How to Create the Future Beyond the Walls of the Law Purpose and Courage Change Society131

How to create the future beyond legal barriers: Purpose and courage change society

Updated by Hiroshi Komiyama on September 11, 2025, 9:26 AM JST

Every day we live under a variety of laws and regulations. At first glance, these rules may seem like "walls" that limit our actions and prevent us from taking on new challenges. However, I disagree. Laws and regulations should be "tools" to protect society and help people live in peace. And laws should always have a "purpose. If we understand the underlying "purpose" and act courageously in accordance with it, rather than being bound by the letter of the law, we will surely find a way to pave the way to the future. We can use the law not as a mere barrier, but as a powerful mechanism to create the future.

Why does the law look like a "wall"?

As an example of a legal barrier, consider the case of biomass district heating and cooling introduced in my book "Biomass Nippon. A system that supplies heating and cooling to a community using biomass fuels such as wood offcuts generated in forests is very effective toward a sustainable society. However, in order to realize this system, we found that there are more than 70 legal and regulatory hurdles to overcome, such as road occupancy permits, which require multiple permits and approvals at various levels such as village roads, town roads, and national roads.

So why do laws seem to be a "wall" to so many people? I believe it has to do with the Japanese legal system and our own way of thinking.

The Japanese legal system is said to be a continental legal system. The idea is that unless something is explicitly stated as "what may be done," it is, in principle, "what may not be done. In contrast, Anglo-American law is, in principle, free to do anything unless "what not to do" is explicitly stated. I feel that this difference is a major factor in preventing new challenges. It is very difficult to obtain permission for new attempts that are not written in the law.

In addition, there appears to be a widespread "lack of big-picture thinking" in contemporary Japanese society. Although people are enthusiastic about individual issues, few are able to paint a picture and talk about the big picture. Even in the academic world, there is an argument that people tend to "partially optimize" in order to write papers, and that a comprehensive perspective is being lost. Under such circumstances, laws tend to focus only on individual articles and lose sight of the larger purpose behind them.

If we understand the purpose of the law and implement it, we can overcome the wall.

However, there are many examples where a deep understanding of the "intent" of the law can break through seemingly insurmountable barriers.

An example is the deregulation of wooden construction. In the past, wooden buildings were treated less favorably than reinforced concrete buildings in terms of service life and earthquake resistance for financing. Legally, it was also difficult to construct tall wooden buildings. However, advances in construction technology have made it possible to ensure that wooden structures have the same level of earthquake and fire resistance as reinforced concrete buildings. This technological advancement has satisfied the law's objective of "seismic and fire safety," and regulations have been eased, with the number of wooden high-rise buildings now on the rise.

Behind the letter of the law, there is always a "purpose" that society is trying to achieve. If we have a deep understanding of this purpose and act in a way that contributes to its achievement, we can find a way, even if our actions may appear to differ from the letter of the law.

It is courageous action that creates the future

In addition to understanding the intent of the law, "courageous action" is essential to make it a reality.

Let me give you an example of a startup that collects blood samples from a specific group of people to determine their health status. However, in order to achieve the major goal of "ascertaining the health of society as a whole," the startup thought that it would not violate the law as long as it was a "self blood collection" rather than a "taking of human blood," as required by law, and thus cleared the legal barrier. The startup was able to clear the legal hurdle.

It seems to me that government agencies often "pile on" to new things that have no precedent. Since no one wants to take responsibility, it is difficult for new attempts to move forward. However, I believe that "in the end, there is no choice but for someone to do it. It is only when the businesses that act courageously and without deviating from the intent of the law, and are the first to establish a track record, that there will be an opportunity to improve the system.

A New Way to Build Consensus

In order to overcome legal barriers and create the future, it is also important to seek "new ways of consensus building" among diverse stakeholders.

The understanding and cooperation of many people are essential for deregulation and institutional reform. However, it is difficult to reach a consensus when each side advances its own arguments from its own standpoint. This is where I see great potential in the use of generative AI. Generative AI could help analyze vast amounts of information and sort out conflicting agendas and opinions.

Of course, it is not enough to simply ask AI what is "right. We believe that AI can be a tool to support more accurate and constructive consensus building by learning "good texts" such as official documents and experts' knowledge, and discussing points that we find "wrong" with them. What is important is not to use AI as a mere opinion-gathering tool, but to promote discussion from a common perspective of "the purpose of the law = objective. With this objective in mind, adjusting interests with the help of AI and finding a solution that is acceptable to society as a whole will be the key to paving the way to the future.

Keeping the Law Alive for the Future

Japanese society has the problem that "everyone keeps quiet. However, it is the accumulation of individual actions and statements that moves society. Even if it is a small step, if more people have the courage to "do it" in accordance with the spirit of the law and with an eye to the future, the system will change and society will change.

We must actively speak out and take action to realize a sustainable society, including a circular economy. This will be the power to truly utilize the law for the future. (Hiroshi Komiyama, Chairman, Platinum Initiative Network)

Tags.

• Wooden and woody construction in the town
• Institutional capital