Dr. Umar Khan
Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.
27-8-25
Japan's biggest service to the world
“Japan also makes
cameras, radios and cars but obviously it can’t compete with the Europeans like
UK, France or Germany”. An American Children’s encyclopedia of 1960.
Just 125 years back the world was a very different place. In
addition to political geography the mind and thinking was different that might
be totally unacceptable today. After the remarkable discovery of evolution by
Charles Darwin the lesson that the great powers, led by Britain, learnt was
social Darwinism a very inhuman concept. This justified racism and subjugation
of backward races on the basis of pseudo-scientific reasoning of better evolved
races controlling the world’s resources. One is flabbergasted by seeing that
even the most liberal intellectuals of those times like Bertrand Russell also
justified racism and its exploits while others sanctioned it and the loot it
brought as a sacred duty of white man’s burden.
Prevalence of social Darwinism resulted in absolute
domination of the Europeans or the White man with subjugation of the rest of
the world. India was ruled by Great Britain where racism was institutionalized
and the locals routinely humiliated, impoverished and starved. China was
repeatedly invaded, robbed and beaten. In addition to these insults the Chinese
suffered an even worse fate, probably the worst atrocity the humanity has ever
seen, dangerous narcotics were forced down their throats making Chinese notorious
as addicts destroying multiple generation. Many prominent noble families made
their fortunes forcing opium sales to China. The whole of African continent
suffered atrocities and humiliations of all kinds while the evolved white man
planted wars and famines wherever it went, whether it was Iran with multiple
(rarely reported) famines, the new world, Australia’s or other parts of Asia. No
part of the world was spared by the White man superiority complex.
These centuries of white man’s domination and non-white’s
humiliation caused extreme lack of self-esteem among the non-whites absolutely
convinced of their inferiority and inability to compete.
The Darwinian hierarchy was now established and the whites
were the most evolved of all the races and the British were the most evolved
among the white,s justifying their domination of the world. Social Darwinism
was well on its way towards eugenics, racism, imperialism and/or fascism.
In this back drop of history with the 2 greatest historic
Asian powers China and India having been disgraced by the UK and a white man,
Commodore Perry of US, showed the muscle to the Japanese who were bullied to
concede to his demands opening their doors.
These shocking times convinced the Japanese to change their
ways to be able to counter the new challenge thrown by the West. This resulted
in the Meiji restoration spreading education, technology and social reforms.
Interestingly during the discussions about the ways to counter this threat,
import of white man’s sperms for the Japanese women was also considered to
strengthen and improve the Japanese stock.
Japan took the challenge and followed the path of Britain
taking the course of conquests to acquire foreign lands and dominate the locals.
The easiest targets were the Chinese and the Koreans and armed with new
technological weapons and techniques they embarked on wars, something considered
totally kosher in those days. In Manchuria they faced the Russian white man and
being lowly Asians Japanese weren’t expected to prevail over them. But the
world saw a miracle and the Japanese beat the mighty Russians in the
Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5 forcing a humbling treaty of Portsmouth on them.
This was after hundreds of unequal treaties forced upon Indians, Chinese,
natives of Americas, Australia, Africa and all other places for centuries. The
tables were turned for the first time and the world was shocked. The rabidly
racist British intellectuals like Kipling explained this defeat by labeling the
Russians as not enough whites.
The myth of the white man’s genetic superiority was broken
and importance of education, technology and learning proven.
Unfortunately along with education the Japanese in following
the British also learnt racism and became as brutal and vicious as them causing
lots of sufferings for the hapless Chinese and Koreans among others too. Instead
of fighting unjust racism by helping the victims they joined the culprits
asking for their share in the exploits.
After another few decades Japan further strengthened itself
and directly confronted the Europeans in Asia during the Second World War. It
beat the powerful French in Indochina, Dutch in Indonesia and now confronted the
mighty British in their stronghold of Singapore.
The British
command like the rest of the world held a deeply ingrained, racist view of the
Japanese military as inferior, incompetent and technologically inept. They
believed the Japanese were poor jungle fighters with no mechanical aptitude,
and they dismissed intelligence reports that suggested otherwise. Japanese were
among the yellow peril the “civilized” world despised.
Then the absolute
unexpected happened and with less than half the strength the Japanese Gen
Yamashita made the vastly superior British forces led by Gen Percival
surrender. Although later the great Yamashita was to pay the price by being
hanged for this, he had done a great favor to the countries struggling desperately
under the British subjugation at that time.
Finally Japan
was nuclear bombed and totally beaten in the world war but it didn’t give up. A
Japanese proverb had taught them that the bamboo that bends is stronger than
the oak that resists; they accepted the challenge the new age had thrown at
them and started focusing on developing a competitive industry and a thriving economy.
This was a test as inferior nonwhites weren’t supposed to be bright enough to
make products that could compete with the west and the Europeans in world
markets. As a child I remember people ridiculing the Toyotas and Hondas as some
kind of toys that weren’t supposed to last and compete with the great European
brands like Morris’s or Triumphs.
Despite the
odds the Japanese kept on improving their efficiency and quality and within no
time those famous European brands had been swept out of market finding their
place in the shelves of history. The Japanese brands had totally dominated in
autos electronics, ship building and many other segments due to their quality
and value that they offered.
The Japanese
had totally beaten the west in its own game.
Japanese had
proven that it was not the race but education and hard work the brought success
and no race was superior to others.
Following the
footsteps of Japan the Koreans, Taiwanese and other Asian nations also
developed. Then it was time for China to join the band wagon and as Napoleon
had predicted centuries earlier, Chinese awakening shook the world and the
world we see now doesn’t resemble the psychological make up of my younger days.
It’s a
different and a much better world, although having imperfections, without racial
stereotyping and exploitation rampant just a century ago.
For this
positive change of ending racism and stereotyping, the Japanese nation has a
major role for which the modern world must show its gratitude although it can’t
thank it enough. Without Japanese repeatedly shattering the racial superiority
myth most of the non-European world would have been under subjugation of the
west and starving.
The latest
Asian revival and resurgence owes much to Japanese hard work and breaking of
myths.
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." —
Japanese Proverb
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