"No one can escape from someone's eyes"

Kunio TAKEDA Vice Chairman, Nippon Keidanren Chairman, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Until some time after the war, I don't remember when exactly, I believe that there were tacit agreements in Japan that we should not "hit below the belt," that we should not do anything shameful, that we should not play foul, and that we should all observe public rules. If children broke these rules, they would be badly scolded or chided by their parents or grandparents. If we went against these rules in public places, even adults would be reprimanded or chided by strangers. We often heard the phrase "No one can escape from someone's eyes," but this is becoming obsolete now.

In recent years, when I think about the wanton destruction of the natural environment, various atrocious incidents, despicable crimes against children, deteriorating manners in public places, and the successive emergence of corporate scandals, I feel with some apprehension that we are headed in quite a different direction from the ideal society expected by many people.

I think that a major cause of this is that after the war, we set the pursuit of economic affluence as our supreme goal, gave our highest priority to efficiency, and as a consequence, forgot the Japanese mind and morals that we had inherited as part of our tradition. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we all have forgotten them -- in our schools and communities, at work, and even in our homes.

Admittedly, legal compliance is prevalent these days. However, in order to create a society in which we can become spiritually affluent and truly happy, there is no reason why we should be content with mere compliance with laws, which are, in effect, only the minimum rules of society. I think in this day and age, it is essential that we recover ethics and morals beyond mere compliance.

I cannot go along with the stance that both companies and people are free to do anything, as long as they don't break the law. Even if we don't actually violate laws, we should not hit below the belt, and we should not behave disgracefully, because, as the saying goes, "No one can escape from someone's eyes" I would like to emphasize this point, while at the same time cautioning myself.