Thirty-five years ago, around 1991, I visited Paris for the first time. Coming from Tokyo—a city filled with gleaming, modern skyscrapers—my immediate impression of Paris was that it looked remarkably old and steeped in history. Even the elevators had heavy, manual doors that you had to open and close by hand.
It is famous that Paris was spared destruction during the German occupation in World War II. Because it avoided being burned to the ground, the entire city has miraculously survived to this day like a vast, open-air museum.
Yet, looking at Paris today, I cannot help but recall the words of the poet Arthur Rimbaud, who spoke of the necessity of "necessary destruction." Destruction always carries the flip side of rebirth and renewal. When I see the aging streets of modern Paris, the growing number of homeless people, and the frequent riots and demonstrations, it feels as though the city is gasping for air—trapped because it was neither destroyed nor truly reborn. The protesters seem to be crying out that they have reached their limit.
The Tale of Two Cities: Tokyo and Paris
This contrasts sharply with the history of Tokyo. In Japan, there is an old aphorism listing the four most frightening things in life: "Earthquakes, thunder, fires, and fathers." True to that saying, Tokyo has been plagued by fires since the Edo period and was reduced to ashes repeatedly by the Great Kanto Earthquake and the air raids of World War II.
Because of these forced resets, Tokyo developed a metabolism of constant scrap-and-build, continuously reinventing itself for the modern era. Paris, on the other hand, is weighed down by its own magnificent preservation. Watching the political gridlock and social unrest in France today feels like the famous phrase from the Congress of Vienna: "The congress dances, but does not progress."
A Bold Vision for Europe’s Future
If Paris does not find a way to undergo a necessary renewal, it risks becoming a literal museum—beautiful to look at, yet suffocating for the people who actually live there.
Perhaps it is time for a bold new approach to urban and geopolitical planning:
- Build a "New Paris": Leave the historic old city intact as a cultural treasure, while constructing a modern "New Paris" right next to it to generate effective demand, create housing, and revitalize the economy.
- Elevate Brussels as the True Capital: Much like how Japan preserved Kyoto as its ancient cultural capital while moving political and economic power to Tokyo, Europe could embrace a clearer division of roles. Paris could remain the timeless cultural symbol of European civilization, while Brussels—already home to the EU's core institutions—could be boldly developed as the true, forward-looking capital of an integrated Europe.
President Emmanuel Macron faces immense challenges in pushing through reforms against deep-rooted resistance. Breaking out of this stagnation will not be easy, and I sincerely hope he succeeds in finding a path forward. To keep a city—and a continent—truly alive, we must find the courage not only to protect the past, but also to make room for the future.
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