http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/ The author of this blog will answer to your questions and comments. And this is the only place in the world where you can engage in free discussion with people from English, Japanese, Chinese and Russian speaking areas. en Copyright 2010 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:35:28 +0900 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.32-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss the world has lost meaning. But instead of futile cynicism isn't it time to restore the civic ideals, which still hold true as the ultimate goal of social and economic development? Below is my article which was published in the latest issue of "Japan Economic Review". I wish you all a Happy New Year! Akio KAWATO Three principles for modern society The rise of China and the decline of the United States are currently well-publicized. However, I feel that both are exaggerations. China's development cannot go any faster than the speed of the transfer of wealth from developed nations as long as China's development is largely driven by exports. Likewise, it is extremely unlikely that the United States would fall down from the status that it enjoys now as a superpower unless a great war occurs. The world as a whole is gradually becoming wealthier as multinational corporations shift their production sites from one country to another around the globe, searching for cheaper labor. This global process of drastic expansions in productivity, in other words, the industrial revolution that started in the United Kingdom, is still apparent. In that process, growing nations and "former" developed nations are comparing their strengths, or those who had been ruled are getting back at those who had ruled them. Competing endlessly under the framework of "nations," however, will be of no one's interests. This is because unlike the age of imperialism in the 19th century, when a war machine called a "nation state" was devised and nations fought fiercely for colonies (i.e. monopolistic overseas markets) by collecting taxes and mobilizing troops, the role of nation in the post-war world, where free trade is guaranteed to some extent, is largely geared toward ensuring the welfare of its people, rather than engaging in war. As a result of recent attempts to impose democracy by forcible means, some developing nations, shunning interference by Western countries, have withdrawn into their "traditional values." Talking them into the importance of human rights or people's liberty would only result in receiving sniggers. Neither is it persuasive enough to talk about the effectiveness of a market economy when the world is facing an economic downturn. Yet it sill holds true that liberty, democracy, and market economics have been established as the three principles to ensure the rights and welfare of all people as is the case in the United Kingdom since the 17th century, when economic and living standards improved, liberating the people from an excessive reliance on territorial connections and bonds of kinship, and submission to them. John Locke argues that men have a right to protect their own liberty as well as the liberty of others. Jeremy Bentham discusses "the greatest happiness of the greatest number." Adam Smith advocates the principles of modern market economics, in which supply and demand come into balance even in an impersonal market, which is not driven by negotiation transactions, but by the invisible hand. These theories have formed the foundation of modern civil and economic societies. It is true that some of these theories are hypocritical, but at least they guarantee the rights of independent individuals. Such assets as factories and banks, which bring about wealth, are indeed under the control of oligopoly capital. Yet competition is indispensable for their survival, and the government redistributes their wealth to general voters by means of corporate taxation and social welfare. Significance of the rise of China The rise of China will probably steal the scene again this year. Given that China and India were major players in the world economy until the first half of the 19th century, it is no surprise even if they regain their status now that the age of colonialism is over. Rather, it is something to be congratulated heartily that the peoples of China and India are finally coming to the end of the hardships they have endured for many years. The entire world would benefit from the expansion of domestic markets in these two countries. That said, I wonder if the world does not expect too much of China, forcing it to play an over-sized role. Credit-rating firms' guaranty, or rating, has become an essential part of a mechanism in which sub-prime loans had created a great bubble in the economy. The same goes for the Chinese economy; is it not true that global financial and research institutions had made money by talking up the Chinese economy in an excessive manner to inflate stock and bond prices, which in turn attracted investors around the world, resulting in another hike in prices? A recent survey shows that nearly 40% of the people in the United States believe that China has already become the world's largest economy. They are the victims of the propaganda conducted by their own countrymen. Strange things are happening because people in mass media and academic circles, without examining it, write articles and papers making recommendations based on an exaggerated perception of China. For example, some people started to think that world affairs can be determined solely by the G2 - the United States and China; others propose leaving Asia to China (now, let