The Basis for Machizukuri: the Case of Fukui

SEI no.2, winter, 1999 in Japanese

contact SEI : 0776-34-7200 TEL FR Biru 2nd Floor, Hanando Higashi 1-21-7 Fukui-shi 918-8104 FAX 0776-34-7422

"If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it!" ---anonymous

Machizukuri is an idea that excites me, both personally and professionally. You see, I am an anthropologist living now in Takefu-shi. Long before the "bubble jidai," during the years of PM Nakasone and the start of the "kokusaika jidai" I first came here to teach English in the Tannan area schools. More recently, at the time of the Saeki Yuzo Bijutsukan scandal in Takefu I was here and analyzed the Takefu Renaissance citizens movement. Compared to the citizens movements in the U.S.A., people here in Fukui-ken have many more obstacles to overcome. Let me compare our two societies. This essay is available with links in Japanese.

Civil society is an idea that is hard to translate. "Minshu shakai" or "shimin shakai" are two possible words. This word stands in contrast to the "political society" which is controlled by the government. They have the lethal power of law to enforce social conditions. But citizens can also discuss and take actions that may change the course of their communities. So we can define civil society as the meeting places and content of citizen discussions about their own community, along with the actions and organizations they make. What is important to remember is the public, community focus of the various citizen-led efforts. But on this point the idea of "public" and "community" in Japan is not the same as in a Western society, such as the U.S.A. I write about these differences in detail elsewhere (1996 and 1998). For now let me point out just a few things that help and hinder grassroots efforts here in Japan.

"Public" is an idea that usually means oyake or ko in Japan. Instead of the citizens all together, "everybody," as an anonymous community of equals, this word usually makes people in Japan think of the city, prefectural or national government. In other words, the circle of social life in Japan consists of many small groups, sometimes with a common purpose, but not anonymous or totalizing. The result is that people in Japan are often aware of their own problems and opportunities only; a narrow vision rather that a cross-cutting, shared, wide vision.

"Volunteer" is an idea that has a narrower meaning in Japan than in the West. The hard efforts of people all across the archipelago after the Kobe Earthquake helped to give a deeper meaning to this term, but still in Japan people are more reluctant than in the U.S.A. for a person to get involved in a topic or movement unless it will personally affect him or her. A person in the West may identify with a community problem; it matches his or her lifestyle. On the other hand, a person who is raised in Japan finds identity from the social connections of belonging to a group (family, homeroom, workplace, or an association). The people seem to matter more than the principle. The benefits or dangers to the people one does not know seem to matter less in Japan than in the U.S., for example.

"Democracy" is an idea that differs in each part of the world. But in all places the efforts of citizens are vital to the health of the whole society. After all, the word means "government by the people," not omakase gyosei (leaving all matters to the care of officials). The example of the Takefu Renaissance citizens movement helped me to discover the shape and content of civil society in this part of Japan. Politics and Culture (big-C: art, history, music) and culture (small-c: the widespread values, and way of living and handling of problems) cannot be separated from each other. The culture of Japanese society influences citizen efforts here and is learned by the attitudes to authority figures at home, in classrooms, and then in the workplace. But the culture of Japanese government --including ties to big business during the period of high economic growth-- also determines the environment that a citizens movement works in.

Fukui prefecture, along with Ishikawa and Toyama, differs from the rest of Japan in many ways. The quality of life I think is higher, especially during the "information age" (joho shakaika jidai). Although they say people here are serious and hardworking, I think Fukui-ken people are not only interested in making money or building big houses. Like other people in this country, the people here are well educated and have many kinds of technology at hand. But people here seem more willing to become involved in citizen movements and citizen led efforts at community improvement. For example, the www.mitene.or.jp homepage mentions volunteer efforts. There is a center to coordinate volunteer efforts in Fukui-city, and things like the nuclear facilities in Tsuruga, the Russian oil tanker spill in Mikuni, and the Saeki Yuzo art museum scandal in Takefu have pulled together people from many walks of life. Outside of Fukui prefecture, too, there are a variety of citizens movements and interest in citizen-led "community building" (machizukuri) is increasing, thanks in part to the free exchange of opinions via email, electronic mailing lists, and articles on the web. One example of new citizen attitudes is the C.U.G.I. ("deru kugi," the nail that sticks out will be hammered down, as they say) organization, led by the urban planning consultant, Dr. Reiko Habe. Another is the network of home helpers for care of the oldest members of society, begun by Dr. Higuchi Keiko and called The Women's Association for Better Aging Society, since the burden of daughter, wife, and daughter-in-law falls heavily on one person.

As a practical example of the US-Japan differences in the environment for citizen participation, let me introduce a series of seminars being held for the first time this year in my small town in Michigan, in the American Midwest. "Tomorrow's Leaders" is a set of eight day-long meetings between January and May on topics that concern the whole town. The goal is to train citizens to become leaders in the town to take the place of the "pillars of the community" who are growing older now. In the past this curriculum has successfully been used in other towns year after year, resulting in a large number of well-informed townspeople. These days, the subject of machi zukuri (community building) has become more urgent in the U.S. because the old social relations that helped people to support each other and solve common problems are being undermined by new technology and privatized lifestyles. In the past the feeling of belonging to a community developed day by day as one lived in a place. Now that precious quality of life must be carefully created and cultivated. Machi zukuri has even been discussed on national television. Since many towns in Japan have established sister cities in the U.S. and other Western countries, exchanging views on the topic of machizukuri can be a rich source of ideas, as well. This description for the "Tomorrow's Leaders" program gives you an idea of the important role for citizen leaders.

Program Goals

In an era of unsurpassed change and growth, it is vital for community leaders to be progressive and open-minded as they meet the challenges that effect all aspects of society: business and economic development, education, government and the judicial process, health and human services, quality of life issues. It is also imperative that fresh, vibrant community members continually be involved in a process that helps them become active, participatory citizens. Tomorrow's Leaders helps address those needs.

The goal of Tomorrow's Leaders is to identify potential community leaders and provide them with information and encouragement to spur action and involvement. Tomorrow's Leaders graduates are challenged to apply their talents in the array of activities and organizations which define a well-rounded, forward-looking community: public and private boards; business and professional groups; non-profit agencies.

 

In conclusion, to make the best society, groups of citizens both inside and outside the government must join hands in common cause. To improve this cooperation I am preparing to study the culture of bureaucracy --the routines and responsibilities, the attitudes and aspirations of people working for the government. In order to improve the connection of townspeople and citizen leaders to the officials, my goal is to learn from the example of Takefu City Hall. When Dr. Miki Tokio was elected mayor in 1997, following the Saeki Yuzo art museum scandal, he had to learn many things about the city, its administration and the townspeople. The story of his reform efforts will have to be written at more length elsewhere, but already this Open Government System (freedom of information), Code of Ethics for city employees, recycling and environmental policies have begun to take effect. In my case I was pleased to furnish my apartment with items collected and repaired for reuse at the "Recycle Kan," a new facility that is open to the public, and is located next to the Takefu refuse incinerator in Sakaguchi-cho on the Komeno road (telephone 0778-28-1370).

Readers can help me learn about the bureaucratic values and way of acting by telling me your own opinions, experiences you have had or episodes you have heard from other people about city hall. Finally, please share with me any sayings, jokes, cartoons, stories or historical background information about bureaucracy in Japan ("folklore" about bureaucracy that most people in Japan already know). Contact me by email (wittevee@ [ at] umich.edu) in Japanese or English.