economy,
on the Global System"
[Summary of the
speech by Professor Amako]
He stated that there
were three significant currents in viewing the world today:
-
An universal current
symbolized by the ideal of the United Nations that transcend states;
-
Understanding
of the world situation in terms of the balance of power among big
countries; and
-
The view that
we cannot expect to see a new world system soon and that a chaotic
world will continue to exist for the foreseeable future.
He expressed his view
that these three currents will criss-cross with one another and will
help to shape the world in the coming period. The way that much of the
world looks upon China today see both the possibilities and dangers,
and unless there is a big confusion, China's economic and military presence
will increase. And if the market economy continues to make progress,
then, the country will be integrated more and more into the rules and
the process of globalization that exist in the West; along with this,
China's own mode of thinking and action will decrease in relative importance,
and there will be a greater acceptance of the international order, he
pointed out. Thus, he believes that it is not correct to look upon China
as posing danger in an one-sided manner.
China's view of the
international situation is characterized by the following points.
-
The basic factor
that determine international relations today are "states".
-
The basic factor
that determines a given state's international relationship is its
"total national power.
-
It views international
structures based upon a view of "an order led by big powers."
The characteristic
of the approach to diplomacy which is drawn from these premises is defined
by a high priority given to economic development and firm maintenance
of independent and self-reliant diplomacy, and the orientation of becoming
a big power.
The approach of the
international community toward China should be based upon the understanding
that the global system in the 21st century is not a balance of power
type system based upon a multi-polar structure; rather, it will be a
mutually-dependent system based upon shared sustenance, in which activities
in the realms of economy, culture and information will play the leading
role. And the international community should communicate this to China,
and make efforts to that end in a steady, cumulative manner.
[Summary of the
speech by Professor Rozman]
With regard to the
question posed in the 1st session by Prof. Itoh regarding the compatibility
of Islam, etc. with the globalism of the West, Professor Rozman pointed
out that the Western globalism is not perfect either, and the standard
and criteria do not lie there. Rather, we should view the West as also
needing improvement, and in the process of developing, itself. And all
the various social norms that different civilizations have are as yet
imperfect or incomplete from the standpoint of world integration, and
so, it is necessary to carry out further adaptation and change.
In terms of the prospect
on China, he pointed out:
-
The economic growth
will continue, and
-
A greater acceptance
of the series of principles operative worldwide that are also changing
will occur within the process of economic growth.
Then, based upon that
premise we can have an optimistic outlook on China over the long-term.
Also, China is likely to become a big power, and enter the world system
as a key country. On the other hand, he disagreed with the view that
now that the era of ideology has ended, China is shifting mainly to
economic needs, for he believes that the Chinese society needs a set
of principles. The importance of China from the Western perspective
is that because China is the foundation of the civilization in the East,
it has a distinctive role in the world. The foundation of Chinese thinking
is "Sinocentrism" (China as the center of the world).* And
a touchstone that will foretell of China's future involvement in the
world system is its position on Japan's membership in the U.N.'s Security
Council as a permanent member. What kind of position China will take
on this question will test China's Sinocentrism and its thinking. Also,
with regard to the view that the country's economy may become decentralized
into various regions, and the country may become split up de facto,
he stated that if decentralization of the economy is handled appropriately
with flexibility, then, China's concentrated power will be even more
enhanced.*.
* "Sinocentricism"
... The mode of thinking which holds that China is at the center of
the world, and that the Chinese are situated at the center of civilization,
and the others outside of China on the peripheral areas. In this view,
there is a certain hierarchy between the center and the peripheral areas,
and China is the central entity which works to maintain balance with
the surrounding countries and peoples.
* Various subregional
economic zones that include parts of China (such as the Southern Chinese
economic zone that comes into being in its relation to Taiwan and ASEAN,
the Japan Sea economic zone that includes Japan, Korea, and Russia,
etc.) as one of the means. While it is not simple to manage these, if
China is to increase and concentrate its power, then, it is necessary
to achieve a good balance in each sub-region.
As for Japan's role,
he thinks that Japan should contribute as one of the world leaders in
the development of global principles, rather than as the representative
of Asian interests. Also, both Western countries and Japan needs to
have an understanding of China's pride, sensitivity, tradition as well
as its hesitations, and proceed with the development of rules step-by-step.
Within this process, he thinks that WTO will assume a big role as a
new world organization where all the big powers will sit at the same
table.
[Comment by Mr.
Fan]
He started by discussing
the present economic situation in China. First of all, inflation has
become serious, and in the background for it, there is the government's
abolition of price controls and excessively rapid capital investment
in plant and equipment. Second, there is the widening gap in income
between regions in China, which has led to a gap of 1:20 between inland
and coastal areas, in extreme cases. Overall, however, he believes that
China will be able to continue a high pace of economic growth, provided
that there is no big political chaos. And, from an economic standpoint,
China has set two good examples: One, it is managing to make the transition
from a planned economy to a market economy while maintaining stability.