us think of rebukes that would be elicited from other countries, had Europe been left to Russia or Germany); and some European countries have already shown their willingness to play up to China for economic interests. As Premier Wen Jiabao of China told President Barack Obama of the United States last November that China, with many domestic issues, is still a developing country and thus has its limits in leading the world with the United States. And yet an increasing number of people in China, who are taken in by the chorus of "China as number one," humiliate foreigners unnecessarily by acting like a superpower. Revive the meaning of the world It is no good forcing values on other nations. The Obama administration commits the United States to no longer forcing their values on others. Still, it is important for the world as a whole to reconfirm this point: the ultimate goal of economic development is not to secure the interests of leaders and oligopoly capital, but to realize the rights and welfare of all individuals. The world must be united as one in tackling environmental pollution and shortages in resources and water, issues that a global economic development has brought about. All cultures are equal and relative. The rights and welfare of individuals, however, are not relative issues. I wish for 2010 to be a year to re-examine the meaning of economic development and values serving as the starting point of modern society, overcoming cynicism and lapses of confidence. ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/toward_the_start_of_2010---it.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/toward_the_start_of_2010---it.php Japan Diary Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:35:28 +0900 Development of horizontal and vertical trade in Asia It was often said in the near past that East Asian countries are not economically intertwined and their culture is so diversified that they will never form a unity. But today the economies of East Asian countries are far more intertwined than in the past. Japanese, European and American automobile and electrical goods factories are now opened in China and ASEAN countries, and the factories of one company trade parts and engines with other factories from their own company. For example, Japan has an automobile engine factory in Thailand; and engines are sent directly to another factory in Guangzhou in China. Such tight integration and division of labor is now being formed in East Asia. In 2003, East Asian inter-regional trade constituted 54.5% of the total volume. The figure for the EU is 58.1%. We are almost close to the EU's level, though countries in Asia trade with each other not so much finished products (as is done in the EU) as investment products (machineries, equipments and parts from Japan, for example). And now please take a look at this map, which very clearly demonstrates the intertwined economic relations in Asia. This is a network of highways, which the governments of Japan, China and ASEAN countries, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Development Bank, are together building in the whole Eurasian Continent. This will create better connections between east and west, and between south and north. This facilitates division of labor. Relying on these highways, automobile factories in Chinese Guangzhou Province, that is the centre of the automobile industry in China, can work together with affiliated factories in Thailand, Malaysia and in the future, Myanmar and even India. In Central Asia the Asian Development Bank, Japan and also China are now actively constructing networks of highways, too. Things are changing. The Japanese and Chinese Governments and all other governments are intentionally building infrastructure for larger intra-regional economic cooperation, which will create conditions for stability and prosperity in the region. A single currency for Asia?--too early to talk about, but efforts are being done If the economy is so intertwined, is it possible to create a single currency for Asia? Let me start with the Chiang Mai Agreement. This is an East Asian monetary arrangement (a network of currency swap agreements for emergency) under the auspices of Japan, China and ASEAN countries. In case of a financial crisis, each country has right to ask for yen, baht, Chinese yuan etc as a solution for possible insolvency. Japan has been helping ASEAN countries to develop their own bond markets so that they will not have to rely upon foreign capital too much. In 1997 the massive exodus of the foreign capita created a financial havoc. And in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008 the Asian Development Bank has doubled its capital. Incidentally Japan and the U.S. are the biggest contributors to the Asian Development Bank. So, can combination of all these arrangements lead to creations of a unified East Asian currency and eventually establishment of an Asian Monetary Fund? Our answer is, in one word, it is too early to talk about it. At least we have to wait for the total convertibility of the Chinese yuan, which most probably will take at least another ten years or so. Only then it will become possible to create some single counting unit on the basis of major convertible currencies in Asia, namely Japanese yen, U.S. dollar, Chinese yuan and a few more others. Further, beyond the currency unification will be the far goal, political unity. For example Japan's former Prime Minister Nakasone once mentioned establishment of Asian Parliament and Asian Constitution. And I am sure that he does not have any ambition to become Asian President. The "Mega market" in Asia--opportunity and challenge for us Let me