Category Archives: Manufacturing

Translating Japan

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

It took an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster to reveal how little the West understands the land of the rising sun. (This article first appeared in the June 2011 edition of the American Conservative.) TOKYO. The art of reading between … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Manufacturing, Press | Tagged amakudari, chalmers johnson, chokepoints, david warren, emperor akihito, japanese earthquake, john beddington, kuro, william holstein | Leave a comment

The strength of Japanese manufacturing

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

For two decades the New York Times has reported almost nothing but gloom about Japan’s manufacturing industries. I challenged a recent report in a letter to the editor. Your report ( “Japan Confronts Its New Normal,” May 12 in the … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Japan, Manufacturing, Press, Trade | Leave a comment

Earthquake: Interview on Thom Hartmann’s Big Picture

Posted on March 24, 2011 by admin

Thom Hartmann interviewed me on his show The Big Picture last week. (Thom is one of the most astute commentators in the American media and author of several great books.)

Posted in Global economy, Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan, Manufacturing, Trade | Tagged fukushima, japan, thom hartmann, tokyo | Leave a comment

The coming crisis in the global manufacturing chain

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

How much will the Japanese earthquake hurt the global economy? (Article as first published by the New Republic.) Not many people in the American electronics industry had ever heard of the Japanese town of Niihama before the summer of 1993. … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Global economy, Japan, Manufacturing | Leave a comment

A message to Japan Forum members

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

My offer to debate the “basket case Japan” story has generated more heat than light at the National Bureau of Asian Research’s Japan Forum. As a matter of policy, I do not participate in online forums but, as friends have … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Book reviews, Global economy, History, Japan, Manufacturing, Trade | Leave a comment

Japan’s “slump”: editorial page article from The Guardian

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Eamonn Fingleton

Britain’s Guardian newspaper ran an editorial page article last year that closely supported the Fingleton analysis of Japan’s “slump.” Among the many expressions of support I have had since I posted a blog article at theatlantic.com last week on … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Global economy, History, Japan, Manufacturing, Press | Leave a comment

Germany: The big engine that could

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Eamonn Fingleton

When the global economic crisis began in 2008, many commentators predicted Germany would be among the worst hit. As I show in this article — first published in the American Prospect — Germany has in reality excelled not only in … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Global economy, Manufacturing, Trade | Tagged adam posen, german economy, herrigel, jude blanchette, larry elliott, the american prospect | Leave a comment

I told you so (cont’d)

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Eamonn Fingleton

In 1999 I wrote a book that foreshadowed the collapse of America’s New Economy stock boom. I went on to publish a paperback version with a new introduction — an introduction whose prescience has also stood the test of time. … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Global economy, Japan, Manufacturing, Service economy, Trade | Tagged "trade-deficits-don't-matter", alan abelson, alfred eckes, allan sloan, bertelsmann, chalmers johnson, devaluation, greenspan, hollings, jim grant, john cassidy, lexisnexis, marshall auerback, ohmae, optical fiber, ottoman, pat buchanan, pat choate, robert heller, tariffs, unsustainable | Leave a comment

Detroit: A riposte to the bashers

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Eamonn Fingleton

Detroit’s problems are partly — but only partly — its own fault. Other actors, not least the smart-alecks of America’s opinion-making industry, have played a crucial role in this tragedy. (This is a longer version of an article published at … Continue reading →

Posted in Global economy, Japan, Manufacturing, Trade | Tagged andrew coyne, detroit, japan, left-hand drive, mitt romney, opel, renault, steering wheel, trade barriers | Leave a comment

Boeing, Boeing,….Gone: An article revisited

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Eamonn Fingleton

In a cover story in the American Conservative in January 2005, I documented the remarkable degree to which East Asian governments have been persuading the Boeing corporation to transfer proprietary American aerospace technology. Soon afterwards Unsustainable.org crashed and it was … Continue reading →

Posted in American decline, Global economy, Japan, Manufacturing, Trade | Tagged 787, Airbus, alan macpherson, b-47, boeing, dassault, david pritchard, harry stonecipher, hollowing out, louis uchitelle, mcdonnell douglas, open kimono, outsourcing, pat choate, r&d management, seattle, sphere of influence, thornton wilson | Leave a comment