Visible Hands That Change The World

Here is something interesting.  Modern 24 hour time clocks were introduced to the larger Japanese population in the early 1870s.  Plus the "modern" system of a 24 hour day.  Thus the Japanese were introduced to the concept of managing their day by the clock.  And, pertinent to that period in Japanese history, the 24 hour clock was introduced by the precursors of the Japanese Imperial Army.  

I am reading this in a book titled 'Japan's Imperial Army  -  The Rise and Fall 1853 - 1945' by Edward J. Drea. Here is the cover :

Guess what the Japanese people did when the 24 hour clock was introduced? They revolted. Serious, big time fighting and killing took place. 

Many people especially the Samurai saw all these new fangled  ideas as threatening their status quo within Japanese society. Of course there were other things as well, not just 24 hour clocks. The Japanese did not like wearing trousers, people cutting off their pony tails and other silly stuff like that.

But there was a core group of Japanese (in the Army, in the Palace, the aristocracy etc) who were committed to change.  They adapted super fast to modernisation.  Also they did not have PAS, PIS, PUS or the Taliban in Japan at that time.

So just 30 years later in 1905, before the West could say 'kamikaze',  massive steel battleships of  the Japanese Navy under the command of Admiral Togo Heihachiro beat the crap out of the Russian Imperial Fleet (commanded by an unpronouncable name) at the famous Battle of Tsushima (the Tsushima Straits separate Southern Japan from Korea). 

In just 30 years the Japanese had arrived as a modern world power. Another 35 years later the Japanese Imperial Army would kick the butts of the British in Malaya, the Americans in the Phillipines and just mess around everywhere. They would change the world forever.  

They would also start manufacturing Seiko, Citizen, Casio and other timepieces which would  rule the world markets. The Japanese people simply ignored the fact that their parents had revolted against the introduction of the 24 hour clock just 35 years before the 20th century.

The point I am trying to make is - 

i. please do read the modern history of nations 

ii. it takes just 30 years for any country to catch up with the rest of the world 

iii. lets also teach modern history (of Japan, Korea, China etc) to our school children instead of fairy tales of how the Arabs rode camels and horses and ate dried up dates.

If we study the history of modern Japan, it took less than 50 years for them to go from zero to kicking the butts of super hero super powers.  

The Chinese have now done it in even less time - in just 20 years since the reforms of Deng Xiaoping in 1978.  Then they hosted the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

The same thing has happened with South Korea.  In his biography, the late President Park Chung Hee says that he got tired of what was happening in his country and so he "decided to do something about it".  That was in 1961.  Just 27 years later in 1988 Seoul hosted the Olympic Games.  In 2002 they also hosted the World Cup Football. 

And now the Koreans are kicking the butts of the Japanese.  Korean cars are outselling Japanese cars and Samsung is kicking Sony's butt. Do read this : 

"Posting a record loss of $5.7B for the fiscal year ended March 31, Sony today reported a quarterly loss of $3.2B. ..Under new CEO Kazuo Hirai, the company will slash 10,000 jobs as it trims costs to help turn around its flagging TV unit."

Actually Sony has been making losses for four years.  There are a few reasons but one big reason is Samsung - the Korean electronics giant.

"Samsung 3D TV Dominates both the North American and European Markets : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has retained its unrivaled leadership in 3D TV both in North America and Europe where TV makers compete fiercely.  According to a market research firm, Gfk, Samsung kept its overwhelming No.1 position in LCD TV, capturing 31.9 percent market share .. In particular, Samsung took the largest market share in LCD TVs 40-inches as well as premium TVs such as full HD LCD TVs.." 


Samsung TVs, tablets, cellular phones etc are outselling Sony all over the world. The Koreans are simply making better quality and cheaper products.  (Plus the Korean Won is not as strong as the Japanese Yen)


Folks, all these societies are moving forward at a rapid clip because they have simply modernised. 


I dont think they have "westernised" as much. The Japanese are very Japanese, the Koreans are more Korean than anything else and the Chinese  are Chinese as well.  There are very few "bananas"  and "pumpkins"  in China (please read Helen Ang on my Blog list).  


But without a doubt the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese have modernised in large quantity.  


As an example Korea, Japan and large parts of China are super clean.  This is the hallmark of a modern society. They do not tolerate uncleanness.  Plus they do not allow false religions to intrude into policy making or intervene in peoples' personal lives.  So they do not belong in the "Club of Doom".


I still have feudal donkeys and religious monkeys sending comments to my Blog.  I just hit the Delete button. You will be erased.