Two, it is showing a new model of economic development for a late-starting
big country. Also, viewed from a cultural and philosophical standpoint,
the strong vitality of Asian culture is being proven once more through
the economic progress being achieved by China. In relation to the Confucian
philosophy which some say lies in the background, he mentioned "mastery
of self," "good family management," and "peace and
good governance of the country".
* "Self mastery,"
"family management," "social order and peace" ....
"Self-mastery" means cultivating one self so as to raise one's
education, culture and overall quality to a higher level. "Family
management" means that after achieving a higher level of education,
one works to improve family so as to create a happy family and orderly
family. "Social order and peace" means that by developing
cultivated individuals and well-managed families, we can build social
stability, economy, and social progress, according to this view.
Also, what people
have wanted from the bottom of their hearts in the past 15 years after
the start of the reform is a major readjustment of the relationship
between the individual and the collective, and between the family and
the society - the relationships that were severely belittled under the
concentration of power after the Communist Party took power. Ordinary
Chinese people want to recover humanity, restore a proper balance in
society, and build a rich country. And through the restoration of the
Confucian culture and Sinocentricism, and through the vitality of Asian
culture, the commonalty of Asia on the spiritual realm will become even
more enhanced. In that sense, the economic expansion of China will not
pose any threat to the world, but will lead to stability and prosperity
in the Asian and Pacific region.
[Panel Discussion]
1) Prof. Kaji:
With regard to the present situation in China, he stated that a patient
suffering from high blood pressure called "inflation" is drinking
alcohol supplied in the form of loans from Japan, and is competing in
the competition called market economy; and under such circumstances,
there is no question but that the economy will collapse, and both Japan
and China should be aware of this dangerous situation. And from the
standpoint as a student of Confucianism, he pointed to the relationship
between Confucianism and agriculture, and the absence of an appropriate
agricultural policy at the present policy on the market economy. Solution
of the agricultural problems was cited as the key point for the development
in the future. He presented the view that in the process of globalization
of the economy, traditional Confucian thinking will exert an influence
on China as the country on the receiving end, which differed from the
view of Prof. Amako. In terms of the military question, because the
army assumes the administrative function of government over vast tracts
of land, disarmament is out of question. And given the purpose of today's
symposium, what Asia may be able to offer to the world is the thought
placed importance upon the family vs. the individualism that exists
in Europe and the United States. So, he concluded his remarks.
2) Assoc. Prof.
Matsubara: The economy under capitalism operates on the basis of trust,
and it is necessary to have a certain level of similarity in culture,
in order to create trust each other. Even as the economy becomes globalized,
it can not lead to elimination of trading blocs, because there is the
question of trust; rather, the world will sort itself out to a number
of "trust zones" and the possibility exist that economic zones
may be created largely on the basis of the specific civilization involved.
And as China becomes increasingly integrated into the world economy,
and its market economy develops more, is it not possible for the economy
to leave the control of the state, regardless of the intention of the
state, and move on its own? Also, if China continues to develop economically,
naturally, it will be confronted squarely with global environmental
problems; at that point, how will China respond? He posed these two
questions.
3) Prof. Amako:
As a way of responding to the questions, and also to supplement, he
said that in the area of agricultural problems, the local village enterprises
have been important in absorbing the surplus labor of farming villages,
but they have been stagnating recently, and so, how to absorb the surplus
labor can become a grave problem in the future, he added. Also, with
regard to the influence of the tradition, 15 years have passed since
the start of the reform, and people in their early 40's are the main
implementors, and many of these people have experienced study overseas,
or living abroad, and so, he believes that the traditional Confucian
social norms may be changing. In terms of Prof. Matsubara's question,
he touched on the "Study of human connections and ties" *
which form an important part of Chinese thinking, and this is serving
to push the Chinese economy forward at the present time, as well. And
in terms of Chinese thinking, while Chinese take a very strict stance
toward politics, they adopt a highly flexible approach on economic matters.
So, with regard to the problem of market opening, this kind of flexible
thinking swallow up and handle various problems in a typically Chinese
manner. Such is the prospect he sees.
* "Study
of relations" ... This refers to the world of personal connections,
the world of human relationships and ties. This term is used to indicate
that without understanding the importance of these relationships, it
is not possible to understand the workings of the Chinese society.
4) Prof. Rozman:
China has the intention of paying any price to grow rapidly and to become
a big country, and it does not worry about other matters. And he pointed
out that during this period, it will hold lid on individual's rights,
which may give rise to tensions. When you look at China, we need to
pay attention to this area, he said.