continue a little bit before I stop. Before the Opium War, China and India produced about 50% of the world GDP. I do not know how it was calculated, but it is based on the work of a famous scholar called Andre Gunter Frank, "Reorient". Today this picture is at least partially coming back to our time. Talks about the big prospects in BRICs or G20 are rampant. Sure, the Asian market will be very important for all of us, but we should stay sober and keep balanced policy. For example the Asian market will not fully substitute the U.S. market. Both are important. On the other hand the growing importance of the Asian market forces us to bring some changes in our commercial strategy. For example we need to significantly lower prices for our products in Asian countries; for example, if we want to sell automobiles in India, we will have to drastically lower the prices, because Tata Conglomerate in India has just started selling a new model 'Nano' for only 2,000 U.S. dollars, though currently they can produce it in a small quantity, and the most people in the middle class prefer more expensive ones as status symbol. We need less fanciness and more pragmatism for our products. For example, our cellular phones are so intricate; but they have too many functions, which we do not use daily and they are very expensive. That is why we have lost our export markets for mobile telephones. We need more pragmatism in our products. But in case of New Zealand, things might be the other way around. Agricultural products like cheese and other products should be distinguished from other countries' ones by brands and higher quality. Our commercial strategies vis-à-vis the emerging "mega markets" should be flexible and divergent, depending upon which products you are talking about. Thank you. (Mr. Kawato is the author of an epic novel in Russia, "LAND OF LEGEND, LAND OF DREAM--The Tale of Ilya". Its background is the fall of the Soviet Union and the ensuing social upheaval. The hero of the novel is an independently-minded Russian journalist Il'ya, who eventually becomes a national poet only to be assassinated. It is a Russian novel written by a Japanese, but most of the Russian readers even did not notice that the author was a foreigner. Now its English translation is posted in Mr.Kawato's blog for free. Please enjoy it at http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/the_world/russia/my_epic_novel_on_contemporary.php) ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japans_place_and_its_policy_in.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japans_place_and_its_policy_in.php Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:24:25 +0900 General impression of Delhi It was my first trip to Delhi after five years of lacuna. The number of cows and man-drawn tricycle taxi has decreased, and new large shopping malls have been opened. However, there is no such construction boom, which one can find in China. It is probably because lands are owned privately in India, thus making rapid large-scale razing and reconstruction impossible. Therefore, the general impression is that the tempo of India's economic development is slower than that of China, though their development probably has more steady character. In punctuality and organizational skills things leave much to be desired, but in places where there are good managers, workers looked highly motivated and are able to quickly act on their own judgement. Main features of the symposium No particular conclusions and proposals were made for the symposium. It peacefully proceeded with presentation of speeches and discussion thereafter. I would draw out the following points as main findings (The impressions, which I acquired in my meetings with Indian experts outside the symposium, are combined in the following). (1) All participants were aware of the growing influence of China in Central Asia, in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) inter alia. Some countries are accordingly readjusting their policy toward Central Asia and SCO. Especially for Europe SCO, if it is coupled with EU, may seem to be a suitable forum where they could involve China in a multilateral discussion. On the other hand, Russian President Medvedev has proposed a new mechanism for security by combining NATO, CSTO, SCO and OSCE under one umbrella. This, if ever realized, would form something between OSCE and UN for the entire Eurasia except for the Mideast. If NATO, EU and SCO ever develop mutual ties (it will not happen so quickly), Japan should be aware of the risk of being left out from this new deal. Perhaps, the remedy would be accession of the Central Asian countries to APEC and closer cooperation between Japan, EU and NATO. (2) India still does not express a grave concern about encroaching Chinese influence around it. Probably India is well aware that the Chinese leadership today does not pursue an expansionist policy, attaching priority on maintenance of stability around itself. Further, the maritime predominance of India in the Indian Ocean, important route for Chinese tankers from the Mideast and Africa, gives them confidence. On the other hand India does not feel that the tripartite forum between India, China and Russia provide a solid basis for their policy in Eurasia, because of the mutual apprehension between India and China. (3) India feels comfortable with the current status of their relations with the U.S. India believes that it has capacity to influence U.S. policy, partly because there are about two million(sic) Indian people living in the U.S. However, India is well aware of the fact that as long as the Afghan War continues Pakistan is more important for the