Pesek: Japan can rise above its disasters

William Pesek is a Tokyo-based columnist for Bloomberg News.

Earthquakes have a complicated place in the Japanese psyche. There's a widely held belief, a local mythology, that tectonic-plate shifts can coincide with big ones above the ground, too.

An 1855 earthquake that destroyed much of the city that is now called Tokyo bookmarked the twilight of the Tokugawa period, during which Japan was isolated for two centuries. Rebuilding after the devastation of 1923 coincided with the rise of Japanese militarism. Kobe's 1995 tragedy dovetailed with the end of Japan's postwar industrial boom and the advent of deflation.

Might the latest trauma also signal historic change? Economist Nouriel Roubini says the earthquake came at the "worst time," as Japan struggles to reduce its massive debt. But let's go the other way and explore potential silver linings.

One, it's a wake-up call. Japan dithered for years as deflation deepened, wages stagnated and public debt exceeded gross domestic product. Even after China's economy blew past Japan's in 2010 and a Standard & Poor's downgrade in January, officials in Tokyo remained as paralyzed as ever.

The days before Friday's quake saw Japanese politics at its worst. Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, a 48-year-old who had been tipped to be the next prime minister, was browbeaten into resigning over a clerical error. His campaign received $3,053 since 2005 from a South Korean woman residing in Japan, where it is illegal to accept a donation from a foreign national. The opposition was digging up similarly petty dirt on Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Such complacency and distraction are no longer an option. Japan's leaders must now roll up their sleeves to rebuild after the strongest earthquake on record, and they must do so without the luxury of massive borrowing.

In 2007's "The Shock Doctrine," author Naomi Klein focuses on free-market ideologues who exploit crises to impose rapid and irreversible change in various nations. Fate may have just handed Japan a chance to unleash the doctrine on itself.

With a little political will, Japan could encourage entrepreneurship from the ground up, increase competitiveness, and impose change on the decidedly change-resistant bureaucrats who really run the nation. For years, pundits said only a major crisis would bring about change in Japan. March 11 provided the shock; leaders just need to act accordingly.

Two, it's a chance to make up with China. The seemingly inexorable rise of 1.3 billion people and the competitive forces that come with such an economic event are bringing Japan and South Korea together, helping overcome hard feelings over a colonial past.

Now, China's rapid offer of help and condolences to Japan's victims could go a long way toward reducing tensions. Here we have a rare event that can get officials in Tokyo and Beijing to put aside prickly disagreements over economic, territorial, military and historical disputes.

Three, while it's early in the rescue effort, Japan has much to be proud of -- from the way Tokyo's skyline withstood the assault to the lack of looting and social instability. The nation has shown itself to be a highly civil, stable and caring place.

Tough building codes, training and lessons from the 1995 Kobe quake that killed more than 6,000 people probably saved thousands this time.

Certainly, problems abound. The most immediate is containing the worst nuclear accident in at least 33 years. At a minimum, Japan must scrutinize the safety record of Tokyo Electric Power Co. as never before.

Nor is the unpopular Kan distinguishing himself. Information from his office has been lacking and downright contradictory at times. Kan was basically on his way out before the earthquake, and how he handles things in the next few days will decide his political fate.

Yet in this time of devastation and uncertainty, Japan has shown it runs well on many levels despite its government. This is a moment for sorrow and reflection, yes. It's also a time to look ahead to brighter days. They could indeed be on the way.