A country for 'old farts' thwarts change and holds back progress

Gerontocracy is defined as a state, society or group governed by old people, or government based on rule by old people.

Asahi Geino (June 26) singles out three groups it asserts are under control of rogai (old farts). 

The groups are JA (Japan Agriculture Cooperatives), a national group composed of 694 regional cooperatives; Koyaren (Japan High School Baseball Federation), the governing body of high school baseball in Japan; and the Japan Sumo Association. 

Of course there are others just as bad, but according to Asahi Geino, these three are emblematic of what's wrong with the country. 

First, the magazine goes after JA, which it blames for the doubling of rice prices over a period of one year, rising to the price of 4,223 yen for five kilograms. 

"JA and its affiliates know that if they reduce prices, it will cut into farmers' profits, so they want to sell rice for as much as they can get away with," explains Hiroko Hagiwara, a business journalist. "Now the wholesalers and JA are panicking, since the government's orders to release surplus rice stocks is resulting in cancellations of orders for the new rice they were hoping to sell at higher prices." 

In March of this year, three auctions were held at which the government bid for procurements of rice for emergency storage. Of these, 95% -- in other words, roughly all -- of that rice was sold through JA/Zennoh. The price continued to rise, at one point reaching 4,285 yen for five kilograms. 

Then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba assigned rising star Shinjiro Koizumi to tackle the problem. Offered at drastically reduced prices, the "Koizumi rice" sold like hotcakes, while buyers held back on purchases of the higher priced rice being sold through JA. 

"The JA explained that farmers had been saddled with higher prices for fertilizer and fuel," explains Hagiwara. "Propaganda is also frequently circulated that Japan's farms are kept propped up with subsidies, but it's only small amounts. In France, half of farmers' income is said to come from government subsidies. 

"Japan is still pushing its policy of reducing the amount of land under cultivation, with more and more being left fallow," Hagiwara continues. "It's said that the total amount taken out of cultivation is currently equivalent to the entire area of Ibaragi Prefecture. 

Unsui Tatekawa, a practitioner of rakugo (comic monologue) who is also known for his rapier-sharp wit on social media, told the magazine, "This is clearly a failure of agricultural policy. The policy to remove land from use doesn't make sense in the past or in the present. It's also weird to accord Koizumi such heroic treatment. After all, he and his party were the ones behind the price increases in the first place." 

The upcoming elections for the Diet's upper house are expected to reflect voters' judgement on the government's long-term vision for agricultural policy. 

Next, there's the high school baseball tournament at Koshien, which the magazine describes as a "living fossil." As global temperatures rise, more teenage players made to compete in the blazing mid-August heat have been carried off the field due to heatstroke. As a possible solution, the High School Baseball Federation has proposed to make it easier on players by cutting the length of games from 9 to 7 innings. 

The kids are advised that because the games are being broadcast via NHK they should avoid spending unnecessary time out-of-doors. Then ironically you hear the NHK announcer trying to arouse viewer excitement by saying, "Next comes the next  fierce battle at Koshien." It almost sounds like something out of a comedy skit. 

Cartoonist Mitsuru Yaku goes so far as to refer to the twice-yearly tournaments held at the 101-year-old stadium in Nishinomiya as "Koshien-ism," as if it were a holy religion. 

"The venue should not stick only to Koshien Stadium, but be moved around," he asserts.  "What's wrong with holding tournaments, say, in the Sapporo Dome? And if it absolutely must be held in Koshien, the games should begin from 5 p.m. and end by 4 a.m. There's no other way to remedy the situation."

What should be seen as a bigger problem is that the coaches of prestigious high schools are said to be receiving kickbacks when their top players land contracts with pro teams. 

"If they're lining their pockets, I think they should be exposed," remarks Yaku. 

As for sumo, the recent forced resignation of former Yokozuna (grand champion) Hakuho -- the all-time record-holder with 45 tournament victories -- points to how exclusionist professional sumo remains.  

The aforementioned Tatekawa remarks "The association's directors in the past were made from a lineup of former grand champions. But in the future the management of the association will be entrusted to men whose records are treated as irrelevant. I think wrestlers who didn't even rise to the top two divisions (Makunouchi and Juryo) can be considered. Or you can put it like this: If career records really did matter, then how could someone like Hakuho be driven out? Before then, even shutting down his stable for one year was too extreme a punishment. 

"Sumo is not a pure sporting event but a kokugi (national pastime). Naturally it should be preserved for its majestic form, but it's necessary for it to operate in tune with the times," he adds.  

"I've also got my doubts about the rule that restricts one foreign wrestler per stable," Tatekawa said. "I guess they don't want the foreigners to collude with one another. I'd just as soon see a stable made up entirely of foreigners. That might temporarily  upset sumo's balance, but it would open up some new possibilities and I think it would lead to the sport's development in the long run."

Meanwhile, Hakuho is reportedly making moves to circumvent the sumo association and internationalize the sport. Asahi Geino concludes that if the new organization not only attracts promising Mongolian wrestlers, but also brings together top wrestlers from around the world it would certainly be more than just a thorn in the side of the sumo association; it would constitute a major threat.

© Japan Today