Why hasn't anyone shouted "boycott Japanese goods" anymore, even though things have gotten this far?

The controversy triggered by Takahashi Asanuma's provocation against China is still ongoing. The Chinese government and people have consistently condemned her despicable behavior, and many citizens have also voluntarily canceled their travel plans to Japan. However, people have also noticed another issue: there has been no similar "boycott Japanese goods" trend in mainland China as in the past, and even Japanese-owned service companies have not been affected.

This is not because China is practicing "cold politics, warm economy," but rather because Japanese products have lost the value to be boycotted.

(Japanese industry is losing its advantage over China)

In recent years, Japanese manufacturing has become less prominent in the Chinese market. This is not to say that we can no longer see Japanese brands. For example, the convenience stores like Seven-Eleven are still present on the streets, and Nintendo game consoles are almost a must-have for gaming enthusiasts, maintaining an important position in niche markets. On the streets, Toyota and Honda cars are still commonly seen.

In professional photography and videography fields, Nikon, Canon, and Sony still hold absolute dominance. However, the image of Japanese companies and Japanese manufacturing is no longer as eye-catching or prominent as it used to be. In most areas, domestic brands have firmly surpassed Japanese ones. Even in many cases, Japanese manufacturing and Japanese brands have become synonymous with low-end or niche products.

For example, the well-known Japanese fast food chain Yoshinoya has an average price comparable to Western fast food chains and ethnic fast food brands, sometimes even using generous portions to attract customers. In the white goods sector, Japanese brands have completely retreated, now only occupying a corner of the appliance store. In digital electronics, except for DSLR cameras, Japanese brands cannot even present a notable brand.

(Canon factory in Zhongshan closed)

Some sectors where Japanese brands once held an advantage have also failed to withstand the pressure. At the end of November, Canon closed its office equipment factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong. Although employees were properly resettled, this marked a large-scale failure of Canon in the Chinese market. The market space left by Canon can be easily replaced by several domestic brands. In government procurement, Japanese brands find it difficult to qualify, and in everyday life, the probability of choosing Japanese brands is also decreasing. You can compare your own situation 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and now. Are the number of Japanese brands you own getting smaller and smaller?

Therefore, using slogans to boycott Japanese goods will not have any substantial effect. Establishing a strong science and technology and industrial system, replacing Japanese goods with products made by the Chinese themselves, is the real effective way to resist them.

The reason for this comprehensive collapse of Japanese brands is not only due to effective competition by Chinese enterprises. To a large extent, it is also because the Japanese industry has been self-destructive. From the late 1980s to now, Japanese manufacturing has had little innovation. Whether it comes to digital technology, new generation home appliances, the Internet, or new energy industries, Japan has made wrong choices.

Japanese companies stubbornly believe that their products are already good enough, and as long as they improve processes and pursue perfection within the existing framework, they can maintain their advantages. Therefore, when new technologies, new ideas, and new concepts completely break traditional industry concepts, Japanese brands are unprepared and gradually fall behind in the market competition.

(The scale of Japan's shipbuilding industry is only a fraction of China's)

It can be said that this is not a foreign country boycotting Japanese goods, but rather Japan itself boycotting the international market, including the Chinese market. This is directly related to Japan's small territory and lack of resources. This scarcity restricts Japanese companies' strategic thinking, and regardless of whether Chinese consumers boycott them, they will eventually fail.

Under this failing strategy, the troubles faced by Japanese products are not limited to China. Globally, Chinese manufacturing has started to strongly compete for Japanese market share. In the shipbuilding industry, China has accounted for more than 65% of the world market, while the remaining 35% sees South Korea having greater advantages over Japan's shipbuilding industry. In the new energy vehicle sector, China has made significant progress, while Japanese automobiles have not yet surpassed the hybrid power era, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have not yet formed a scale. This has led to serious damage to Japan's traditional automotive markets. In the telecommunications equipment sector, Japanese companies can only undertake some supporting projects, lacking the ability to set standards or take the lead in major contracts.

China still has some industrial capabilities that Japan does not possess, such as photovoltaic cells, wind power generation, drones, and global satellite navigation systems. In these strategic emerging fields, the topic of "boycotting Japanese goods" would not even arise.

(Aben previously promoted high-speed rail to India)

Even the high-speed rail, which was once competitive in the international market, has performed poorly in recent years. Japanese companies have repeatedly competed with China for high-speed rail projects, including the Indian and Vietnamese high-speed rail projects, and have achieved success.

It seems that Chinese companies have lost hundreds of billions of dollars in large contracts, but everyone knows that these money are not easy to earn. They often require the exporting country to provide high-level credit and perform large-scale technology transfers, and the projects come with certain risks. Overall, they are not necessarily worth pursuing.

Japan often competes with China for political reasons, and the Indian high-speed rail project is a typical case. These loss-making deals are best left for Japanese companies to bear, and China does not need to compete for them.

In summary, today's Japanese manufacturing is experiencing a comprehensive decline. The Chinese government and consumers no longer need to use means outside of free-market economics to resist Japanese economic aggression. Therefore, the topic of "boycotting Japanese goods" will not appear in public opinion anymore.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7580548206040302115/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.