U.S., because it is the Pakistani intelligence forces which possess information about whereabouts of the Talibans. (4) Japan under Abe's government (2006~07) promoted its relations with India, intending to balance the growing power of China. Mr. Abe even declared "Strategic Global Partnership" with India. However, I did not find much enthusiasm on the part of the Indian experts about prospects of cooperation with Japan. India seems to consider that Japan does not possess enough capacity to affect the balance of power around Inida. My own statements During the symposium I stressed the importance to help the Central Asian countries consolidate their statehood. In this undertaking, I said, such countries like Japan, India and EU may well form a loose grouping, because their weight in Central Asia is likewise middle level, and because their objectives in this part of the world are largely identical (and innocuous). I name it as a "Star Alliance" in international relations. (The Star Alliance is originally a union among second-tier aviation companies in the world. Today with Japan's ANA, Lufthansa, SAS, United, Continental, South Korea's ASIANA and others it forms a large entity) ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/for_a_star_alliance_of_second-.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/for_a_star_alliance_of_second-.php Diplomacy Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:24:06 +0900 Season's greetings! Japan is now on a watershed in many ways: its alliance with the United States, prospects of its economy and general direction of its civilization. Last summer we had a totally new government with Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), an amalgam of socialists, die-hards of students' riots in late sixties, labor unions and non-partisan voters who were hit by the austere reforms by premier Koizumi. Under the economy which has not grown for these twenty years, people are adamant in finding the culprit and denying everything under LDPJ (Liberal Democratic Party of Japan). It just reminds me of the Soviet Union in late eighties, when the Russians attributed all their mishaps to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Though entire Japan after the Pacific War has enjoyed the economic fruits emanating from the alliance with the U.S.A., people are now saying that the alliance served interests of the "establishment" of the society. They do not realize that the freedom, which they are enjoying now to the fullest extent, would not be possible, if Japan start drifting from the post-war values of civic society. Sure, I have to note that the silent majority of the society firmly support the alliance with America, and even among the members of DPJ the view of Mr.Hatoyama, the prime minister, is not widely shared (by the way it is hard to know what Hatoyama really thinks about our security policy. ). And today the government has finalized main points for next year's state budget, and things may come back to the right orbit more or less. But still we have to reach a wider understanding on our security policy ( it is good that through the new rule of DPJ people are learning the function and the rules of the government. More transparency and more persuasion), and have to see what the next year's lucrative state budget (almost half of it is to be financed by new issue of governmental bonds) will lead to: high inflation or Keynesian economic recovery. (In fact the issue of more governmental bonds works as a kind of "rotated borrowing and pumping" of un-used savings of the citizens. To a certain degree it should work. I voted for DPJ just out of curiosity to see what would happen. It turned out to be too scary. At one time I am in despair, thinking that Japan is heading toward a fiasco, and yet next moment I come back to my mind, thinking that perhaps our tenacious manufacturing companies will save us all, anyway. So, this is my year-end feeling. I wish you the best of all lucks for the coming year of (paper) tiger. Akio KAWATO www.japan-world-trends.com http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/post_26.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/post_26.php Japan Diary Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:33:19 +0900 1. Cooperation for macro-economic stabilization Japan is eager to contribute to stabilization of the world economy. Japan is aware of the fact that the economies of East Asia and the U.S. are mutually dependent. Japan, the second largest foreign owner of U.S. Treasury Bills, is determined to act that the prices of U.S. Treasury Bills be not disrupted. 2. Cooperation in further strengthening APEC Hatoyama is promoting the idea of "East Asian Community". This is a long-term goal, and meanwhile he could go along with APEC on which the U.S. government attaches priority. APEC summit meeting will be held in Japan in 2010, and in the U.S. in 2011. APEC is a good arena where all member countries could confirm the principle of free trade. Further, it may well address political issues like CSCE did in 1975, which confirmed the status quo in Europe and launched confidence building measures. 3. The Futemma issue should not become a stumbling block for the visit. What is important is the basic: "Japan needs America in its security. For the U.S., too, partnership with Japan is essential for maintenance of stability and open market economy in Asia" Such a broad announcement is what is precisely needed at this moment in East Asia. Dear President Obama, you are popular in Japan, too. Many Japanese are looking forward to seeing you. ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/obama_is_coming_to_japan---new.