3.11 Tsunami and Japan's Transformation
In Japan, March 11th will soon be upon us.
For the past ten years, this day has taken on a meaning of its own.
Many news outlets, private TV stations, and the national broadcaster NHK have been running special programs to look back on the past ten years.
About 22,000 people died in the Great East Japan Earthquake, including related deaths.
In particular, NHK's NHK Special program is archived on the web and can be viewed for a week by logging in.
Already past the peak of its economic growth, Japan was in a gradual decline, but in the decade since 3.11, the decline has become more significant.
Furthermore, the impact of Covid-19 from 2020 is also very significant, and I feel that many disasters are calling for the need to update our sense of values.
The sense of values that supported Japan's growth in the 20th century are no longer valid.
However, in Japan, where the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, the opinions of the elderly, who make up the majority of the population, are often reflected in elections, and there has been little progress in changing values.
It can be said that there is practically a wall between generations.
Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the only thing that has changed is the negative impact of the widening gap.
This will not change until the elderly pass away, but it is recognized that a new era will come when the elderly pass away.
It will take time, but the young may have to endure until then.
