Toshinari Fujii, President Junior Chamber International Osaka

Create “Progress City Osaka”
—Think and Act Autonomously To Help Osaka Revive—

Introduction

1,500 years ago, Osaka was a thriving port city committed to international exchange activities. Rulers at that time were eager to invite civil engineers from ancient Chinese dynasties and Korean kingdoms. A group of great burial mounds in Osaka, constructed with the aid of such overseas engineers, attests to Osaka’s cosmopolitan character during ancient times. More recently, Japanese official diplomatic delegations and Japanese envoy embarked from Osaka Port to visit the Chinese Sui (581 – 618) and Tang (618 – 907) dynasties. During the period of Japan’s modernization following the Meiji Restoration (1868), Osaka flourished as a modern industrial and commercial city benefiting from international trade, particularly with other Asian counties.

The thriving port city of Osaka has been supported by its residents, known for their exceptional hospitality and thoughtfulness toward overseas visitors. Moreover, Osaka residents developed a remarkable capacity to assimilate foreign cultures and products, fuse them with their Japanese counterparts and create original culture and businesses.

Presently, we are encountering various challenges resulting from the rapid progress of information technology. For one thing, it is difficult to tell which piece of information is correct and important, and which is not. Drowning in a flood of information, many people have become egocentric and indifferent to others. Lacking understanding and empathy for others, these people occasionally cause unnecessary friction and conflict.

To revive Osaka in this difficult environment, it is essential to foster autonomous residents who act on their own initiative and who have empathy for others. In other words, Osaka needs residents who can address problems and develop solutions by themselves, while remaining free from the influence of miscellaneous and sometimes misleading information. To foster such residents, we must first create a progressive environment that encourages residents to fully develop their potential in a wide diversity of areas. Rather than online communication, residents should be encouraged to restore face-to-face communication, which can nourish mutual understanding and evoke compassion for others. If we succeed in developing such residents, Osaka can revive friendly communities whose residents help each other, thereby restoring the City’s former vitality.

To this end, we must try to understand diverse values, cultures and lifestyles through friendly exchanges with people in and outside Japan. By learning from others and gaining inspiration from them, we must foster our own capacity to make decisions and act autonomously to revive and evolve Osaka. Moreover, each of us must pay attention to our home City and learn the views and values of other residents, and other peoples in the world as well. Mutual understanding can foster empathy and humble attitudes toward others, steps essential for creating a surge of movement to revitalize and evolve Osaka.

For fiscal 2009, Junior Chamber International Osaka adopted the slogan: Progress City Osaka. In upholding this slogan, we will work to create a city with vigorous and proactive residents, who have the power to act, as well as compassion and thoughtfulness toward others.

Enliven Communities in Osaka

Currently, Japanese children seldom talk with adults, excepting their parents and schoolteachers. Few children exchange greetings with adult members of their community. Youngsters remain silent probably because they feel like avoiding close human relations, which they consider troublesome. Lack of communication in their local communities, however, diminishes vitality of communities.

Among the few elements that remain unchanged in this changing world are the innocent smiles of children. We see children smiling everywhere in the world, even in the harshest environment. I believe that children should learn to respect others’ views and ways of life. By doing so, children can confirm that they are also respected by others. Mutual respect also helps foster in young minds empathy and gentleness for others. To develop children’s characters, we must provide them with opportunities to maximize their potential and pursue their dreams. Children should be encouraged to nourish their ambitions for their future. Children who embrace great aspirations know well that they should help each other to realize their dreams. By fostering friendships, children learn the vital importance of partnership and collaboration. If children in Osaka have overseas friends, they can learn different perspectives and values, understanding that society and daily life in Osaka are supported by people all over the world. This recognition is essential for children, the future leaders of Osaka.

Children’s sound development also depends on adults’ behaviors and attitudes toward achieving their goals. By observing adults, generally their parents, children learn the vital importance of making efforts to fulfill a goal, as well as the value of humility, patience and endurance. It is my sincere hope that children in Osaka may learn from their parents and other adults the critical importance of pursuing their dreams by overcoming many challenges and learning from failure.

To enliven communities and foster friendly relations among residents, it is essential to teach children the importance of making efforts to fulfill their goals and to have empathy for others in and outside their community. Imagine a future Osaka whose residents have deep compassion toward other residents, and who are eager to act so as to benefit their home City. Osaka will surely regain its vitality, supported by a thriving economy and friendly communities, highlighted by the smiles of children and adult residents.

