Category Archives: Press

The strength of Japanese manufacturing

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

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Would a debate solve anything?

Although my proposal to hold a debate on Japan’s “lost decades” story has met with considerable support, some people have demurred. Would a debate on the Japanese economy really solve anything? One correspondent at a major American university seems to … Continue reading

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More reactions to my debate initiative

My call for a debate on Japan’s “lost decades” story continues to make  waves and many well-placed observers have written in support. I have obtained permission to pass on the comments below. From an investment banker in the United States: … Continue reading

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

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

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The Economist on Japan’s population “problem”

The Economist magazine likes to feel superior to anything it doesn’t understand. Luckily for its self-esteem, there is a lot in East Asia that has it stumped.  An example is Japan’s population policy. In the course of a major article … Continue reading

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The New York Times on Japan: Continuing fallout

Expert observers Holstein, Fallows, and Baker express their dismay at the Times’s miscues. I am not alone in challenging the New York Times’s recent account of a “disheartened” Japan. William J. Holstein, former president of the Overseas Press Club of America … Continue reading

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More nonsense from the New York Times on Japan’s “lost decades”

The Times says Japan is “disheartened.” It hasn’t looked at Japan’s trade figures — or America’s. The New York Times yesterday carried a major article headlined “Japan Goes from Dynamic to Disheartened.” Rarely has the truth of the Japanese economy … Continue reading

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Myths of the Japanese economy

This is a longer version of an article I have just published in the journal of the Overseas Press Club of America. Former Tokyo correspondents held a reunion at the Overseas Press Club in New York in March at which … Continue reading

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How the press stabbed Detroit in the back

In a new article for CounterPunch, I show that, by failing to blow the whistle on protectionism in key foreign markets,  the American press shares  blame for Detroit’s implosion. For decades East Asian competition has played a controversial role in … Continue reading

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