It is actually ridiculous for someone like me-someone in the country for just six months-to write about Japan. Since I can't speak Japanese, my news sources are mainly friends, TV reports and English-language newspapers and magazines, which cannot provide enough information to give me an adequate understanding about such a complex country.

Based on my limited knowledge, I have observed that Japan currently seems to be very sick and distressed. One of the world's economic superpowers now looks like a fragile giant. Its success story, until the end of the bubble economy in the early 1990s, was an endless source of inspiration for many nations, which saw it as a place where the government worked closely with the private sector to achieve economic growth.

At the peak of the country's success, praise from friends both sincere and with vested interests flooded in. Criticism is regarded as merely an expression of jealousy or a lack of understanding, but praise will quickly turn into unfriendly remarks or criticism when a country is facing a downturn.

Japan may now need a series of long and very painful ``doses'' or even major surgery to restore not only its health and power but also its fading dignity. Support and sympathy from friends may help Japan stand up again as a constructive world power.

Painful `doses' needed

Japan must realize that its recovery is not only crucial for its people, but also for the world, because the fate of hundreds of millions of people in countries around the globe is also dependent on Japan's future.

For at least the last six months, Japan has been dominated by sad, negative and even frightening news and events, especially in the areas of economics, politics and society. Politically, the country is facing chaos under the leadership of the lame-duck prime minister, Yoshiro Mori.

Yoko Saito, a housewife with two grown children, says she worries that Japan is facing a catastrophic situation. According to her, Japanese leaders do not understand the severity of the dangers the nation is facing, and Japan needs a total change if it wants to survive.

``I worry about a catastrophic situation ahead. The country must be led by younger people. The older generation is not only unable to understand the situation, but also doesn't dare to reform itself,'' Saito said.

Japan, the second leading economic power after the United States and the world's largest moneylender, is still not able to overcome its prolonged economic crisis. Many of its economic diseases, such as bad corporate debts, insufficient banking and financial sector restructuring, lack of market competitiveness and corruption and collusion, are similar to the diseases suffered by many ailing Asian countries, and which are now being cured by the International Monetary Fund.

For the first time in four years, Japan posted its first trade balance deficit in January. In early March, the Nikkei Stock Average hit a 16-year low. The yen also continues to weaken against the greenback, and some market analysts predict the yen will dive even deeper this year. Consumer spending, one of the key factors for a recovery, remains low, as people prefer to hang on to their money as a hedge against an uncertain future.

Reports of the bankruptcy of big banks, insurers and corporations are routine. The takeover of Japanese companies by foreign firms is embarrassing for many people, who are used to taking pride in their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills.

The unemployment rate stood at 4.9 percent in January, a quite high number for Japan, which was once proud of its lifetime-employment policy. I have met several middle-aged Japanese who lost their jobs and did not know where to turn. As a father of three I sympathize with them. At least 25 percent of the 210 million people in my country, Indonesia, are jobless.

Recently, when I took a public tour of the Defense Agency headquarters in Tokyo with a journalist friend of mine, I was surprised to see that visitors could stop by a store inside the building and buy lotto tickets. I joked to my friend that the lotto sales might reflect Japan's need for a miracle to overcome its defenseless condition.

Some of my Japanese friends compare Mori's incompetence in handling the fatal accident involving the USS Greeneville and the Ehime Maru with Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's handling of the barbaric ethnic cleansing in East Kalimantan. Mori continued playing golf for two hours after receiving reports of the incident. Wahid continued his 14-day Middle East tour despite the killing of 400 people, mostly Madurese in his home country.

Maybe neither is up to the task; however, Wahid was elected as the country's fourth president by carrying 373 of the 695 members of the country's People's Consultative Assembly, while 313 members voted for Megawati Soekarnoputri. Megawati was elected vice president in a separate election. Mori was chosen to lead Japan by only five top LDP members, including Masakuni Murakami, who is facing corruption charges in connection with the KSD scandal.

It is my impression that the deep anger felt by the Japanese people regarding the sinking of the Ehime Maru reflects much more complicated feelings toward their ally and former foe. The presence of American bases often annoys the people. But I think it should be acknowledged that President George W. Bush handled the tragedy much better than Japanese leaders did.

The accident itself is of course very tragic and those who are found guilty must be properly punished. An American priest in his recent Sunday sermon at St. Ignatius Church in Tokyo deplored the presence of civilians on board the submarine.

He compared the attitude on the submarine to that of people visiting Disneyland.

Reports of corruption scandals, abuses of power by government officials and politicians from the Liberal Democratic Party, remind me of the rampant corruption in Indonesia. It is also embarrassing that Japan protects former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who is facing charges of corruption and human rights abuses in his country. He came to Japan in November as the president of Peru, after which Japan allowed him to stay on as its citizen.

Learn from history

Some Japanese journalists have said that the people are tired of depressing news-that they need more good and encouraging news. People prefer to read reports about the progress of Ichiro Suzuki, who is playing baseball for the Seattle Mariners.

Japan is a great nation. The people were able to rebuild their country after their leaders abused their power and brought their nation into a tragic war, during which Japan committed serious crimes against its Asian neighbors.

Let us honestly learn from history. However, I think neighboring countries also must continue to encourage Japan to remain committed to peace and to contribute to the world's welfare. It will backfire if Japan is persistently blamed and cornered for its past mistakes without acknowledging the evidence that shows that the majority of Japanese people have totally changed.

The nation is facing a crisis of self-confidence after enduring such a long period of economic and political chaos. Many people are ashamed of the behavior of their leaders. Japan is sick, but it can be cured. In the past, it faced more serious problems, but was able to overcome them. The Japanese people know the best medicine to cure themselves. Sympathy, the willingness of friends to stand by them during this very difficult time, will help the healing process.

Japanese can draw a lesson on how to stand up again from the people of Minamata, who suffered from a horrible environmental disaster in the 1950s and 1960s. Waste released into the environment by Chisso, a chemical company, ruined the lives of hundreds of Minamata people. The central government and the company were too arrogant to apologize and pay compensation to the victims. The judicial system also sided with the economic interests and neglected the victims. It wasn't until decades later that the government finally admitted culpability.

The people did not just accept setbacks as fate. They stood up and built their future. After a recent visit to the municipality, I was very impressed with the people's spirit in creating an environmentally friendly place. I saw how methodical they are in handling garbage, which they separate into 21 categories. Minamata Mayor Masazumi Yoshii told me that the town's citizens are eager to share their experience with anyone who wants to learn from them.

A stable, peaceful and prosperous Japan is one of the keys to a peaceful and prosperous world. Therefore, the nation must rise up and face reality to renew its spirit. Its leaders, and many greedy companies, have placed the nation in a very difficult situation. I believe the Japanese people are more than capable of overcoming their problems.

The author is a Jakarta Post staff reporter and an Asahi Shimbun Asia Network guest researcher in Tokyo.