Carlos Ghosn, a Konosuke Matsushita of the Heisei Era

     A spring labor offensive, an annual wage struggle by labor unions in spring, is drawing near.
A certain executive in the Japanese economic world said a raise in workersf wages is out of
the question and that they should be cut. Generally speaking, managersf logic seems to be
always the same. They always control laborersf wages in order to overcome a future recession
in prosperous days, but they always refuse to raise workersf wages so as to survive a recession.
As a result, managersf logic will never give workers any chances of a raise in their wages.
     Are managers working only to distress their employees? What is their true job, then?
Laborers should revitalize their workplaces by working there and protecting their livelihood.
On the other hand, managers should run their companies by putting workersf abilities to
practical use and supporting their living. There used to be a splendid manager in Japan, whose
name was Konosuke Matsushita (1894-1989), the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
He climbed up the social ladder from an owner of a small electric bulb company to that of a large
electric corporation. He said that behind his employees he could see each face of their family
members. It was his management philosophy to protect his company and his employees. At present,
there are not any managers like Konosuke Matsushita. What most of them say is that a raise in
workersf wages is outrageous, and they never consider protecting their employeesf living.
Managers think of nothing except cutting wages or restructuring.
     However, a man like a Konosuke Matsushita of the Heisei era has appeared in Japan. His name
is Carlos Ghosn, the present president of Nissan Motor Corporation. He is the only manager that
has permitted a raise in workersf wages this year while most Japanese managers do not allow it.
According to Mr. Ghosn, it is a natural right that workers of Nissan Motor Corporation can accept
their returns because they supported the reconstruction of the company despite their various kinds
of anxiety. (The Asahi on January 17, 2003) How comfortable it is to hear his message! It is extremely
important to rouse individual consumption so as to overcome a deflationary recession. Recovery of
the economy will be impossible if managers as well as politicians continue to restrain the improvement
of Japanese economy. To put it strongly, the writer wants Mr. Ghosn, who can give people a dream,
to be a Japanese prime minister instead of Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, who cannot give them any dreams.       

Copyright (c) 2003 by Edmond N. Beard