Creating Osaka, Hand in Hand

Over the City’s long history, Osaka has overcome many difficulties by transforming its industries and social systems to meet specific demands of the respective times. This was possible because Osakans had the foresight to recognize changing social demands, the power to respond to social changes, and the creativity to develop products and services that meet social demands. We must once more regain our legacy, rediscover and restore our own capacity, rebuild our social and business structures so as to meet present social needs. At the same time, we must foster generous and kind attitudes toward others and affection to our home city, Osaka.

Osaka residents have long accepted people from outside the City and developed friendships with them, regardless of their origins. To maintain and further this open culture, we must review present urban systems and develop new growth strategies for Osaka. To evolve Osaka into an active city, we need to hear opinions not only from residents, but also from overseas people. By adopting various ideas, we must develop growth strategies from long-term perspectives.

To revive Osaka, we should not simply ask community leaders to take appropriate initiatives. We must also act on our own. Identifying Osaka’s advantages and disadvantages, we must work to revitalize our own city. We must rekindle among residents the fire of enthusiasm and the traditional spirit of mutual assistance.

To revive Osaka, we must identify social needs, respond to them swiftly, and create new services and businesses that meet those social needs. Through the power of each resident, let us create a lively Osaka, hand in hand.

Creating a Free, Fair and Open Osaka

As indicated by Osaka’s history, to revive the City we must build a Free, Fair and Open economic system, and transform Osaka into a Free, Fair and Open City.

To create a Free, Fair and Open Osaka, each resident must become free, fair and open-minded. To be truly free, we must enhance our capacity to autonomously control ourselves. To be fair, we must become sincere and trustworthy. To be open-minded, we must be ready to accept visitors to Osaka from around the world, welcoming them with warm hospitality.

Let us grow in our minds a small seed of desire to please others, to assist others, and to share joy, comfort and friendship with others. This attitude is also essential in marketing activities, since the desire to please others drives us to work to enhance customer satisfaction and fulfill our social responsibility. I believe that generosity and hospitality are essential not only in our private life, but also in business.

Our creativity and coordination ability could be fostered through daily business activities. There is a Japanese proverb: Ware igai mina kyoshi (All but myself are teachers). This implies that on every business occasion, we can learn from others. We must learn humbly from others, particularly people of other countries, by keeping ourselves open-minded and bias-free. We should also use the exhibitions and events we hold as places for meeting people from outside Japan. By seeking views and opinions from overseas visitors to Osaka, we can gain good ideas for revitalizing Osaka and growing our businesses. If we listen with sincerity to suggestions from foreign friends, we can develop Osaka into the world’s leading city, I believe, in a surprisingly short time.

Creating a Vigorous Junior Chamber International Osaka

We young businesspersons should embrace great ambitions, strongly resolve to realize our visions, and work tirelessly, while humbly listening to others’ suggestions. We can hold dreams and visions for future Osaka and we can realize them. We should believe that we can fulfill our dreams if we remain determined. It may take considerable time, but we should grow the tiny seed of our vision by nourishing it with care until it grows into a plant that bears beautiful flowers.

So, I encourage young members of Junior Chamber International Osaka to commit themselves to community and regional development programs while they are in their twenties and thirties. Each member should develop steady values, learn to respect others’ values, and work to realize their own dreams.

Fortunately, we have over 900 members in our organization. Even though the power of each member alone is not great, by combining our strength we can exert great power. If each member fulfills his or her role, together we can overcome many challenges, and change the present society. We should not be afraid of failure, but should continue our efforts to revitalize Osaka and benefit its residents.

Our activities will surely benefit society. At the same time, our hard work and painful experiences will help us build a solid base upon which to develop our future careers.

Moreover, through these efforts we can help create the future Osaka. Rather than wait for someone else to light the torch for our society, we must set the torch alight ourselves. If we ignite a fire that shines around us, the light spreads out, brightening the world around us.

Make Others Happy through Small Services

In conclusion, we should begin offering whatever small services we can, to help others and make the world a better place. Consider what you can do, take action autonomously, and work to enhance the happiness of those around you. Take that first step, however small.