THE DIGNITY OF THE NATION by Masahiko Fujiwara, translated by Giles Murray. IBC Publishing 2007, 278 pp., 1,400 yen (paper)

The title of this little book deliberately echoes that of a notorious pamphlet issued by the Japanese government in 1937, at the peak of nationalist hysteria, in an attempt to define the essence and superiority of Japanese culture. According to Masahiko Fujiwara, a mathematics professor known for his work on Diophantine equations, Western countries are on the road to ruin. Logic and reason are not enough. What we need now is a strong shot of samurai spirit: "It may take time, but I believe it is the Japanese, and no one else, who are now capable of saving the world."

The first half of this book constitutes a hostile but persuasive critique of Western ideals: democracy, freedom, logic, equality, globalization. Fujiwara is fed up with all of them. Now that slavery has been abolished, "freedom" has lost its meaning, and is merely the promotion of egotism: "Getting rid of freedom would be better for human happiness."

The industrial revolution enabled the West to dominate the world, he writes, but globalization is nothing more than worldwide homogenization. Communism and imperialism were products of "magnificent logic," hence their spectacular failure. Meritocracy has created societies where the individual is surrounded by enemies. Fujiwara wants lifetime employment and promotion through seniority in the aim of achieving social stability, which he sees as the fundamental strength of any nation. Companies should not belong to shareholders, who offer no special loyalty, but to the employees who sustain them.