Guiding Principles

1. Severe challenge Japan needs to face
  Accustomed to the systems dependent on the national and local governments, the Japanese people tend to be hands-off, and indifferent not only to the society but also to other people. The neglected democracy lack of philosophy and creed has led to the Japanese-style socialistic state controlled by the government officials, and resulted in fostering its egoistic people who ignore their responsibilities and duties. Due to too much individualism (indifference, dependence, and egoism), lack of public morality, frequent inhuman crimes, and loss of even family bonds, our country is going ahead toward destruction. The root cause of the uncertainty about the individual policies toward solving these problems may be the lack of people's awareness that they themselves are the sovereign members of the country and the actors constituting the society, as well as a loss of morality in the Japanese people's mentality which used to be well-expressed by the words such as “otagaisama,” which means helping each other, and “omoiyari,” that is, compassion.

2. For a creation of ideal country and society
  When people become aware to be self-help, self-reliant, and self-responsible (*1), they would be tolerant toward others, possessed with understanding and compassion, and then are anticipated to build consensus based on each person's experiences and perspectives with a respect for each other, to establish a wide range of linkage. It is necessary to develop a society of coexistence into that of linkage and collaboration, in which the individuals participate and cooperate to build the society recognizing their responsibilities and duties as the actors constituting the society. It is required to create a society by the people, for the people, who are self-reliable and aware as the sovereign members.

3. Mission of Tokyo Junior Chamber
“Rebuilding of new Japan is the task of ours, the junior generation.”
  This spirit is the essence of Tokyo JC, and the source of the movements of JC activities in Japan. Our movements should be developed to open the way to the future of this country. In addition, as a Junior Chamber located in Tokyo, the center of politics and economies in Japan, Tokyo JC should promote the movements scalable and pervasive to other regions in Japan as well as the pioneering movements ahead of other organizations, not only the movements limited to the certain areas. Our mission is, to take initiative actions, questing for what Tokyo JC can do uniquely, as a new citizens' economic organization (*2) with a clear viewpoint of citizens, not indulged with each member's social standpoint (status) but fully determined to have noblesse oblige (*3).

4. Movements Tokyo Junior Chamber should initiate
  Tokyo Junior Chamber has promoted dual movements; awareness of individuals and reforms of the social systems. Through the experience, we recognized the necessity to propose and execute new social systems, in order to change the society actually. From now on, based on the concept of “people's awareness through the creation of the social systems,” we will develop the movements that urge people to actively participate in the society where the local communities and the people are the actors.

4-1. Creation of a new social system
  It is necessary to foster conscious people who are concerned about their country and society and actively participate in the society, and to establish a social mechanism to facilitate it. It is also needed to build a society in which people are able to take actions by themselves and to believe that they choose the right way for this country to go.   We will promote the people's social participations and decisions as an intermediary (*5), which proposes and executes the model systems or approaches, develops large-scale national movements through the linkage with other organizations and LOMs (*4) along with the collaboration with the governmental organizations, transfers the tasks to other organizations based on consensus, designs the regional regulations, and urges a formulation of ordinance and a revision to the law.

4-2. Aiming for individuals' awareness
  In order to build a new social system, we will develop movements to make individual people aware that they are actors of the society and have social duties and moral responsibilities, with a vision to foster mutual respect and compassion. These movements will enforce citizens' participation.   To make citizens aware of being actors of the society, they need to go through a process of participation, decision, and assessment. It is required for Tokyo JC to initiate the three movements: 1) to urge citizens' participation, 2) to offer citizens a variety of options, and 3) to set opportunities and institutions that allow the assessment by citizens. Through these movements, we will make citizens alert and have sense of crisis first, show the paths needed to take specific actions, and promote individuals' awareness, to change them from citizens into “ spirizens ” (*6).

4-3. Cycle of a movement
  Our movements should not be ended only for one year. They should go through the cycle of PLAN, DO, CHECK, and ACTION, and should be continued with improvement toward the next fiscal year through a vision to evolve in several fiscal years. The movements should not be hindered by the fiscal year system but be continued to evolve. As the process, we will readily receive external assessments, to always reflect on ourselves and prevent the movements from becoming those praised only by ourselves.

5. The direction Tokyo Junior Chamber should follow
  In order to realize the individuals' awareness stated in the previous section, Tokyo Junior Chamber will build a new social system through which the people participate in the establishment of the society, based on linkage and collaboration. In addition, it is required to transform our society, based on the initial rule of democracy, from the one that prioritizes vested interests into a fair society of free competition to which public opinions can be reflected. We also clearly indicate the basis and principles of our country, and establish a well-functioning society. Furthermore, for overcoming the current situation of so called “Japanese-style socialistic state,” it is needed to establish in this country the popular sovereignty, not only for the purpose of political participation, but also for the one based on a functioning true democracy (*7). As such, people are able to be self-reliant recognizing their duties and responsibilities. With these vectors shared among the whole activities, we will reflect them into individual policies and regional movements, thereby establishing “true popular sovereignty by the self-reliable people.”
  To formulate what our country should be is the responsibility of Tokyo Junior Chamber ? the core generation responsible for the future.

*1“Self-help, self-reliant, self-responsible”:
A principle to take responsibility by oneself for the results of him or her actions determined and taken based on his or her own idea. An individual improves and develops, not dependent on others.

*2. “New citizens' economic organization”:
Tokyo JC has characteristics of both a “citizens' organization” in which each member participates as an individual and an “economic organization” which aims for the development of the whole society regardless of the standpoints of business and industries. It is an organization of junior economic persons working with a clear recognition and viewpoint as a citizen.

*3: “Noblesse oblige”:
A thought formed in Europe that the persons in socially responsible or privileged status are obliged to contribute to the society according to their role or status.

*4. “LOM”:
Stands for Local Organization Members. Regional Junior Chambers.

*5: “Intermediary”:
A mediator who acts subjectively. Not only mediates, but also urges a range of activities to supplement (interact) each other, to consolidate them into a great power into which vectors (force, speed, and orientation) are integrated.

*6: “From citizens into ‘spirizens'”:
The phrase is used here to mean that transition from “citizens” (the people of freedom and egalitarianism), a concept imported from the United States after World War II, to “ spirizens ” (the spirited people aware of self-help, self-reliance, and self-responsibility). The word “citizen” originally means the people in the status of participating the national politics in medieval Europe. It may refer to the people who voluntarily participate in the public activities.

*7: “True democracy”:
A principle focusing on the people by which the concept of popular sovereignty is executed correctly, people care for each other according to the philosophy of mutual respect, and a fair society of free competition is established, not solely based on the concept of majority voting.