Category Archives: American decline

The myth of Japan’s “lost decades”: An invitation to Ambassador John Roos

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

Why do Americans keep misunderstanding Japan? Much of the blame must be placed at the door of the State Department. And that is why last week I extended an unusual offer  to  the current U.S. ambassador to Tokyo. As part … Continue reading →

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The Japanese Electronics Industry: A Rebuttal

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

A message for Richard Katz and other Japan declinists: Look at the big picture. Probably no commentator has been more outspoken in proclaiming the demise of the Japanese economic model than Richard Katz, author of The System that Soured. While many … Continue reading →

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A Reply to Paul Krugman

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

It is past time Paul Krugman visited “basket case” Japan. I have been under the weather these last few days, hence my delay in replying to Paul Krugman’s critique of my recent article on Japan’s lost decades. He writes: “Fingleton … Continue reading →

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Coming Soon: A Reply to Paul Krugman

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

paul krugman, matt yglesias, new york times, lost decades Continue reading →

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Japan’s “Lost Decades”: The Sophistry Continues

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

My article in today’s New York Times Sunday Review has been generating heat as well as light. An article I have written on Japan for the January 8 New York Times Sunday Review went live at the nytimes.com website yesterday … Continue reading →

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The Fingleton Invitation: Progress Report

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Eamonn Fingleton

People have asked me what happened to the Fingleton Invitation. The answer is nothing. Some months ago I invited Ed Lincoln, a former Tokyo-based economic adviser to the U.S. government, to join me for a public discussion of the Japanese … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter to Professor Edward J. Lincoln

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

The letter below, to the Clinton administration’s chief Japan economist, is self-explanatory. Dear Ed: Having heard nothing from you over the summer despite several private attempts to make contact, I must now press publicly for an answer. As you know, … Continue reading →

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Dollars and Dragons

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

I have just published the article below in  the American Conservative. TOKYO—In the mid 1990s, I published a book entitled Blindside: Why Japan Is Still on Track to Overtake the U.S. By the Year 2000. The prediction in the subtitle … Continue reading →

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Best Books On Japan: A Second Opinion

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

I have had occasion to  second-guess a recent list of best books on Japan. An old joke has it that a newspaper editor is a person who separates the wheat from the chaff, and then prints the chaff. On this … Continue reading →

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