- Do you mean that militarization is necessary to activate Japanese aerospace technology? Tachibana "No, absolutely not. I am saying that we should find some legitimate reason other than national defense to be able to pour huge national funds into aerospace technology research. Establishing that kind of theory is necessary." - In other words, it is a matter of finding the answer to the common question; "Is it really necessary to spend that much money on space development?" isn't it? Tachibana "That's right. Idealistic conceptual answers such as 'for the happiness of the human future' are true and important, but that is not enough. People would argue, 'Use that money for our economic recovery instead of for such things!' That kind of logic is not very convincing. These days it should be spoken distinctly that huge national funds have a Keynesian multiplier effect. When the economy is entrusted only to private economic activities, effective demand falls short, and the nation falls on hard times, exactly like Japan today. The Keynesian multiplier effect means that, by setting up public projects and disseminating funds, governments act as a pump-primer and demand is generated several times over. That actually has some effect, but if it is used too much, it loses its bite and leaves huge government debts. And then the nation is chin-deep in debt like Japan today. "In Japan, successive Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) governments have overdone it, and the worst part is that they turned public projects over to vested interests. A political corruption structure was established, so that certain politicians and businessmen related to them got the greatest benefits. Moreover, the public projects they funded are strictly unnecessary construction and public architecture works, and we can still find a lot of leftovers of these projects. 'Public project' is like a synonym for political corruption. However, the Keynesian multiplier is necessary to a certain extent. Basically public projects are not a bad way to leave good things for future generations. If they leave a rich heritage to future generations, public projects should go forward, even though traditional public projects have left only debts for future generations. "Japan, which has poor natural resources, has always, from ancient days, depended on added value for its survival. 'Added value' means manpower and scientific and technological capabilities. A huge science-and-technology project with a huge amount of money, such as space development, is basically a public project. Its economic effect is not just to create effective demand; it can also create a technological Keynesian multiplier effect, to develop higher scientific and technological capacity throughout the Japanese economy. Moreover, it can create a Keynesian multiplier effect for technological manpower, stimulating demand for highly skilled workers, and an educational Keynesian multiplier effect, developing education in that field. The most important thing for Japan's goal of being a science-and-technology nation is to carry out public projects of this kind continuously. Continuous efforts on such huge science-and-technology projects give America glory and make it the leading power in science and technology. Japan should also enhance its science-and-technology capabilities and manpower by carrying out such huge projects continuously. That should increase the future survival capacity of Japan. And to enhance such survival capacity is the most modern way of defending the nation. I believe this is the most effective answer to the question, 'What kind of advantage does Japan get from conducting space development?' " |
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