No desire society

For whatever reason, I am both fascinated and captivated by Japanese society. And history as well. My first contact with Japanese culture was in connection with that juvenile fixation with martial arts as a kid, and when I was old enough to understand the loaded themes in the stories, I discovered uncanny parallels. To God […]

For whatever reason, I am both fascinated and captivated by Japanese society. And history as well. My first contact with Japanese culture was in connection with that juvenile fixation with martial arts as a kid, and when I was old enough to understand the loaded themes in the stories, I discovered uncanny parallels.

To God be the glory, I’m no longer a kid. And for this reason, I am able to tell that Nigeria and Japan are worlds apart in virtually every relevant respect. Contemporary Japan is in the throes of what Japanese social scientists have called “shoshika shikai” or “low desire society”, while contemporary Nigerian society is clearly in the throes of a “no desire” affliction.

The convergence of socioeconomic phenomena between geographically distant Japan and Nigeria reveals… surprising parallels in how advanced and developing societies can experience similar structural challenges. Japan’s low desire society represents a post-industrial phenomenon characterised by demographic decline, economic stagnation, and social apathy, particularly among youth who exhibit diminished aspirations for marriage, home ownership, and career advancement.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s leadership failures reflect a developing nation’s struggle with governance failures, institutional corruption, and absence of transformative leadership that perpetuates underdevelopment. Despite their different contexts, both societies face self-perpetuating cycles of diminished expectations and outcomes that merit comparative examination through historical, economic, political, and sociological lenses.

The historical trajectories of Japan and Nigeria reveal fundamental differences in how they approached modernisation, yet both have arrived at situations of stagnation through different pathways. The Japanese historical context follows the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when Japan pursued deliberate, comprehensive social transformations aimed at achieving capitalist development and modernisation. The Japanese state implemented systematic reforms in education, industrial policy, and governance that facilitated rapid industrialisation and the emergence of a strong developmental state. This historical legacy of purposeful transformation stands in stark contrast to Japan’s contemporary “low desire society,” representing a dramatic shift from historical patterns of ambitious national development .

The historical context of Nigeria on the other hand has to do with the failure of the post-independence Nigeria to establish the transformative institutions and leadership necessary for sustained development. Unlike Japan’s purposeful modernisation, Nigeria experienced what development scholars call “leadership stagnation” – a persistent failure to pursue fundamental social transformations that could catalyse development. This leadership deficit has resulted in what is characterised as “underdevelopment and social stagnation” despite Nigeria’s considerable natural and human resources.

The Meiji modernisation model in Japan created a society capable of rapid adaptation and growth, which eventually produced the economic miracle of the post-World War II era. However, the prolonged economic stagnation beginning in the 1990s and the subsequent emergence of the “low desire society” suggest that Japan’s development model may have exhausted its transformative potential. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s persistent leadership failures have prevented the country from achieving meaningful development despite periods of oil-driven economic growth. The country’s resource curse has exacerbated governance challenges and undermined the emergence of a developmental state comparable to Japan’s historical experience.

Japan’s “low desire society” emerged from prolonged economic difficulties that began with the asset bubble collapse in the early 1990s. The economic dimensions of this phenomenon include flat economic growth, demographic challenges and work ethic transformation. Japanese society has experienced decades of minimal growth since the 1990s, with stagnant wages and deflationary pressures creating a psychology of economic pessimism among consumers and businesses alike.

Again, Japan’s aging population and declining birthrate have created a shrinking domestic market and labour force, reducing economic dynamism and increasing the social welfare burden on younger generations. Traditional Japanese commitment to corporate loyalty and long working hours has given way to precarious employment patterns, with increasing numbers of young people in irregular employment without career prospects or motivation for advancement.

Nigeria’s economic challenges differ in nature but share similar themes of unfulfilled potential. These are characterised by a resource-dependent economy, youth unemployment and the dominance of an informal economic order.

Despite our abundant natural resources, particularly oil, we have failed to achieve diversified economic development or translate resource wealth into broad-based prosperity. Nigeria also faces mass youth unemployment and underemployment, creating disillusionment among young people who lack opportunities for meaningful economic participation despite educational attainment. Further, most economic activity occurs in the informal sector with limited productivity, tax revenue generation, or potential for scaling, perpetuating low-level economic equilibrium.

Both societies exhibit remarkable parallels in how their respective challenges manifest socially and culturally:

Youth Disengagement: In Japan, youths respond to limited opportunities through social withdrawal (hikikomori), delayed marriage, and reduced consumption. In Nigeria, educated youth often face frustrated aspirations, leading to brain drain or engagement in informal economic activities that underutilise their potential.

Gender Inequality: Both societies struggle with gender disparities that limit economic participation. Japan has failed to effectively utilise its female workforce despite advanced education levels, while Nigeria’s patriarchal structures restrict women’s economic and political participation.

Social Trust Erosion: In Japan, institutional credibility has been damaged by a number of corporate scandals and political corruption… which are of course nowhere as terrible as scandals are in Nigeria. In Nigeria, pervasive corruption and governance failures have severely undermined trust in public institutions and leaders.

Alternative Value Systems: Japanese youth have developed alternative values that reject materialistic aspirations of previous generations. In Nigeria, religious and ethnic affiliations often provide alternative identity frameworks in the absence of effective national citizenship narratives–a situation that kills productive desires dead!

Japan’s “low desire society” and Nigeria’s “no desire society” represent different manifestations of similar underlying challenges: societies struggling to adapt to changing circumstances due to structural impediments and leadership deficiencies. Despite their different development statuses, both countries face self-reinforcing cycles where economic stagnation or underdevelopment breeds social apathy or disillusionment, which in turn inhibits the collective action needed to address fundamental problems.

Both cases underscore the critical importance of transformative leadership and adaptive institutions in navigating changing economic and social landscapes. As Japan prepares for leadership transition and Nigeria continues to struggle with governance challenges, the capacity of each society to generate new approaches to these persistent problems will determine their future trajectories in an increasingly interconnected global economy.

Interestingly, the fact of “no desire” is a better odd than that of “low desire”, if the storied experience of Japan is to be an inspiration. And from the vantage of a little kid jumping around pretending to be a ninja able to pull no-shadow kicks, there is everything for us to look forward to.