James Fallows on China vs. Japan
James Fallows, one of my favorite journalists, who is currently at The Atlantic, was interviewed on Bob Edwards’ radio show. Fallows’ opinions and insights are really valuable to me because he lived in...
View ArticleTakeaway From Japan’s 20-Year Malaise
Thus Japan’s 20-year malaise has been a comedy of policy errors. Listening to people like ex-bank governor Mieno and veteran politician/finance bureaucrat Kaoru Yosano gives a big hint why, i.e., there...
View ArticleJan Hatzius and Paul Krugman on Japan’s lost decade
Very sobering. All of this is very familiar if you studied Japan in the ’90s. In fact, we’re [USA] doing worse than the Japanese did. Our monetary policy is a bit more aggressive, but our fiscal policy...
View ArticleTranslation of Keiji Inafune’s Capcom departure interview – NeoGAF
Translation of an interview with legendary Japanese game designer, Keiji Inafune, where he announces his resignation from Capcom. If anyone doubts that Japan’s “soft power” is in jeopardy, this is an...
View Articleasahi.com – Japanese students being left out in trend of international hiring
With Japan’s domestic market expected to shrink because of the low birthrate and graying society, Japanese companies are expanding into overseas markets. Hiring people with experience abroad is simply...
View ArticleEmbrace the world, English, too: Ogata | The Japan Times Online
That Sadako Ogata, of all people, has to still be stressing the importance of English to Todai students in 2010 is a testament to the complete failure of Japan’s education policies around English....
View ArticleM.B.A.’s in Japan Struggle for Respect – NYTimes.com
Fascinating article. Worth a longer discussion when I have time… Comparing a Harvard MBA to a Hitotsubashi or Globis MBA is completely laughable. Comical in a way that is hard to express. Utterly...
View Articlegoodbye to Eiko Ishioka
A truly unique artist has passed. Our dear family friend, from before I was born, Eiko Ishioka, passed this weekend. For those of you who don’t know of Eiko Ishioka, she was (and probably will be for a...
View ArticleSocial Investment Partners Japan
I just saw the news that Social Investment Partners has launched in Japan. This looks to be Japan’s first social benefit investment vehicle, focused on supporting non-profits in Japan. This is great...
View ArticleJapan net vs gross debt to GDP
245% vs. 41%. A very different narrative than what is in the mainstream press. “Japanese government owes debt of 1,269.1 trillion yen, and owns assets of 822.2 trillion yen, therefore the net debt is...
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