By Makoto Hase

One of the famous food companies in Hokkaido is ﾒSnow Brand.ﾓ What image of this company did Japanese citizens have? I think it had a great worth, which we in Hokkaido could be proud of. But something happened to erode that worth from citizens. First, there was the Snow Brand food poisoning about 18 months ago. A big credibility gap spread among the citizens because of this incident. In September 2001, when it was thought that the credibility gap had narrowed, the news that Hokkaido beef was infected with Beef Spongy Encephalitis (BSE)─or Mad Cow disease─sent shock waves through Japan. When BSE was found in England 12 years ago, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recognized it as a problem in EU countries, and they made light of this as if it had nothing to do with Japan. The Snow Brand scandal uncovered the fact that Hokkaido beef was labeled as a different source, and imported beef and pork was labeled as domestic in order to get money from the government. It also surfaced by accident that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and fisheriesﾕ conducted irresponsible examinations.

If the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries emphasized caution from the EU and took measures, they should have been able to prevent these incidents. The press said several employees worked at the Kansai Meat Center. We can easily imagine the Japanese inclination not to whistle-blow, because you endanger yourself like "a tall tree catches much wind." But it is true that a crime was committed. I wonder if there were employees who fought against the companyﾕs actions. The result is that they didnﾕt recognize the gravity of the situation, and the employees who loved their company too much are the main cause of the problem. Is this problem peculiar to Japan?

Once something happens, the excitement doesnﾕt die down for a while. When BSE was reported in the media, barbecue (yakiniku) restaurants throughout Japan were affected. The influence was so terrible that some shops had to close. After taking up this problem, only beef that was examined was shipped, so we are protected. Though it was reported by TV and newspapers everyday, and citizens can recognize its safety, the consumption of beef actually decreased suddenly. I think this fact relates to "the difficulty of losing confidence" and "Japanese fastidiousness."

It is said Japanese are a tribe which follows other people. "Itﾕs okay because everybody does it," or "Itﾕs not just my responsibility." People tend to shift the blame onto others. There exist implicit rules that the government or a person with high bureaucratic authority is absolute and people have to obey. It will be seen as a fact even though the authority leads in the wrong direction, and people canﾕt oppose and just obey. What happened at Snow Brand is typical; from the bad direction at the top to the misplaced loyalty to their company by employees.

In America there is a "whistle-blowers law" which alleviates the pressure from anybody and protects those who display their personal morals. If there were such a law in Japan, these scandals would not occur. No matter how much the government controls Japanese or imported beef, they canﾕt guarantee the safety completely. We should manage our companies by our own morals without the governmentﾕs leadership.

These scandals occurred because some government officials thought only about themselves. Essentially, they should consider citizenﾕs safety as a first priority. Built up confidence over a long time easily crumbles because of small things. How do citizens who were betrayed by companies and the government live, and who can they trust? Rather than hiding facts by the governmentﾕs posturing, concrete actions must be taken step by step for citizensﾕ safety.