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 →
Current U.S. trade policies were first tried by the Ottoman empire. As I show in this article — first published in the August 2010 issue of the American Conservative – America’s decline is proceeding even faster. Here’s an economic history … Continue reading →
John Kennedy’s ambassador to Japan is the subject of a new biography. Unfortunately, as I point out in this review (which was first published in the June 2010 issue of the American Conservative), the author’s agenda has little to do with … Continue reading →
My review of Paula Kamen’s recent biography of Iris Chang was posted at CounterPunch.org just two days ago. Reader reaction has been fast and sometimes furious. Judging by the scale and tone of responses to my review of Paula Kamen’s … Continue reading →
Iris Chang was a Chinese-American author and historian who took her own life in 2004. As Paula Kamen recounts in a new biography, Chang had challenged the establishments of two of the world’s most powerful nations. [This review was first … Continue reading →
Below, set out in chronological order, is a series of three exchanges between Professor Gregory Clark and me concerning, among other things, the problems for foreign correspondents in reporting the truth from Japan. Clark, a Japan-based educator and columnist for … Continue reading →
Senator Ernest F. Hollings’s recently published autobiography, Making Government Work, is wise, well-written, and consistently absorbing. Rarely has Senator Fritz Hollings used his renowned wit to more devastating effect than when he was interviewed in 1990 on the ABC program, … Continue reading →
One of the biggest misconceptions in the American trade debate is the idea that America can count on superior creativity to stay ahead of the crowd. [Article as published in the American Conservative on November 21, 2007.] TOKYO. Almost everything the … Continue reading →