The price of a mess that could have been avoided

The Japan, rarely shock of a bankruptcy has been felt so. Japan Airlines embodied, in the collective unconscious, the Japan industrial revival after the war, after the humiliation of defeat in 1945. Incredulous to the end, small carriers retained their actions, believing that, once more, the company would be saved. Error. They have not seen that the fall of the House Japan Airlines marks this time the end of an era.

Of collusion between political power, the world business and Government. This famous "iron triangle" against which fight the new team in power since September. These little transparent practices, already shown the finger by Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of shock from 2001 to 2006. For decades, this tacit agreement worked, even lead to aberrations in the land or real estate. In the case of the air, the system enabled the Government to impose taxes of landing two times higher than international standards and with this money financed the construction of airports.

Reduced to the case of Japan Airlines, the "iron triangle" built in system was something comfortable, comforting, to structured almost. Only to force surf the ambiguous relations with power, House JAL has lost more than 100 billion yen in 10 years and eventually be overtaken by a relentless economic logic of a debt greater than its turnover.

The fall of JAL, is not only his report to the authority. At many ways, is, in this business, the problems now bedeviling the archipelago. The slowness of the company to reform is perfectly applicable at the national level. Blocked by unions, the leaders of the giant of the air have always preferred a strategy of conflict, even give in the static bypass. Successive Governments are not not have acted the same way, in recent years, with pensions, health policy and health insurance. Many seniors refuse to abandon a system which is favourable to them. Result, nothing moves.

Another point common jumps in the eyes with pensions. And there are all the companies that are concerned. Japan Airlines, like most large employers in the archipelago, did not anticipate the ageing of its workforce and even less adapt pension plans. The site is vast, because the Japan aging is absorb departures retirement of the baby boom generation. From 2007 to 2009, they were 8 million to stop their activity. Here again, person undertook in time to review the devices or resize the benefits. It was necessary that the airline is on the filing of balance to finally win a decline of 30 of the pension to its retirees. Agreement came too late to avoid the filing of balance. But both will set the tone of social dialogue for the new "jal" and open their eyes to the Toyota, Hitachi and other Mitsubishi.

Another parallel can be made financially, as Japan Airlines, the State net strong, has always opted for short term strategies and preferred to benefit from State aid, thus incurring, but avoid layoffs cascade without no resolve in the long term. And that is the State on its side To cushion the decline in tax revenues, it increases the bond in significant proportions, since this year for the first time since 1946, the issued amount will exceed tax revenue. As Japan Airlines, the result of such a policy is to be observed in terms of the debt that continues to grow to 200 of GDP.

Remains a last collateral damage. Delivery flow of the company will mobilize 1,000 billion yen of public money. The price of a mess that could have been avoided. But that must also allow the Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, to send a clear message, that of killing of a system which has long blocked the country in stagnation. Is in this sense also that the team of Yukio Hatoyama is hopeful. It is three years to decide whether or not the merger of the two airlines. A first step towards the necessary normalization of relations between politicians, business and administration. Perhaps the beginning of a long-awaited cultural revolution.