The Japanese Perspective [Reposted from Meng Fei’s blog]

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The Japanese Perspective (2011-07-13 13:39:02) On July 12, the Beijing News reported that a Japanese company rented more than 1,500 mu of land in Laiyang, Shandong, to use for farming and raising cattle. Japanese companies do not use pesticides or fertilizers; in fact, the fields are overgrown with weeds, and their yields are less than half that of nearby farms. As a result, they suffer losses over the long term, and local farmers regard this as a joke. Today, the Yangtze Evening News commented that the Japanese are not fools; they have their own reasons for doing what they do. The vice president of this company said, \"According to the ancient Japanese adage, ‘Prepare the soil before planting, and train people before preparing the soil.’ They place the greatest emphasis on the quality of the soil.\" The soil in Laiyang has degraded as a result of the use of fertilizers and pesticides; considerable effort has been invested in restoring the soil over the past few years. ”What the Japanese are doing now is undoubtedly playing a big game. One should break into a cold sweat at such behavior by the Japanese, rather than treating it as a joke. I was really shocked when I saw this news. This incident once again proves the long-term strategic vision of the Japanese. Our ancestors, as early as two thousand years ago, warned in the \"Huainanzi: Zhu Shu Xun\" against \"draining the lakes to fish and burning the forests to hunt.\" Today, while our farmers, enterprises, and some officials are willing to commit any evil act for a meager profit right before their eyes, the Japanese have stepped in, setting their sights on the huge market opportunities that arise from the actions of the Chinese themselves against each other. This is why Japanese companies remain optimistic even after five years of losses; in the words of these companies, “China’s food safety issues have opened up markets for them.” ”Ask any Chinese food company – would you be willing to give your market to the Japanese? I’m sure no company would be willing to do that, but it’s very likely that Chinese food companies will collectively cede the market to foreign firms. After the melamine scandal, imported milk powder prices generally rose, which shows that many consumers still prefer not to buy domestic milk powder. Once, some so-called patriots called for a boycott of Japanese goods, but narrow nationalist sentiments have gradually faded as rational societies develop. For a nation to harbor long-term hostility toward another nation is a sign of weakness; moreover, the frequent food safety issues have caused great harm to local consumers. If this trend is not curbed, it will truly mean state-owned enterprises cutting themselves off from the people. The price of imported foods is much higher than that of domestic ones, yet they tend to capture an increasingly larger market share. Now Japanese companies are cultivating crops in our country as well; logistics and labor costs will surely drop further. By then, when domestic foods with a poor reputation no longer even have a price advantage, how can they survive? In the past, we could rely on **formulating protective policies to support backward markets and enterprises, but this has become very difficult since China joined the WTO; we must follow the internationally accepted rules of the game and can no longer provide full protection for those that are backward.** **The health of the people must come first, followed by the survival of the enterprise. Those market actors that ignore the health of the public **should not be protected, and indeed cannot be protected; moreover, the public will show no sympathy for such companies that are destined to be eliminated. Chinese people grow poisonous food on their own land for the Chinese to eat, while foreigners grow healthy food on Chinese land for the Chinese – whose joke is this? Of course, the Japanese do it not for charity but to make money, but don’t our farmers and food companies make money from you as well? Today we make fun of this Japanese company, but who knows who will be the laughingstock tomorrow?