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/obama_is_coming_to_japan---new.php Japan Diary Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:43:47 +0900 1. Cooperation for macro-economic stabilization Japan is eager to contribute to stabilization of the world economy. Japan is aware of the fact that the economies of East Asia and the U.S. are mutually dependent. Japan, the second largest foreign owner of U.S. Treasury Bills, is determined to act that the prices of U.S. Treasury Bills be not disrupted. 2. Cooperation in further strengthening APEC Hatoyama is promoting the idea of "East Asian Community". This is a long-term goal, and meanwhile he could go along with APEC on which the U.S. government attaches priority. APEC summit meeting will be held in Japan in 2010, and in the U.S. in 2011. APEC is a good arena where all member countries could confirm the principle of free trade. Further, it may well address political issues like CSCE did in 1975, which confirmed the status quo in Europe and launched confidence building measures. 3. The Futemma issue should not become a stumbling block for the visit. What is important is the basic: "Japan needs America in its security. For the U.S., too, partnership with Japan is essential for maintenance of stability and open market economy in Asia" Such a broad announcement is what is precisely needed at this moment in East Asia. Dear President Obama, you are popular in Japan, too. Many Japanese are looking forward to seeing you. ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/obama_is_coming_to_japan---new_1.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/obama_is_coming_to_japan---new_1.php Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:43:47 +0900 President Obama is coming to Japan in a week, and there are two happy news. The Japanese baseball player Matsui churned out six (!) points for the Yankees' final game in the World Series. He was chosen as MVP. Great. But it is a pity for the Japanese that American people consider him as an American player. The second good news is that the late Michael Jackson's new movie "This is it" has earned 10 million dollars in Japan (in five days only!); this sum is the second largest only after thirty million dollars in the U.S. For Hollywood Japan still is the most important overseas market. With such happy news in the background many Japanese are looking forward to seeing President Obama as symbol of the hope for economic recovery and for reestablishment of the values like freedom and democracy. http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/japans_great_contribution---fo.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/japans_great_contribution---fo.php Diplomacy Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:36:01 +0900 --- Japan may be becoming a country which is "worth defending" in the eyes of the public for the first time since W.W.Ⅱ (Observations below are without statistics. If you need any figures which endorse my views, please let me know. I will send them to you.) I have been wondering for one year. Japan has become foreign to me during eight years of my stay abroad. I realize that almost everyone in commuter trains is younger than I. That is a sad revelation that my generation (I was born right after the war, forming the most numerous generation) is now being out of charge of the society. These younger generations do not read newspapers (they get information via the Internet), and yet are politically rather knowledgeable because the tax and social insurance burden is constantly growing. It is they who caused the dramatic victory of Koizumi in the last election. The younger generations, which are usually apathetic, came to voting this time to express their antipathy to the old guard politicians, who today look so alien on TV. The popularity of baseball and Sumo-wrestling is constantly going down, and the people's favorite today is soccer games, because they are more dynamic and fast. Since the bubble economy burst in the beginning of the 90s, college graduates have been finding difficulty in getting a stable life-time employment, and the unsuccessfull youngsters became so-called "neat", who neither work nor associate with others, mostly staying home with parents. However, the larger part have become more independent from corporate-thinking. They manage to survive individually, finding part-time jobs. Even those who found a stable job do not mind quitting it, when they are not satisfied. Japanese atheletes are not playing for the fame of the state any more. They simply challenge the limits of their own capability. Culture in Japan is now in full blossom. Probably thanks to the cyber-ticket selling, no matter where I go, concerts, theater performances and exihibitions are full of public. The standard has become very high. Be it Western classical music performed by Japanese orchestras, be it "modernized" Kabuki performance, be it contemporary art, the level is higher than in most other countries. And here, too, those "strange" younger generations fill the seats (please imagine to yourself my despair). 　