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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Meet the heterodox economists challenging globalism. (This article was first published in the April 2011 issue of the American Conservative.) “I don’t care who writes a nation’s laws, or crafts its advanced treatises, if I can write its economics textbooks.” … Continue reading →
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 →
This article was first published at the Atlantic’s website in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Click here for the original. TOKYO, Japan — Your first Japanese earthquake is your most memorable. Or so I thought until, along with about … Continue reading →
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 →