Development Trends of Japan’s Insurance Industry

Japan is at a critical juncture: Japan has experienced more than ten years of economic downturn. The United States was still strong before, and China continued to rise. Under this international background, Japan is aging and the industry is hollowing out. and other phenomena, the future prospects of this island country have worried many scholars and experts. However, as long as you walk into Japan, you will feel that Japan is likely to still be at the forefront in future international competition.

What makes Japan stronger than Europe and the United States?

Japan’s exploration of capitalism is different from that of Europe and the United States, and it has created a unique development model that can be called “Japanese characteristics.” This model has made the Japanese nation very cohesive and always in a diligent state of being prepared for danger in times of peace. middle. We can summarize a set of characteristics that make Japan stronger than Europe and the United States based on its actual national conditions. First, valuing harmony over competition enables Japan to maintain a stable social environment in the long term. For hundreds of years, the main entry point for the rapid development of capitalism has been the introduction of competition. However, Japanese society clearly puts harmony above competition. Japan, which does not take advantage of the "right time" and "right location", has developed to this day by relying on "harmony". It can even be said that "Economy in the same boat" is the greatest magic weapon for this late-developing capitalist country. The most important system of Japanese-style harmony is reflected in the corporate management model characterized by "cooperation", including the so-called "three artifacts": "lifetime employment", "pay based on merit" and the "corporate trade union" corporate system. Japan's tax system, public transportation and universal insurance are all trying to narrow the gap between rich and poor people and become the cornerstone of social harmony. Although these factors have prevented Japan from standing out in the tide of world revolution, the reduction in the gap between rich and poor has made Japan less likely to have strikes, class conflicts, etc., as seen in European and American countries, and can better ensure the social stability needed for its long-term development. More importantly, compared to the issues of immigrant integration in European countries and the cultural and racial conflicts in the United States, the stability of Japanese society shows a stronger national development advantage.

Second, valuing groups over individuals allows Japan to avoid elitism as much as possible. Japan is a highly "organized society". When a person goes to work, he is organized by the company, when he is off work, he is organized by the neighborhood association, and when he is on vacation, he has a disaster prevention and firefighting team, a hobby group, etc. In order to cultivate this sense of community, Japan "starts with babies", such as the game of "three people and two feet", dozens of students standing in a row and jumping rope, etc. In Japanese primary and secondary school sports meets, there are no individual events at all. The races are all relay races, and all events are scored according to groups. This is different from the elite principle of ordinary sports games, which shows the strength of Japan's compulsory cultivation of team consciousness. Individualism, free competition, etc. seem to be a luxury product for Japan's national conditions, and Japan is not blessed to enjoy it. This makes it easier to form a team spirit for the country's collective development.

Third, focusing on the government over the market allows Japan to take advantage of managerial resource allocation. As a late-developing capitalist country, Japan's government dominance is its most important feature, and its main basis is the "market failure theory" and the "latecomer advantage theory." Some people classify Japan's "organized market economy" as "managerial capitalism," which is compatible with the first two characteristics of the Japanese model mentioned above and can also ensure that Japan is more likely to avoid large-scale economic crises in the future.

The advantages of “recycling society”

From the perspective of national competition, Japan has taken the lead in establishing a “sustainable development recycling society”. Currently, Japan's energy consumption per dollar of GDP is only 37% of that of the United States and 13% of that of China. Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions measured in U.S. dollars as GDP are only about half of those in the United States and Europe. Whether it is energy conservation or emission reduction, whether it is the current situation or the trend, Japan has firmly maintained its leading position in the world. As early as the late 1980s, Japan began to discuss the transition to a circular economy. In July 1997, the Japanese government officially proposed "creating a resource recycling society." Recently, the dual pressures of oil prices and environmental protection have pushed Japan to the forefront of the international stage. Energy conservation and environmental protection have become "an area in which the international community hopes Japan will play a role." This has brought commercial and moral benefits to Japan and further helped Japan become a "big country." ".

Also attaches great importance to the humanistic spirit

The quality of Japanese citizens is often praised in the international community, such as "harmony is the most valuable and tolerance is the highest". Everyone thinks that being kind, polite, and capable Patience is a symbol of education and status. Another example is "Thrift and diligence lead to prosperity, while lust and leisure perish". The concept of "making money while standing is worse than making money by running, and making money by lying down is worse than making money by standing" (getting something for nothing) is difficult to survive in Japan. There is also "Honesty is the foundation, trust is the first". There is a word in Japan called "Peace Fool", which means that the environment is too harmonious and stable, and people will not encounter bad guys, and they will gradually lose their ability to take precautions. Therefore, Japanese TV stations deliberately produce programs to secretly film how Japanese people are tricked when they go to various countries. , but these people who were deceived are all "positive characters" in the show. What they need is how to prevent being deceived, rather than teaching others how to deceive others. The cultivation of these national qualities not only maintains a good atmosphere in Japanese society, but also continuously adds points to the international status of Japanese people.

Because of many non-traditional factors such as ecological change and climate warming, all countries are facing the challenge of economic transformation. It is obvious that many of Japan’s characteristics are consistent with the needs of transformation. In this way, Japan does not need too many large-scale social adjustments and can save a lot of opportunity costs, giving it strong stamina for future development.

Recently, many friends have noticed the directional characteristics and low-key, pragmatic style of Japan's development. As China explores sustainable development, we need to pay more attention to Japan as a neighbor.

Extended reading: How to buy insurance, which one is better, and step-by-step instructions to avoid these "pitfalls" of insurance