Week 4- Anya Reames

Social Entrepreneurship and Japan

Japan was able to remake itself after the war with the US in the 1940s by focusing their resources on economic development rather than on arms. Social entrepreneurs helped the countries develop by overcoming a social or an economic problem and by achieving large scale, systematic, and sustainable change. One such example is Kensuke Ishizu who tackled the problem of providing a “functional uniform for the emerging middle class.” Kensuke Ishizu brought over American “Ivy League” fashion and it took off, solving the needs of the middle class while simultaneously creating a large scale and systematic change.  (1)

Currently Japan’s national asthetic is very good amongst the international community when it comes to admiring the culture and the fashion. However, amongst the international diplomatic community Japan is still somewhat lacking as it has limited its involvement in international affairs. Although Japan sends vast amounts of aid to other countries, its lack of “human resources” for peacekeeping or members in the UN are what’s causing a poor image in the international political arena.  The Koizumi administration sought to change this. (3) However, much needs to be done, Japan is still not a permanent member of the United Nations Security council. China still has a negative view of Japan’s lack of international participation and thus is expected to veto Japan’s permanent entrance to the UN Security council.  (2) Hopefully with time this will change.

              King Louis XIV of France was in a way a social entrepreneur. He tackled a problem, France’s poor image, and created a systematic and long term change by making it the fashion and luxury capital of the world. To this very day, France is seen as relating to beauty, luxury, and refinement. Its changes have been long lasting. France had originally been inspired by the high quality cloth from other countries that it soon overtook.

This begs the question, “How can a country maintain its culture while simultaneously taking ideas from other cultures such as France being inspired by foreign cloth and Kensuke Ishizu being inspired by the Ivy League fashion.”

Citations:

(1)    Fernandez, Chantal. "How American Style Fueled Postwar Youth Fashion In Japan."  Fashionista, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.<https://canvas.ucdavis.edu/courses/72045/files/folder/Readings/Week4?preview=683710>.

(2)    Harris, Peter, Christopher Whalen, Gregory Tozzi, and Daniel R. DePetris. "Why Japan Will Never Be a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council." The National Interest. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2017. <http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-japan-will-never-be-permanent-member-the-un-security-11014>.

(3)    Man, Tang Siew. "Japan's Grand Strategic Shift from Yoshida to Koizumi: Reflections on Japan's Strategic Focus in the 21st Century." Akademika 70 (2007): 117-36. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2017

Photo Citation:

http://streetgentry.co.uk/cloth/style-sheet-japanese-ivy-league-style