Rebuilding a Nation, Rebuilding Japan

Rebuilding a nation, Rebuilding Japan

Last March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake hit Senadai, Japan with an 8.9-magnitude. The death toll reached thousands and thousands of Japanese living within the 20 km radius of the tsunami. The destruction caused damages worth 183 billion dollars. Not only did Japan lose a lot of its countrymen but also its economy is losing a lot in the stock market, automobile manufacturing industry and others.

What is the country now doing to rebuild its nation?

This is where I liken Thomas Hobbes’ social contract theory. Japan is in its state of nature once again. After the quake, there is not enough supply to provide the whole country. The Japanese are now clamoring for all their basic needs like food, shelter and clothing. There are long lines in gas stations and grocery stores just to get their supplies. Also, there is a massive shortage in power supply that it immobilizes the daily lives of its countrymen.

Thomas Hobbes believes that in the State of Nature, men are naturally and exclusively self-interested. They have limited resources. Because of this, he concludes that the State of Nature is unbearably brutal. Every person is in fear of losing his life to another. There is no long-term satisfaction of their needs and wants. Most people want first and foremost to avoid their own death. Now, Japan found them in its worst possible situation. They are in the State of War, an unnecessary and unavoidable consequence of the ‘State of Nature’ or the earthquake.

As a result, Japan is now making efforts in rebuilding its nation. I liken it to entering into Social Contract that will afford them a life other than that available to them in their current State of Nature. They ensure their escape from the State of War by creating an enforcement mechanism for the reconstruction of their country. The people would have to surrender their absolute rights to their leader. In return, the leader has the obligation to preserve the life of his countrymen and must avoid destructing one’s life.

The country will have to focus on rebuilding. Luckily, they are a first world country so they put up billions in private and public funds to recover. Also, massive emergency response operation is underway in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the country. The Japanese government has evacuated more than 200,000 residents from homes close to the plant and tested 160 people for radiation exposure. The list goes on for helping Japan.

Later on, the rebuilding would create a lot of jobs for a lot of people and a lot of new wealth creation. The government must support their citizen every step of the recovery. This would give security to its citizens and little by little, Japan will have its former glory.