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 →
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 →
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 →
It turns out — surprise — that not everyone thinks the Japanese economy is a basket case. A few days ago I issued an invitation to ten top Japan watchers to a debate on what has really happened to the … Continue reading →
For years I have held that Japan’s “slump” is a media myth. I have twice in the past extended an invitation to the principal proponents of the slump story to join me in a live one-on-one debate. I have had … Continue reading →
America’s foreign military bases are bad business. (This article first appeared in the January 2011 issue of the American Conservative.) TOKYO. When German executives visit Tokyo, they are often treated to a session at Bernd’s Bar, a notably authentic German pub. … Continue reading →
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 →
In a field known for fractiousness, Chalmers Johnson spoke with unique authority. Today we received the sad news that Chalmers Johnson, America’s greatest Japan scholar, has passed on. Although late in life he achieved considerable fame for his critique of … Continue reading →
I have been reading two new books on trade (this review was first published in the December 2010 issue of the American Conservative). The Betrayal of American Prosperity: Free Market Delusions, America’s Decline, and How We Must Compete in the … Continue reading →
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 →