An Economic Pearl Harbour

AN ECONOMIC PEARL HARBOUR avoiding provocation, it concentrated its energies on peaceful (and, of course. remunerative) fields rather than indulging in retaliatory violence. It initially accepted the military and political supremacy of other nations, quickly adapting itself to new scales of values, then set about the economic rehabilitation of the country without wasting a single moment on bewailing lost opportunities, blaming others for its misfortunes or on pointless nostalgia. Rather than make further mistakes, Pearl Harbour, having been the worst, concentrated all of its attention on seizing existing opportunities. In short, Japan accepted the blame for its destruction and, once having done so, was able seriously to launch itself on its economic uplift. We must never lose sight of the fact that we are not lone travellers on this Earth. There are always others who are trying to race ahead of us in this world of competition. The resulting situation can be approached in two entirely different ways. One is to collide with anything which obstructs our path. The other is to circumvent obstacles and then to go on our way. Clearly, the first is self-destructive, while the second, in avoiding confrontations, is much more likely to prove advantageous. A ship which sails straight at a rock or an iceberg is doomed to disaster. It is the ship that veers temporarily off its course to avoid the reefs and eventually sails safely into the harbour. Similarly, Japan, by giving up ideas of military supremacy, has reached a much more worthwhile objective—economic supremacy. It is worth remembering that Hiroshima and