Freedom of speech is fully guranteed. All what used to be holy are now subject to a thorough investigation by the public. Old-type politicians, high-ranking government officials and even public broadcasting (revenue of NHK has drastically decreased) have lost their authority in the past. All in all Japan has become a country which it is confortable to live in and therefore is worth defending. The Japanese youth are still very pacifist, but a natural and largely healthy national pride may be in the offing. And that is a remarkable change, because my generation's attitude toward the government has been rather synical. I assume that your society is undergoing a similar change. In a sense we are now witnessing a formulation of a new "East Asian civilization", which is based upon traditional aesthetics and is tinted by Western pop-culture. Japan has been concentrating on economic reconstruction. Now that it is almost over, Japan should again embark upon more active diplomacy. The social change as stated above should be reflected in her foreign policy. For example, Japan should see to it that the mainstays of of her policy toward Eastern Asia is the maintenance of status quo (We are neither militant nor aggressive), maintenance of freedom and assistance for building a prosperous, free and egalitarian society. The society which consists mainly of the middle class is an achievement which East Asian countries can be proud of. Also, the USA should not be repulsed as a foreign force, but should be co-opted for our own benefit as a guarantor of maintenance of the status quo, freedom of speech and economic well-being. 30 October, 2005 Akio Kawato ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/japanese_society_has_changed.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/japan_diary/japanese_society_has_changed.php Japan Diary Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:20:19 +0900 ese", while the Koreans are named Koreans. In the school we used to be taught that the suffix "--ese" is an expression of disrespect. The suffix "---ian" is for normal races like the Arians, we were told. Knowing or not knowing about it, many people in the West also use more simple "Jap". It is safer, perhaps they think, because it is without any suffix-----my goodness. Just for convenience let us unify the suffix to "---ians" for all nations: Japanese to Japanian, and Chinese to Chinian and so on and so forth. ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/culture/romeo_romeo_why_are_you_romeo.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/culture/romeo_romeo_why_are_you_romeo.php Culture Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:25:19 +0900 East Asia Community" as a long-term goal. At the meeting Hatoyama began his statement with the words (according to Asahi newspaper), "Up to now Japan has been rather too dependent on the U.S. While I continue to attach importance to Japan-U.S. alliance, I want to promote a policy in which Asia will be given more importance than before." These two things might be over-interpreted as Japan's attempt to form an East-Asian bloc. But things are not that unequivocal. And here are my off hand comments. 1. This Japan-China-South Korea forum is a very mighty economic grouping (It does not have any institution, though. It is exciting to note that President Li of South Korea proposed to establish a "Cyber-secretariat" for the forum.) But one has to note that these three countries thrive thanks to their symbiotic economic ties with the U.S. It would not serve their interest to exclude the U.S. from Asia. These three countries are well aware, too, that the political and military presence of the U.S. is the cornerstone for the maintenance of the status quo in their region. 2. This tripartite gathering is an embodiment of friendship and cooperation among three big powers, the relations between which have been often torn with historical enmities. It is the U.S. has always been calling for a mutual understanding and concord between the three. Friendly relations between the three countries reduce the risk for the U.S. to be entangled in conflicts among three countries. In other words Mr. Hatoyama may well want to reduce such risk and burden (in his own words "Japan's dependence on the U.S.) for the U.S. 3. As regards America's involvement in Asian affairs, one has to note that the U.S. is member in a variety of forum; for example it will host the APEC summit meeting in 2011. 4. Besides, however, it is time for the U.S. to streamline the form for its involvement in Asian affairs; East-Asian Summit meeting, the six-party talks on denuclearization of North Korea, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Shangri-la Forum and so on. Things will be sorted out anyway toward Mr.Obama's visit to Asia scheduled in mid November.

]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/the_japan-china-south_korea_su.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/diplomacy/the_japan-china-south_korea_su.php Diplomacy Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:01:05 +0900 Yesterday I attended a seminar on Japanese way of management abroad. One thing which drew my attention was the statement that the Japanese managers are good at dealing with blue-collar workers, but disastrous in competing with fellow foreign managers: not only the lack of language proficiency, but also lack of strategic thinking. Sad, really sad. Well, we will draw back our factories to Japan again. The wage level in Japan has not gone up these fifteen years. We are becoming cheap labor again. http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/unwarranted_views/the_japanese_are_good_at_manag.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/unwarranted_views/the_japanese_are_good_at_manag.php Unwarranted Views Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:07:00 +0900 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgKgdDH5DqU]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/unwarranted_views/how_young_women_in_japan_feel.