America is No. 1.

America is still the richest nation in the world and has the most advanced technology. America is No. 1.

What is the activity of business? It is the life of U.S. citizens. What America has aspired to create is a civil society ? a community. America is not a controlled society, but a society created by its people.

Americans have led plain lives, putting an emphasis on their needs and practicality.

There are three points to note here about the U.S.: the function of its currency, the middle class, and the system of work and distribution.

There are things, and there are people. There are the latest in facilities. There is demand. But, America’s economy is not functioning properly. Houses are in short supply on one hand. And there is a glut of houses in the market on the other hand. The Tribune Company fell into bankruptcy. But its excellent human resources and facilities were preserved. Why can’t this newspaper publisher regenerate itself? Actually, this is a problem of money. A problem are caused by dysfunctional money. The root of the problem lies in the function of money. Dazzled by huge amounts of money, we overlook the functions of currency.

What is important is that money is just a tool in the economy. To put it bluntly, the economy can function without a currency, but a currency cannot function without an economy.

The healthcare system is a good example. There are sick people calling for help. There are good facilities and doctors. But, both are bogged down because the system to link facilities and doctors is dysfunction. Some systems for linking consumers are markets and communities. While a market is a monetary system, a community is a human system. These two systems do not function well. This is a problem.

Also, qualitative changes of markets should not be overlooked. When a market matures, a qualitative change occurs to the market, for instance, the changes that can be seen in a market handling mass-produced products compared to a market handling a wide variety of products in smaller quantities.

Let me use furniture as an example. A job such as furniture repair or renovation is a derived profession which establishes a used product market. This generates value for antique items and creates traditions. Originally, a field like this should have been an American specialty.

I watched a satellite TV program about American automobiles. American automobile remodeling techniques are the best in the world. I believe this is a high value-added and future-oriented industry.

Soichiro Honda of the Honda Motor Company founded the company in a small back-street workshop. This kind of startup typifies the original American dream and frontier spirit.

The American spirit is represented by change, challenge and pioneering.

When Honda was suffering the most difficult time in their business, they took part in Le Mans with the aim of being No. 1 in the world. America should tackle the challenge of manufacturing the world’s best automobile.

Organizations should be flattened, fractionalized into parts and then reconstructed. Appropriate competition and collaboration should be promoted. For that purpose, cooperation and collaborative research between academia and industry are necessary.

Problems stem from discrepancies between high-income earners and low-income earners. An important fact is that the sound portion of American society is the middle class and this middle class is hollowing out. A society disrupted by widening disparities tears the market apart. The middle class and small business are the key to the vitalization of the economy.

Strangely, although it is a huge nation, America aspires to be “a small world.” I think this is because America was originally an aggregation of small societies.

Essentially, local communities in America have strong power. The local communities are free societies. This is Americanness.

The roots of American power lie not in large cities but in the land and in the people.

America’s sincerity and purity are America’s advantage. But under the wrong policy, they could become a disadvantage. America should understand the true meaning of sincerity and purity. This is a key to changing America.

America is the hope of the world.

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