Category Archives: Press

The long arm of Japanese industrial policy: Northern Ireland’s experience

In Dublin, Ireland, where I have lived in recent years, many observers view East Asian economics as a remote issue of little interest in Western Europe. As I discovered the other day, it is an attitude shared even by some … Continue reading

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Some of my Forbes commentaries

  If you click through on the headings below, you can get to the articles concerned. Most of them focus on international trade or American decline or both. For my first item, however, I chose something different — partly because it … Continue reading

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An Open Letter to Professor Edward J. Lincoln

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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Best Books On Japan: A Second Opinion

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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The Weight of the Yen

As I have repeatedly documented at this website, the story of Japan’s two lost decades is a myth. But if I am right, how come so many ostensibly reliable observers seem to disagree with me? There are several reasons, none … Continue reading

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My $10,000 charity offer: an appearance on Thom Hartmann’s show

I am still awaiting news from Ed Lincoln on whether he will join me for a debate. In the meantime my offer has not gone unnoticed elsewhere. I created quite a splash with my offer last month to pay $10,000 … Continue reading

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An invitation, some surprising facts, and two elusive experts

For thirteen years now I have been trying to organize a public debate on what really happened to the Japanese economy. The effort continues. The facts below have convinced at least one top American economic thinker that a debate is … Continue reading

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A $10,000 offer for Robby Feldman and Ed Lincoln

Let’s sort out once and for all what has really happened to the Japanese economy in the last two decades. Some months ago I offered to make a $5,000 donation to charity if any of ten influential Western commentators joined … Continue reading

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The Nanking Massacre: Iris Chang’s legacy

The late Iris Chang, author of the best selling book The Rape of Nanking, is the subject of a compelling new biography by her mother Ying-Ying Chang. (This commentary was first published at the  website of the Atlantic Monthly.) Hints … Continue reading

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Translating Japan

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

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