As Syria seeks to define its reconstruction phase after years of war, attention is turning to international experiences that successfully transformed destruction into an opportunity for recovery.
In this context, a Syrian government delegation made an official visit to Japan in July to examine the recovery and reconstruction experiences of Kobe and Hiroshima. The delegation also explored their expertise in urban planning, disaster management, sustainable development, and the legislation and projects that helped turn the two cities into global models.
The visit raises questions about how far Syria could benefit from Japan’s reconstruction model and whether that experience can be applied to Syrian conditions.
Abdul Rahman Mohammed, a professor of finance and banking at the Faculty of Economics at Hama University, told Enab Baladi that Japan’s experience after World War II stands out as one of the most significant examples of reconstruction and development. Despite the wide gap between Japan and Syria in their historical circumstances, political environments, social structures, and available resources, the principles that guided Japan from destruction to development offer universal lessons that could be useful.
Mohammed identified the following key practical lessons from the Japanese experience:
- Prioritizing smart infrastructure: Japan did not simply rebuild what had been destroyed. It invested in modern and resilient infrastructure designed both to withstand natural disasters and support industrial development. This approach represents development-oriented reconstruction that goes beyond basic restoration.
- The locomotive sectors policy: Japan concentrated its limited resources in several strategic sectors capable of driving economic growth. It began with the iron and steel industries, then moved into electronics and automobile manufacturing. This approach created positive effects that extended across the rest of the economy.
- Building a three-way partnership: Japan’s experience relied on institutional coordination among three main parties: a government body responsible for planning and policymaking, a private sector responsible for implementation and production, and financial institutions that provided the funding needed for investment. This integration of planning, implementation, and financing was one of the main foundations of its success.
According to Mohammed, the Japanese experience cannot be transferred literally to Syria. Instead, the Japanese model must be broken down and reassembled in a way that suits Syrian realities.
Syria faces different challenges, including social and cultural diversity, divisions created by the conflict, the broad reach of the informal economy, the absence of an external force guaranteeing security and investment, and the overlapping interests of several international actors.
Opportunities for Application and Challenges on the Ground
Regarding the elements that could be applied in Syria, the economist said several aspects of the Japanese experience could be useful, provided they are modified and adapted to local conditions:
- The philosophy of monozukuri, or manufacturing craftsmanship: Syria’s industrial and artisanal heritage in cities such as Aleppo and Homs could be developed into high-quality small and medium-sized industries aimed at export markets.
- Education as a driver of reconstruction: Japan’s model of linking technical and vocational education to labor market needs is among the most applicable aspects of its experience. Developing vocational and technical training programs could help prepare skilled workers and close the skills gap.
- Carefully planned decentralization: Syria could benefit from Japan’s experience in economically empowering its governorates, provided this takes place within a national framework that ensures the fair distribution of resources.
Mohammed said there are also several aspects of the Japanese model that would be difficult to apply in Syria:
- The institutional model of Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry: Its role was based on an elite, disciplined, largely corruption-free bureaucracy.
In Syria, challenges related to weak institutional capacity, an oversized administrative apparatus, and corrupt practices make directly replicating this model unrealistic. Doing so could complicate administration rather than improve it.
- A cohesive social foundation: Japan’s reconstruction was supported by a cohesive society and a collective spirit of sacrifice. Restoring such conditions in Syria would require genuine national reconciliation, which has not yet taken shape.
Economic Foundations of Japan’s Successful Recovery
Mohammed said one of the main economic factors behind Japan’s successful reconstruction was its readily available human capital. Japan emerged from the war with an enormous pool of unemployed engineers and technicians who were immediately absorbed into the rebuilding process.
He also pointed to the presence of a strong institutional foundation and a cohesive, highly capable state bureaucracy, along with government policies that redirected income toward investment rather than consumption through a package of banking incentives.
Mohammed concluded that the real value of the Japanese experience does not lie in imitating Toyota factories or Shinkansen bullet trains. Rather, it lies in understanding how a nation transformed military humiliation into economic strength through a system of values centered on knowledge, precision, and confidence in public institutions.
He added that Syria’s main challenge is rebuilding its fractured social capital and establishing a new political and economic contract that ensures reconstruction does not merely reproduce the cycle of conflict and violence. Instead, it should become a national project capable of transforming the energy of destruction into sustainable development.
Although the Japanese experience cannot be adopted as a ready-made model, it offers a set of lessons that could help shape Syria’s reconstruction process.
The Japanese experience also demonstrates that reconstruction is not simply a process of rebuilding what was destroyed. It is an integrated economic project based on creating effective institutions, developing human capital, encouraging investment, and directing resources and capabilities toward long-term projects.
Despite similarities in the scale of destruction and the need for rebuilding, Japan and Syria began from different positions. Japan started reconstruction as an institutionally stable state with qualified human capital, while Syria faces the simultaneous challenge of rebuilding its economy, institutions, and social trust alongside its cities and infrastructure.
The Syrian delegation’s visit to Japan offered an opportunity to examine this experience at close range and benefit from its expertise. However, the success of any reconstruction process will depend on Syria’s ability to adapt these lessons to its specific local conditions and turn them into development policies that address the economic and social challenges created by years of war.
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