Chapter 5 Column: Kaihatsu or Kaihotsu? — Rethinking the Shape of Growth

When you hear the word "development" (kaihatsu), what kind of image comes to mind?

Urban redevelopment, the construction of large shopping malls, economic aid to emerging countries—all of these are spoken of as symbols of "growth" or "progress." But wait a moment. Is that kind of "development" truly "desirable growth"?

In fact, there are two ways to read the Japanese word for "development" (開発). One is "kaihatsu." The other is "kaihotsu." While they use the same kanji, they hold completely different meanings.

Kaihatsu: Growth imposed from the outside

This "kaihatsu" is close to the English word "development." It is a style where a "model of progress" is applied from above onto undeveloped land or society.

For example, the "development aid" for underdeveloped countries promoted by the U.S. after the war was based on exactly this idea. It is a form of benevolence that is somewhat "condescending," saying, "Let us provide these poor countries with development based on Western values." What lies there is the assumption that 'immature things must be matured,' and in some cases, it is a "development" pushed forward even at the expense of the natural environment or local culture.

Cutting down mountains for growth, damming rivers, and making GDP—expressed in numbers—everything: that is the logic of "kaihatsu."

Kaihotsu: Growth that sprouts from within

On the other hand, "kaihotsu" is a concept derived from Buddhism that means "to open up one's inner power." Like a seed sprouting, it gently draws out the potential sleeping within people and society. Instead of ordering from the outside what "should be done," it believes in the power already present in that place and nurtures it quietly.

For example, the rural society of Japan during the Edo period was a form very close to "kaihotsu." Living in harmony with nature, utilizing the flow of water, and living in rhythm with the four seasons. Unlike modernization, there was a "sustainable" and "cultural" growth there.

Now is the time for the era of "kaihotsu"

Until now, the era has been defined by "progress = economic growth = kaihatsu," aiming for a society that makes a lot, sells a lot, and earns a lot.

But now that we have entered an era where the population is shrinking, resources are limited, and the environment is in crisis, don't we need to explore a new "shape of growth"?

Growth is not necessarily something measured by "numbers."

Has life become richer?
Have the relationships between people deepened?
Has it become a society where the next generation feels they "want to live here"?

Perhaps such "invisible changes" will become the indicators for the "development (kaihotsu)" of the future.

It is about believing in the power that wells up from within, rather than a model given from the outside.

Growth may not begin with stretching out a sprout, but with quietly taking root in the soil.

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