#41: No More Discrimination (PART 3)

【What's Trouble?】
Some people may have come across a Japanese virtue of Don’t trouble others. It’s a virtue, indeed, to remind ourselves of the serenity of living humbly within our means. Yet, it’s a tricky task not to let that turn into something that sounds similar but means entirely different – that is, Don’t want to be troubled. And in our busy modern society, we’re apt to fall for the notion that Those who trouble others are unsavory. The danger of such notion is that it all too often serves as a breeding ground for discrimination.
 
Non-business travel abroad was banned in China until 1991, when the measure was ever so gradually phased out, and the Chinese travel enthusiasts flocked to overseas destinations of their dreams. Wherever we are in the world, it’s a great joy to find more of us living in greater comfort and freedom, and experiencing this thrillingly vast world to broaden our horizons. Truly, these are the building blocks for global peace.
 
With so much enthusiasm in the air, some residents of the “dream destinations” may be troubled by the eager visitors from China. Perhaps, these situations are exacerbated by the large organized tour groups that the Chinese travelers are bound to, not by choice but by the Chinese government directives. Nevertheless, it’s simply outrageous to thereby suggest that all Chinese visitors are trouble. That indeed will be a prejudice. What’s more, it’ll escalate into a discrimination to say that We don’t want them to come here anymore for all Chinese visitors.
 
When we revisit the past with a grand vision, Japan, too, experienced a similar history some 30 years preceding China. When the Japanese version of the self-imposed travel ban was lifted, the eager Japanese travelers flocked to a whole new world that just opened up in front of them. With so much enthusiasm in the air, some residents of the “new world” were surely troubled by the eager visitors from Japan.
 
Turn back the clock by another few decades, when many Americans were finally able to enjoy an overseas vacation, some residents of those destinations were surely troubled by the eager visitors from the US. The same goes for the travelers from Europe a generation earlier. 
 
As such, wherever we’re from, these things happen not only in the past but still today. And when we look for our common grounds rather than seethe over the troubles, we can prevent discrimination.
 
Moreover, those of us who welcome visitors to our community must not forget a vast economic windfall from tourism. For nearly three decades, Japan has faded from the glory of its bubble economy and now reluctantly reigns as the undisputed “heavy-debt” champion of the world. Its per capita national debt is approximately 9 million yen (US$82,000) which is roughly 1.5 times that of the third-ranking US. What’s more, its Debt-to-GDP ratio is the only in the world to exceed 200%, and is more than double that of the 17th ranking US. Indeed, for Japan, an economic crisis is not a matter of if but when.
 
As if that weren’t enough, with its hands also tied by the unprecedented aging population and a dead end of the education system centered on rote memorization, Japan continues on its struggle to get back on the economic growth trajectory. To overcome this immense challenge, Japan has made a policy decision, deliberately, to turn to the overseas visitors to help lift itself out of the doldrums.
 
The result of this decision is readily visible when we're out for a stroll in its major cities, bumping into more visitors from abroad than ever before. In fact, the number of annual overseas visitors to Japan has skyrocketed from 5 million to 31 million in the last 15 years – an astounding six-fold increase.
 
And the economic windfall isn’t just enjoyed by the tourism industry alone. It extends far beyond the transportation, lodging, food and retail sectors by way of spurring Japan’s much-needed tax revenue, assisting to fund its robust public services in higher demand now than ever before.
 
As such, we all benefit from the windfall, perhaps much more so than we’d like to admit. That is, the visitors from abroad support the foundation of our livelihoods even if we ourselves aren’t directly employed in tourism. When we acknowledge that fact, we realize that our emotions of trouble ought to be replaced by appreciation.
 
And when we acknowledge as such, we can prevent discrimination.

Read Next: No More Discrimination (4)【Why No】
Read Previous: No More Discrimination (2)【Let’s Step Out】
 
Complete Series: No More Discrimination (1)～(12)
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