5) Prof. Amako:
With regard to Mr. Takashima's question if the possibility of chaos
is rather large given the present condition (in contrast to the prerequisite
condition that "if there is no chaos"), Prof. Amako said that
the present situation is likely to continue even in the post-Deng period,
in all probability. As reasons for this, he cited the probability that
the leadership system centered around the Party will not collapse easily,
and, the military is likely to become more bureaucratized, and remain
neutral. Also, Prof. Rozman stated that if there is confusion and chaos
in China, the major countries in the world should cooperate to prevent
economic chaos and stop the outflow of refugees, given the enormous
impact that such development can bring to the entire world system. And
he stated that China is moving on the road of becoming a superpower
itself, and it is most aware that it cannot afford to have any losses
due to confusion. Mr. Fan from China mentioned the Taiwan problem as
one of the factors for confusion, and that a difficult situation will
arise if the trend for Taiwan independence becomes stronger. Still,
while China is faced with many difficult challenges, the factors for
economic development and political stability are being maintained, he
concluded.
Session-III: "Roles
of non-Western civilizational areas, in particular the Asian region,
in building the Global System
[Summary of the
Speech by Professor Kitaoka]
With regard to the
view that in the post-Cold War period, conflict among the world's major
civilizations, he pointed out the following: It is too rough and oversimplified
to sum-up the big picture in terms of the Western civilization vs. non-Western
civilizations. Because of diversification of values and cultural pluralism
in the Western world itself, the degree of tolerance toward other civilizations
is increasing rapidly. And even in non-Western civilizations, the process
of Westernization is proceeding as we can see in Americanization among
East Asian countries. Given these phenomena, he said that the civilizations
are coming closer together. Now, despite this, conflicts among civilizations
comes under much limelight, because various types of conflicts that
had been pressed down during the Cold War are coming to the surface
more today, and the contacts among the civilizations are increasing
even more rapidly than the growth in the level of tolerance. Thus, for
example, the conflicts that we can see in East Asia are conflicts between
the newly rising economic powers and the existing powers, and such conflicts
were seen between Japan and the West and between Britain and Germany
within Western Europe (in the late 19th and early 20th century). What
can be learned from this is that the developed countries should not
press down the challenge posed by the late-comers unfairly, while the
late-comers should not be wedded to maintenance of their traditional
values and political system in a rigid manner. Japan and other countries
of East Asia developed mainly through trade while maintaining only modest
military power, and these countries can provide a model for economic
rules in the world, and can develop a new framework in the form of drawing
both the United States and China into their framework, and it is here
that Japan can make a big contribution.
[Summary of the speech
by Director Chamarik]
He started by saying
that his talk may represent somewhat of an antithesis of what has been
discussed so far about economic growth and the framework for that, and
so forth. For he would like to consider matters from the standpoint
of ordinary persons who have been pushed to the periphery due to modernization.
First, if we look upon the problems that are being discussed here as
reactions of the Third World people against what has been pressed upon
them under the name of freedom and democracy, then, the problems may
become easier to understand. That is, thought itself is a reflection
of one's state of knowledge and world view, it can hardly, if ever at
all, be neutral and value-free. It always serves a particular socio-economic
system, or represents the interest of such a system; it is all man-made,
and so, the question is how human beings make their choices about this.
In this sense, the theories of science and economics developed in the
West in the modern period cannot be called a matter of course; they
need to be reexamined and evaluated anew..
In the 21st century,
the world is likely to see economic blocks, and Asia is likely to be
one of the poles. However, he said that we need to really examine what
exist behind economic growth, and touched on the situation where poverty
is expanding rapidly in 114 developing countries as an outcome of economic
development. The current style and pattern of development we have been
undergoing derives its roots solely from the distorted scientific and
industrial culture of the West, and it is based upon three mistaken
hypotheses, he held. First of all, there is the dogma that human beings
dominate over nature. Secondly, there is the Darwinian theory of evolution
based upon the "survival of the fittest." Thirdly, there is
an erroneous view of progress which affirmed human dominance over nature
as being good, and representing progress.
* To put this outlook
in terms of economic position, it may lead to the view that the richest
countries, and the people are the fittest and that there is a definite
value in their survival. And the economically weak ones are on a lower
order; they may have to obey, etc. From such thinking, we can end up
with a logic which legalizes dominance of nature and of weaker persons
and entities, and justifies such dominance.
We must know that
there are such gaps and shortcomings in human knowledge and world outlooks,
and what is truly demanded of us now, is a spiritual prospect which
can liberate our spirit, and save us from the present predicament. From
this standpoint, Asia as rich and diverse religious traditions, which
he believes can contribute to the emergence of a new world outlook in
the coming period.
