Ch 13 — Twenty Years Later

Japan invested 30 years in the arena of constructive awareness. As mentioned earlier, until World War II, Japanese products were considered substandard. However, today, the situation is reversed. Now, “Made in Japan” signifies the best and most reliable goods. Consequently, everyone is asking the question: “How do they do it and do it so well?”

People from various countries come to Japan specifically for this purpose: to uncover the secret behind its success. I met one such individual who had come from a European country at Tokyo Airport. When our conversation began, I told him that I was also grappling with the same question that he had come to Japan to answer, so I asked him to share his findings with me.

This temperament among the people of Japan is their greatest asset. Unfortunately, such a temperament is lacking in countries like India. This is our most significant shortcoming, which has held us back on the global stage.

I happened to visit a Japanese office where I saw a picture carefully displayed on the wall. It was of Edwards Deming. I remarked that he is an American, part of a rival nation; why, then, do you have his picture displayed here? The office manager smiled and replied, “He is our super-guru.”

Edwards Deming was a statistician who presented theories on quality control for industrial development, and the Japanese quickly adopted his principles as the foundation of their growth. They educated their nation to such an extent that the concept of quality became a way of life for the entire population. They even achieved a level of industrial production known as zero defects.

The Americans had severely injured the Japanese, but they did not respond by labelling the Americans as enemies and unleashing a storm of words against them. Instead, they sought to learn from the Americans. They managed to extract beneficial lessons even from their adversaries. This is the secret to living successfully in this world, and it is such people who succeed.

To gain something, one must be willing to lose something. To reach a height, one must tolerate some degree of lowliness. Those who adapt to this law succeed in God’s world. Those who refuse to comply are destined to fail and subsequently blame others for their ruin in vain.

Between 1950 and 1970, Japan’s condition was such that it relied on Western countries for advanced industrial technology, sometimes borrowing, sometimes asking, and sometimes purchasing. However, today, Japan’s economy stands on its foundations. Japan has reached a position where it can send not only products but also its industrial expertise to other countries.

Due to its advanced technological capabilities in industry, Japan now has the opportunity to assist other countries and win their friendship by taking on major projects and engaging in trade. Japanese experts are currently implementing modern irrigation projects in Thailand, teaching computer programming in Singapore, building steel mills in South Korea and China, and establishing petrochemical industries in the Middle East, among other endeavours.