Message for Japan: Expect a revival miracle

“Your future as a journalist depends greatly on your own endeavors,” Hiroshi Tamura advised me when I worked as a reporter for the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in Jakarta.

I was often annoyed because my stories were repeatedly corrected or verified. He was very demanding in details and accuracy — something that looks ridiculous to Indonesians.

Our travel outside Jakarta was always planned as if we were going far and away to a danger zone. We always had instructions on how to communicate with headquarters in Tokyo in case of an emergency. Everything had to be perfectly planned and carried out.

Leaving the Japanese media, I moved to The Jakarta Post. But the experience and the lessons I learned from working in the Japanese media, including self-discipline and a spirit of competitiveness, have continued to remain meaningful to me.

During my six-month stay in Tokyo in 2001 as a researcher for Asahi, I befriended a young Japanese woman — an accountant — during Sunday services at St. Ignatius Catholic church in Yotsuya near Sophia University in Tokyo.

The woman was often accompanied by a middle-age couple. They were not Catholics, but attended the mass for its spirituality.

“What is much more important is that we try to practice the teachings of your religion in our daily lives and not necessarily become Catholics,” my friend said.

The three Japanese often helped Indonesian workers in Japan, many of whom were illegal. They were a source of hope for many troubled people.

Many Japanese do not embrace a specific religion. But many Indonesian Muslims who visited Japan have testified that the teachings of Islam are much better implemented there than in Indonesia. People from different religions also share the same opinion.

The impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, including the ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, have been so devastating that Japan might need years to repair the damage.

The Japanese has always shown strong empathy for the victims of natural disasters since their nation is prone to typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis.

They were on the front line of humanitarian operations to help victims of the tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in Aceh in December 2004.

Now it is Indonesians turn to offer our help — although the Japanese may not need it. But sympathy and prayers mean a lot.

For several decades Japan was the world’s largest donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA), and cumulatively, Indonesia was one of the largest recipients of Japanese ODA.

For several decades Japanese investment in Indonesia was the engine of our economic growth. Only after the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis did the situation change.

There has been strong criticism of the snail’s pace that has characterized the Japanese transfer of technology. Japanese companies are only seeking profits. There is very little chance for Indonesians to climb to the heights occupied by Japanese companies.

Those criticisms contain fundamental truths. But has there been another industrialized nation more generous than Japan in giving away technology that was developed at a great cost of time and money?

We must grab the chance ourselves. Look at India and China. They often succeeded in requiring Japanese companies, including Japan’s automotive companies, to share their know-how.

They could do that because they have abundant, highly educated and highly skilled human resources. Their domestic markets are also lucrative and their consumers also have great purchasing power.

“It depends on your own endeavors.” Tamura’s advice also applies to our nation. We should stop begging. We need to learn from the work ethic of the Japanese people if we want follow the path of India and China.