Smooth Transfer of Power, Relations with Japan ExpandingChairman Sasakawa discusses situation in Myanmar, organizational issues, in New Year interview

A new year has begun amid heightened dangers from regional conflicts and terrorism. This will also be a very busy year for The Nippon Foundation. We asked Chairman Yohei Sasakawa about the Foundation’s many activities in Japan and overseas, including organizational issues, protecting the ocean, and the elimination of leprosy. Regarding the new government to be launched in Myanmar this spring, Chairman Sasakawa predicts that “the transfer of power will be smooth, and relations with Japan will expand.”

——There are dire predictions for the new year, including a “new cold war” and “increased terrorism.” What do you foresee in the year ahead?

At the end of the 20th century, many well-informed people predicted that the 21st century would be a century of peace. These predictions have been mostly off the mark. Although the form of wars and conflicts has changed slightly, essentially nothing has changed. Sadly, I do not expect things to change going forward.

——What is needed in a time like this?

Individuals and organizations need to change.
My key term has long been, and continues to be, “change.” Like Darwin’s theory of evolution, only those who can change with the times will survive. Individuals and organizations both need to change constantly with the times. Maintaining the status quo is the worst thing we can do.

——Japan is facing increased difficulties, starting with deteriorating public finances, and this appears to require the private sector to play a larger role. As Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, which acts as a social innovation hub, what kind of organization do you aim to create?

A professional foundation.
There are no newcomers or veterans at The Nippon Foundation. Nevertheless, if you try too hard you can’t continue for long. I think it is best to work in a way that feels natural, and to have the result of that work contribute to society. This requires wisdom. If you take a knowledge-based approach, the results will not be significant. Wisdom comes from having knowledge ferment inside your head. This means that you need to read many books. The knowledge that can be easily attained on the Internet is not nourishment. Books that have stood the test of time for 50 or 100 years may not seem helpful immediately, but they stay with you, and in the future can create superb wisdom.

——What is the situation now?

Don’t worry about failing.
Everyone is working hard. I feel, however, that we are only using 30% of our capabilities. Being an organization means that we report, contact, and consult, but I would like to have a more open, flexible organization in which people can feel free to work in their own way. There is no need to worry about failing, because failure paves the way for future success. As chairman, I take all responsibility.

——Lately we are frequently hearing the word “inclusive.” What is The Nippon Foundation’s vision of an “inclusive society”?

During the period of very high economic growth, both Japan and The Nippon Foundation built homes for older persons and welfare facilities in the suburbs, and as a result only healthy people lived downtown. I realized that would not do, and from 1994 we began providing welfare vehicles to support the community lives of elderly and disabled persons. So far we have provided more than 35,000 vehicles around Japan. Since ancient times, many different kinds of people have lived together. For example, if someone was blind a child would take their hand. That is how society should function. If you ask me, an inclusive society is one in which “all people support one another.” We are involved in many areas, and most of them – including preventing criminal recidivism, promoting special adoption, identifying and nurturing talented children, and Paralympic support – fall under this description.

——Going forward, what approach does Japan need to strengthen private-sector capabilities and activities?

First, we need to increase the number of effective private-sector organizations. In terms of numbers alone, I believe there are more than 50,000 nonprofit organizations in Japan. Nevertheless, the number that are active is probably less than 10% of that. There are too many organizations that are set up just to give a title to retired public officials or executives of large corporations, or that are set up in name only. Organizations that at the very least do not submit required reports for three years should automatically be dissolved. This will increase the public’s trust in nonprofit organizations. Organizations also need to merge. Becoming larger will translate directly into increased strength.

——Lately you have used the term the “Nippon Foundation Way” in your work. What does this mean?

Small capabilities used effectively can change society.
Think tanks made up of experts, members of the media, politicians, and bureaucrats publish reports, but simply stringing together sentences has no meaning. Sometimes we work with the government, and those activities start as small points, but then expand to cover a wider surface, and eventually become a full-fledged, three-dimensional project. This is the Nippon Foundation Way. This can also be described as using leverage, and I believe that a small capability used most effectively can move society.

