Ufa! This is certainly the word that many people involved in the activities of the Centennial of Japanese immigration have said and are saying after the month of June. The official ceremonies that were attended by illustrious personalities, such as Crown Prince Naruhito, did not end the celebrations, other events are still scheduled, but there are also many people feeling relieved with the task, or part of it, accomplished. It is time to congratulate everyone, in the broadest sense of the word, for their achievements, as the spread of the celebrations went beyond the limits of the community of immigrants and Japanese descendants. It is felt, as in the case of São Paulo, that the immigration was Japanese, but the celebrations were broad, reports, commercial advertisements, documentaries, among others, infected the daily lives of a large portion of Brazilian society.
It is time to start taking stock, which is not intended to exhaust in this space, nor by this author, the considerations on everything that has been done. Alluding to the first immigrants, during the Centenary much was planted for the next 100 years. And here two actions deserve to be highlighted, one still imponderable and another that could bear fruit more quickly. The first concerns the dissemination of information about Japan and the second is the creation of a portal in Japanese in the “Exporter's Showcase” ( http://www.vitrinedoexportador.gov.br ) on the website of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC).
Media coverage of the Centenary, particularly in locations where a larger portion of the Japanese community is concentrated, was, to say the least, impressive and was important for the involvement of Brazilian society in the celebrations. In this action, it is interesting to remember, the relationship between the media and information consumers is a two-way street. It is not possible to impose content that readers, viewers and listeners are not willing to receive, in a competitive economy where the audience is fundamental.
Therefore, a consideration that can be made, although initial and worthy of further analysis, is that there is receptivity in society towards Japanese-Brazilian relations, confirming the results of the survey recently released by the Japanese Embassy in the country. The Centenary celebrations brought a large amount of information to Brazilians, but far from satisfying, they should stimulate demands for more information and Japanese products in Brazil. And from what has been observed, in recent months, there is openness and interest among Brazilians in knowing more about Japan. This is an important fact, as the lack of mutual knowledge has often been pointed out as one of the elements that hinder the intensification of relations between the two countries.
In Japan, there is also a growing interest in Brazil, a country that, according to Goldman Sachs forecasts, should surpass Japan's GDP in the middle of this century. And the launch of the Japanese language version of the “Exporter Showcase” by the MDIC, on June 11th, is another action worthy of applause, as it enables Japanese businesspeople to have access to information on Brazilian companies in their native language, being able to search by different criteria, such as company or product. This is an interesting initiative for Brazilian products and companies to expand their opportunities in the Japanese market. According to data from the MDIC, in the last decade of the 20th century, Brazilian exports were practically stagnant, at US$ 2.35 billion in 1990 and reaching US$ 2.47 billion in 2000. Only in the first years of the 21st century did they return to grow, reaching US$4.32 billion in 2007.
The opening of this website in Japanese should generate more business opportunities to try to maintain the growth trend in the total flow of trade between the two countries, however it is not enough. The next action is to prepare national companies to establish relations with the Japanese market and here, again, we see the need to expand the dissemination of information. There are other items that could be listed as necessary, but this measure by the MDIC must be celebrated, which contradicts the criticisms made of Brazilian passivity in its relationship with Japan.
Therefore, 2008 is not only filled with nostalgia for immigrants and the success of the celebrations, but also with achievements, with actions that make the celebrations not an end, but a means so that, with past learning, future relationships can be strengthened.
* Brazilian Association of Japanese Studies (ABEJ), affiliated with Discover Nikkei, contributed this article to Discover Nikkei. ABEJ is a non-profit organization composed of professors and researchers in various fields of study about Japan, in addition to specialists, students, and others interested in Japanese issues.
© 2008 Alexandre Ratsuo Uehara
