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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →