The Philosophy of Money - Japan in the Late 1950s

The Philosophy of Money - Japan in the Late 1950s

During this period, Japan's postwar reconstruction was gradually progressing and the country was beginning to show signs of rapid economic growth. However, life was still difficult for many people, and poverty remained a daily challenge. In this context, values and philosophies about "money" were strongly influencing people's minds.

The "dirtiness" and "cleanliness" of money
At that time, the idea that money earned through labor was "clean" and money earned through gambling or illegal means was "dirty" permeated the entire society. These values came from the Confucian work ethic and wariness of criminal activities that spread in the chaos of the postwar period. For example, gangs such as the Yamaguchigumi were expanding their influence, and profits obtained through illicit means were becoming a social problem.

On the other hand, the TV drama "Sunset on Third Street" from the late 1950s portrayed ordinary people working honestly and emphasized the preciousness of labor. In reality, however, poverty was widespread in urban areas, and coal miners and textile industry workers in particular were subjected to harsh conditions.

Labor Philosophy and Social Immaturity
At the core of the "philosophy of money" was the view of labor held by the society of the time. The idea that labor is what sustains human beings and forms the foundation of society was respected, but at the same time, the reality of exploitation of the working class was also strictly present. This contradiction gave rise to discontent and encouraged the activation of the labor union movement led by workers at Mitsui Mining and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, as well as the expansion of the ideology of the Japan Socialist Party.

Finance and New Values
The late 1950s was also a time when Western capitalism began to have a real impact on Japan. Economists like Katsuhito Iwai later analyzed this. With the spread of the loan system through banks and the growth of the credit economy in business-to-business transactions, "credit," rather than cash, began to serve as money. This new value system was difficult for many people to understand, but it soon became an important foundation for supporting rapid economic growth.

Philosophical Questions and Everyday Conflicts
Against this historical backdrop, people daily ask questions such as, "Does money bring happiness?" What is clean money? What is clean money? In the literary world, for example, Osamu Dazai and Ango Sakaguchi developed their own philosophies about money and happiness. In rural areas, workers from farming families chose factory jobs in urban areas, and their poor but honest lives were portrayed as virtues in TV dramas and novels, while the reality was that they suffered from the harsh life in urban areas.

Ultimately, the "philosophy of money" was a profound reflection of Japanese society at that time as it explored the nature of human happiness, labor, and social justice. It is not just an economic issue, but a universal theme rooted in human existence itself, and still poses questions to us today.