[Comment by Prof.
Piscatori]
There are three scenarios
regarding coexistence of civilizations from the results of the discussion:
One, that there will be divergence among the civilizations leading to
intensified conflicts. Two, that the civilizations will increasingly
come together or "converge." And three, that there is a possibility
for the civilizations to achieve harmony. As we seek to move on the
third path of reconciliation, it is important for us to take up the
three values of "Consensus," "Community," and "Social
Justice" as things that are common to the major civilizations.
He held that we need to take this approach mutually, and that it is
the task of the intellectual to assume this role.
[Panel Discussion]
1) Mr. Ichioka:
We should take the level of economic development into consideration
when we think about human rights, and in poor countries, upgrading the
economic level is part of the fundamental human right. And in Asia,
there is a characteristic of valuing joint work even more than competition,
harmony rather than conflict, and of valuing long-term human relationships.
And, he believes that this quality will contribute to the world.
2) Mr. Fukukawa:
Throughout the debate and discussion, he feels that a number of values
came out as we consider the 21st century, namely, the need to establish
a new globalism, a new humanism, and a new industrialism. And in seeking
for these three, we may see the emergence of a new global system. Also,
in terms of the contribution of East Asia, we should look at both the
aspect of growth and that of limitations as we think about how to live
in the future years. In this context, it is vital for Japan to consider
not only its national security and market opening, but also to take
the stance of thinking about the problems from the common stance with
other Asian countries.
3) Prof. Rozman:
Those persons who believe in globalism are waging various struggles
in their respective countries, but their efforts are not going well
in many areas in the recent period. In the background of this situation,
there is the desire on the part of people who want to affirm the meaning
of the international identity more clearly, and this constitutes a certain
resistance. Also, even if we accept that the world trade is broadening
to a certain extent, the force that want to protect their own cultural
values is not to be belittled, and it is not at all easy to overcome
this, according to his view.
4) Prof. Kitaoka:
The rules for the environment and economic competition must be global
in scope. Rather than thinking that all civilizations are equal in value
or thinking about which is more correct, etc., we must change the global
system so that we can ascertain whether a given matter is legal or illegal.
This is necessary in the present situation when the earth has become
smaller, he said. Looking forward to 50 years ahead, the prospect for
the earth in terms of limitations on natural resources and population
are rather severe, and in that sense, too, it is necessary to step up
the work toward global rule-making.
5) Mr. Chamarik:
Harmony among civilizations cannot be achieved in some automatic manner,
and everything is dependent upon the choices that human beings make.
And this is a point that he wanted to make in the speech, he added.
And what is important is that we need to reexamine what we consider
to be our own knowledge and wisdom. Free trade is only one aspect of
the overall system, and when we consider the image of the global system,
we must not forget that there will be exchanges among various local
community levels, on the grass-roots level, as well as among global
organizations.
6) Prof. Piscatori:
After acknowledging the difficulties of achieving harmony among the
civilizations, he cited the example of the problem of immigrants. The
fact that Moslems immigrated to Europe served to make the social situation
in the receiving countries such as Britain and France more complex.
However, through that, it brought about new intellectual and cultural
debates, and contributed to the progress of such discussions, in the
final analysis. While immigrants bring on new tensions, they serve to
promote a new relationship, on the other hand.
7) Prof. Kimura:
Hearing the discussion, one question that keeps on coming up in his
mind is whether or not Japan has neighbors who are real friends; he
pointed out the need for us to grasp Japan again within the context
of the large Asian cultural zone. He said that throughout the discussion
today, he felt that we should build a system where we can learn from
one another based upon the awareness that all countries and peoples
in the world are standing on the same line, in the final analysis, and
this effort must be pushed forward more actively in the future.
8) Mr. Takashima:
He cited the phrase "unity within diversity," which was used
often in the earlier ASEAN Conference and the APEC conference that took
place later, and stated his belief that it is possible for such phrase
to spread from ASEAN to the entire Pacific region, then to the whole
world, in some form, and that he has a rather optimistic impression
about the prospect. He commented that there is a need for us to dare
to be optimistic. And as two points that remained in his impression,
he mentioned the erroneous or one-sided images that exist about the
Islamic world, and the failure of the development support policies adopted
by the West. By overcoming these shortcomings, and by wiping off the
mistaken notions and discovering new forms and images, we may be able
to build a foundation for the 21st century. With this, he concluded
the discussion that was carried out for many hours.
[Please Note]
This summary was drawn up by this institute on the basis of the stenographic
minutes of the proceedings of that day, and we did not check with the
speakers about the content, etc. Therefore, we would like to correct
any errors that are made in interpretations of the content, etc., in
a later issue of the GISPRI.
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