
Japan and Ethiopia in the age of globalization
Starting from the early 20th century, a struggle has been going in Ethiopia between conservative and modernizing intellectuals. The struggle was particularly intense during the reign of Emperor Haile Sellassie who was himself considered a modernizing monarch. An intellectual by the name Kebede Michael who was a writer close to the palace and a prominent modernizing intellectual was particularly singled out as the mouthpiece of the modernizing intellectuals.
He wrote a small book in Amharic entitled, “How did Japan Develop?” In his genuine and passionate quest to see Ethiopia rising from poverty and backwardness, the then young Kebede Michael tried to answer the question he raised in the title and instantly became famous for this daring attempt. He did not suggest to copy the Japanese experiment in economic development.
He nevertheless pointed out to the possibility of achieving modernization in the context of a monarchy. Japan after the war was one of the few countries in the East ruled by a dynastic monarchy and its development was realized by keeping a political system that had progressive features and led to the establishment of a well-functioning democracy. There are other examples that show monarchy and democracy are not mutually exclusive. Great Britain is one in Europe and Morocco is another in Africa.
Kebede’s attention was particularly focused on Japan’s achievements after what is known in history as the Meiji Restoration of 1868 that ended feudal economic and political fragmentation and created a strong centralized government that was determined to defend the country against foreign invasion by developing its economy. This historic period coincided with the creation of a nation state in Ethiopia and inspired Kebede to think seriously about Japan’s precedence.
In this little book, the author tried to outline the causes of Ethiopia’s backwardness and the way forward based on Japan’s development strategy. Kebede Michael did not call for the establishment of a republican political system but outlined his ideas within the framework of the monarchical system. Ethiopia, like Japan were monarchic.
Since then Ethiopia has been searching for its own path of economic development, modernization or the freedom from perennial poverty and hunger. Bahru Zewde, in his book entitled “Ethiopia’s Modernizing Intellectuals” writes that many intellectuals tried to formulate alternative models of development for Ethiopia although their ideas hardly received attention in the ruling circles.
Ethiopian kings and emperors from Teodros to Haile Sellassie via Menelik all have been looking for the way of salvation for Ethiopia. All of them were modernizers in their own rights. In the age of colonial expansion, modernization meant acquiring modern weapons to protect national independence. Emperor Teodros asked the Europeans to supply him with armaments but also with industrial known how. His building of the rudiments of a weapon manufacturing cottage industry combined his twin aspirations for independence and modernization.
Emperor Teodros’s dream of national unity and modernization found expression under Menelik, perhaps the best monarch the country had ever seen before, when he boldly asked the Europeans to send him engineers, medical professionals, railway builders, telephone operators, a modern hotel and a movie house. The post-monarchic intellectuals too tried to achieve this dream of modernization in their respective ways.
Ethiopian university students of the 1960s and 1970s also tried to articulate similar vision of development although their efforts were nipped in the bud by the military that rode to power on the horseback of the 1974 Revolution. Both the military Derg and the EPRDF that followed it have tried to follow their specific paths of economic and social development without much success.
Japan was a pole of attraction for the generation of Ethiopian intellectuals of the post-war period. Then followed the communist countries that provided the ideological justification for steering the country along socialist lines. This attempt also failed to pay dividends as disputed over ill-digested ideological alternatives led to mutual slaughter whereby the modernizing generation of the post-monarchical period. Meanwhile, neither the Japanese model of development nor the Soviet or Chinese models had produced the desired results while there was little attempt by Ethiopian intellectuals to generate an authentic, home-grown and development strategies.
Meanwhile, Japan continued to develop throughout the 20th century as it was rising from the ashes of the Second World War and emerged as the second most developed country in the world by the end of the century only to be overtaken by China very recently. Ethiopia failed to develop an autonomous path of economic development and together with Africa, remained in the zone of the least developed countries.
Japan’s post-war development was made possible largely through massive American and Western infusion of investment and technology. The country successfully adopted the best Western experiences in economic organization, industrial efficiency and productivity to revive and boost the economy which was decimated by the war. At the end of the War, Japan was largely ruined and the population was so malnourished that it depended largely on imports to feed itself. Yet, in less than half a century Japan could overcome its problems and emerge as the second strongest economy after that of the US.
Japan is now one of the leading industrialized counties that is also engaged in international development. It is heavily involved in assisting developing countries like Ethiopia achieve better economic growth and emerge from poverty. Japanese government-funded projects are operational in many African countries including Ethiopia. JAICA or Japan International Cooperation Agency is the main agent of development cooperation in Ethiopia, promoting the building schools and clinics, roads and other development projects. On the other hand, Japan’s involvement in investment and technology transfer is negligible compared to what the Chinese have achieved in a relatively shorter time.
This year’s meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) has gathered several African leaders in the port city of Yokohama where Japan’s commitment to African development found vivid expression. Ethiopia as Japan’s development partner has also expressed its commitment to promote economic growth by outlining the available opportunities and challenges. On the other hand the Japanese government has pledged to boost its presence in Africa in the coming years. Japanese corporations have also expressed readiness to engage more actively in Ethiopia’s and Africa’s development programs. There is a clear realization in Japanese government circles that Japan is falling behind industrial countries as far as its engagement in the continent’s economic life is concerned. In this age of globalization, Japan cannot afford to sit back and watch while other industrialized countries like China are expanding their economic sphere of influence.
China is a late starter in the global economic race but it leading the investment race in Africa. On the other hand, Japan has a long history of involvement outside Asia but it is lagging behind in its investment drive in Africa in general and in Ethiopia in particular. This should not be allowed to continue under the present global condition when opportunities abound and global trade has become the key to sustainable growth anywhere in the world. This was one of the main points that was raised at the TICAD conference where Japanese PM Abe expressed his country’s readiness to be a competitive and leading investor in Africa.
This was also what African countries were fond of hearing. The time has come for them to make full use of the Japanese commitment. Ethiopian intellectual Kebede Michael who was eager to see his country achieve economic independence would indeed be happy to hear that his dream is going to find expression albeit a new form and under new global conditions.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday September 8/2019
BY MULUGETA GUDETA