Mr. Abe has his three pronged economic fork (known to the world as Abenomics) and is working as hard as he can to put the Japanese economy back on track and on the move in the right direction.
He has had ample time to think and strategize since his first time in office as last Prime Minister of Japan (that was after the Lion King [Mr. Junichiro Koizumi] stepped aside).
During his first attempt, Mr. Abe encountered so much problems facing Japan and the Japanese economy that he fell sick and had to step aside. We welcomed a ready, new, improved and prepared Mr. Abe as Prime Minister a few years ago. He has since then unveiled his economic plan on Japan and this has steadily been sending the Japanese economy in the right direction.
The Japanese economy needs to go in the right direction and Mr. Abe has been working hard but unfortunately, there are some fools who are bad for business on his team. These fools who are bad for business have mostly been deployed to Africa (which happens to be the largest untapped or rather under-tapped market for Japan).
The Chinese know that Africa is ripe and ready. Hence, they have not only consolidated their plans and efforts on reaping from that continent, they are more welcoming and readily accessible than the Japanese. They are also more willing to let Africans come in to their countries to explore business opportunities. Yes, this is so because they know that whatever business the African discovers would be fully tapped into to the favor of China and the Chinese.They are ready and willing to go where the Japanese would not and that is why they get and would keep getting the deals that help their economy whilst Japan and the Japanese economy would not!
Africa knows that Japanese technology is the best but have better access to China so that is where they go with their blue-prints and ideas. The Chinese not only manufacture the products desired by the African business entities, they also tap into the business by producing similar or related products or just accessories for the products.
The Japanese officials in their Consulates in Africa think that being hard, difficult, arrogant, insultive and heavy handed against those who apply for visa in other to come for some business transactions is same as doing their job!
It gets to the point where they even try denying grand-parents visas to visit Japan to see their grand-children even though their records in the embassy show, that these grandparents have visited earlier when their grand-children were just babies. They make ludicrous requests, like requests for the birth-certificates of either the mother or the father of their grand-children depending on which is the biological offspring of the visa applicant and also regardless of the fact that these grandparents have visited Japan at least twice in 10 years.
It gets to the point where they even try denying grand-parents visas to visit Japan to see their grand-children even though their records in the embassy show, that these grandparents have visited earlier when their grand-children were just babies. They make ludicrous requests, like requests for the birth-certificates of either the mother or the father of their grand-children depending on which is the biological offspring of the visa applicant and also regardless of the fact that these grandparents have visited Japan at least twice in 10 years.
Uncles and aunts are not spared from this discriminatory process. It gets to the point where families now have to beg their children not to get married to Japanese because there is no guarantee that the embassy officials would issue them the necessary visa to visit their grand-children, nephews or nieces in the future. Don't forget how far away Japan is from Africa!
Now, I am not talking about jobless uncles and aunts but folks with very very good jobs, education, social and economic status who have absolutely NO INTEREST in staying in a country isolated from the rest of the world. A country where communication is 70% Japanese, 20% body language and 10% incomprehensible English.
Now, I am not talking about jobless uncles and aunts but folks with very very good jobs, education, social and economic status who have absolutely NO INTEREST in staying in a country isolated from the rest of the world. A country where communication is 70% Japanese, 20% body language and 10% incomprehensible English.
The idea or notion being portrayed in Africa about Japan and this by the actions of officials in the Consulates, is that Africans can not or should not have families or relatives with Japanese and in Japan. I can tell you from experience and the experience of friends that Japan is seen and would continue to be seen as a very hostile nation and this would not change until there is a change in the attitude, qualification, exposure and world view of the individuals who staff their Consulates / embassies. Till then, Mr. Abe can work as hard as an elephant but with regards to Africa, he is guaranteed to eat like a rat.
African business men and women would rather go to China or Korea than to Japan because they don't want to insulted by people who either aren't as educated, qualified or exposed as they are. They would rather take their money and business ideas to China, Korea, Taiwan, etc than go to Japan. The arrogance of the consular officials at the Japanese consulates and Embassies is beyond description.
Mr. Abe, Africa is ripe and ready..........................but fools stand in your way.