In 2008, talk of change was everywhere. This year that talk will be realized as historic changes take place around the world. In most cases, the process will be gradual and evolutionary. But we must also be prepared for revolutionary transformations as accumulated strains and stresses produce paradigm shifts.
This process will be exhilarating and nerve-racking. Accepted beliefs and behaviors will be challenged; frequently they will have to be discarded. Uncomfortable though this will be, there is no room for complacency or a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the obvious.
In Japan, there is every indication that 2009 will be the year in which the opposition is very likely to take the reins of government from the Liberal Democratic Party at long last. That would be a historical moment for Japan, yet it would be but one step in a longer process of political evolution and growth. Even if that transition does not occur — and Japanese politics is always unpredictable — politicians and bureaucrats will be absorbed with either preparing for that shift or fighting it off. The country's problems will not wait, however. The failure to devote more attention and energy to them now means that they will only get bigger — and a crisis will eliminate any choices we have about tackling them at our convenience.