——Do you think there is a problem of public finances deteriorating and society as a whole not having sufficient funds?

I cannot agree with the concepts of “It will cost a lot” or “We don’t have the funds.” Everyone grows older – that is all. What do we need to do to achieve this type of society? The answer comes from the wisdom that I mentioned earlier. You can’t create something good simply by spending money.

——I would like to ask about some of your overseas activities. First, regarding The Nippon Foundation’s core area of the ocean – in the past you have raised the issue of an ocean crisis, and pointed out that a new type of maritime administration is needed.

The ocean in 300 or 500 years.
I won’t go into detail about the serious state of the ocean today, but most people looking at these problems are only looking three or five years into the future. We say “sustainable ocean,” but how many years into the future does that mean? At the current rate, our “mother ocean” is likely to be destroyed in 100 or 200 years. I want to sound an alarm with a timeframe of 300 or 500 years into the future.

——In the 17th century Hugo Grotius proclaimed the concept of “freedom of the seas.” Will more time be required for international society to broadly share the view of an “ocean in crisis”?

Nothing comes from pessimism.
Human beings today can spend 5 or 10 years exploring and photographing deep space. Protecting the ocean also means that international society needs to come up with more ambitious plans. This is not a matter of “we can” or “we can’t,” but rather “we must.” In every age, there have been minority opinions that changed the world. The kinds of organizations and structures that are needed can be left up to governments and international organizations; I want my role to be to raise the issues that need to be addressed. I also want our Foundation employees to step up to the plate.

——Next, with World Leprosy Day approaching at the end of January, I would like to ask about your efforts to eliminate this disease. Brazil – the only country that has not achieved the “below one case per 10,000 population” definition of eliminating leprosy as a public health problem – is expected to meet this target. At the same time, current and former leprosy patients continue to face deep-rooted prejudice and discrimination. As WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, what is your take on this situation?

Elimination at the country level is a midway point.
Before effective medical treatment was developed in the 1980s, more than 120 countries had an incidence above this level. If Brazil achieves this level, that will mark the closing of one chapter, but in some countries there are still regions with large numbers of patients. In that sense it will be a “midway point,” but does not mean the problem has been solved. We will continue to work toward elimination on the state, prefecture, and city level. Prejudice and discrimination are more deeply rooted than the disease itself, and if we can expose this “negative legacy of humanity” for what it is, people will feel that, as others before me have said, “human beings are stupid creatures.” This is a matter of the human heart, and there are no simple solutions. People have to work hard to achieve this. Everyone needs to step forward and act. I believe that if we think while also taking action, the way forward will become apparent.

——Finally, I’d like to ask about Myanmar, where the NLD opposition party won the November general election in a landslide. The current government’s term in office will end in March and a new administration will take power, and there is growing interest as to whether this transition will proceed smoothly and what effect it will have on relations with Japan. As Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for National Reconciliation in Myanmar, what are your thoughts?

Myanmar expects much from Japan!
Some say that the current government did not believe the NLD would win 80% of the contested seats in parliament. Even before the election, however, I said that regardless of the election result, there would be a smooth transfer of power. This is still my view. The relationship with Japan will not change either; if anything, it will grow. Japan will build smooth relations with the government, the military, the NLD, and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society group. The economy is one of the major issues that the new government will face, and a group of NLD representatives plans to visit Japan in the near future, ahead of other countries. Exchanges in both directions are set to grow.

——What is the attitude of the armed ethnic organizations that have not reached a peace agreement, and what is their relationship with NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?

The NLD is still deciding on who will be responsible for dealing with armed ethnic organizations, and as a government representative I have to be careful of what I say, but I believe the process will move forward. I also sense that Ms. Suu Kyi expects much from Japan. Today, 70 years after the end of World War II, Myanmar is Asia’s least developed country, but I am confident in the not too distant future it will become an Asian utopia.