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 →
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.)
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →