午夜剧场

Ever since I became a faculty member at 午夜剧场, I had the audacious thought that I wanted to write a treatise on civilization someday. I am nervous because what I have actually written could be read as finding fault with the modern industrial civilization of the West, which Yukichi Fukuzawa devoted his heart and soul to introducing.

I believe he would surely laugh and forgive me because he was a person who saw civilization not merely as the "form" of industry, but as a spirit consisting of independence and self-respect. He was also quick to recognize the existence of intangible assets such as intellectual property rights and undertook efforts to turn information into a business model, as seen with the Jiji Shinpo. I conveniently believe that if Yukichi Fukuzawa were to see today's digital society, he would have certainly sensed the emergence of a new civilization.

I have long held the sense that the characteristics of the digital economy are fundamentally different from those of the industrial economy. I hope you will read the book for details, but characteristics of digital networks—such as network externalities, low marginal costs, high traceability, and complex systems—overturn the premises of the industrial economy. As a result, this has created a situation where we must re-examine governance structures, including legal systems and markets, which have been built around the concept of ownership. This task involves going back to philosophy to re-examine the modern era. We need an effort on the same level as when Western philosophy was introduced and the Constitution and Civil Code were enacted during the Meiji Restoration.

When considering the world of data, where value is created by bringing things together (a "potluck"), I was also apprehensive that my argument—that we should reconsider the current individualistic orientation toward treating even data as "property"—would clash head-on with Western views. However, prior to this book, I wrote a paper that provocatively suggested that Eastern philosophies of altruism might be better suited for governing the digital economy than Western-style individualism; I received more responses from people in Europe than in Japan. It seems that even in Europe, the home of modern industrial civilization, there is a shared sense that a fundamental review of the current path is necessary.

And so, with a mix of excitement and trepidation, I have written this provocatively. I would appreciate your critiques.

Jiro Kokuryo

Nikkei Business Publications

248 pages, 2,200 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.