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/unwarranted_views/how_young_women_in_japan_feel.php Unwarranted Views Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:26:02 +0900 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e48Y2Fkrf_0&feature=channel Please try it. The sound quality is far better in their CD, though. The URL at AMAZON is http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%8F%A4%E6%9C%AC%E5%B1%8B%E3%81%AE%E3%83%AF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%84-%E9%BB%92%E8%88%B9%E3%83%AC%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%81%A8%E9%8A%80%E6%98%9F%E6%A5%BD%E5%9B%A3/dp/B001LINEF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253541577&sr=1-1 This is not a payed advertisement. ]]> http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/culture/i_have_found_a_good_music.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/culture/i_have_found_a_good_music.php Culture Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:52:25 +0900 EPILOGUE After the tragic shooting a letter was found in Ilya’s pocket. It had been sent from America half a year earlier. Dear Ilyusha, Three days ago Ilya and I arrived in San Francisco. Thank you and your wife for seeing us off. After the two of you started living together again I was able to calm down. In sunny California when Ilya got off the plane, he acted as if it was perfectly natural for him to be there. He wasn’t at all shy. This young man will conquer the world some day. And I’ll raise him to become precisely such a man. Ilyushenka, you accomplished the impossible—you gave me a last chance. This child has become the single purpose of my whole life. From now on I will live only for his sake. At first I was a little lost here. Not because of the different language and customs. I felt powerless, as if I was out of my element, as if I’d become blind and had disappeared into some obscure place. And it was all because of the celebrated American freedom. Here you can say whatever you want and do whatever you want. But the downside is that you have to deal with your problems by yourself. As if you’re in a vacuum. That is very frightening. The freedom we shouted about during the perestroika years has proven to be like bourgeois ornaments and sweet fairy tales that are like pleasant conversations in a café. Arriving in America, we Russians suppose that the whites are the ruling class in this rich country and we do whatever we want—even break the traffic rules. We think that this society, like the whole world, is based on the work of Asians and blacks who are its slaves. We’ve become accustomed to thinking that social and world problems are decided in accordance with the wishes of the ruling class, and that’s why we blame politics for everything. If a company called “Mac” doesn’t merge with a company called “Donald’s,” it means the politicians lack resolve; if pensions are too low, it means more political resolve is needed. How many times since I arrived have Americans laughed at my opinions! Ilyusha, today Russia is getting what it deserves for having turned its own people into serfs and slaves over the course of several centuries. We have no concept of what real freedom is. The spirit of slavery has saturated our pores. We’ve become used to resigning ourselves in silence to brutal violence, groveling before it shamelessly, and becoming subservient to it. The Americans have none of this. While we wait for orders and anxiously ponder whether something can be done or not, they immediately get down to whatever business they have and calmly get it done. How splendid that is. Half a year after my arrival I finally began to feel at home, too, and then things here immediately began to seem boring. And do you know why? Because of the dreariness of daily life, as if you were being forced to eat hamburgers all the time. A human being is a demanding creature. He or she is always dissatisfied with something. The aisles in the store are the same everywhere; the piles of merchandise are the same; the smell of perfume is the same in all the malls. You go to a movie theater and the smell of popcorn hovers over the blue carpet everywhere; you go out on the street and you hear the noise of coins rattling in metal cans held by people asking for money. At first I thought I was in seventh heaven, and then I began to suffocate. I wanted to run away. Here there’s not even a trace of that European intellectual atmosphere that has a light touch of decadence. Here everything is simply cheerful, and there are so many different races that you can’t figure out who’s who. Americans consider themselves to be a multinational society. In reality they literally strip the immigrants’ native culture from them and package it in the wrapping paper of their own history, which is only some two hundred years old. When I tell people that I am a poet from Russia, they are completely uninterested. They only things they know about Russia are vodka and Cossack dances. Ilyusha, it’s terrible. I have stopped being myself. Did you happen to see the American film version of War and Peace? Yes, that one. They presented the Russians so reasonably that not a trace was left of the Slavic spirit, which is a mixture of irrationality, deep spirituality, suffering, and disorderliness. Chaos, unruliness, licentiousness—that’s what Russia is. It is the substantiation of man in his original essence. A beautiful country where someone is lugging stolen goods next to the holiest of churches… Russia is holy to an extreme and sinful to an extreme. We go to watch baseball games here. I don’t like the game, but I like to look at people. Everyone seems happy. Not too rich, not too intellectual—simply happy. Russia made a mistake at its very beginning. While America started with freedom and emancipation, we began by enslaving the people. And then came strife and greed. That greed is what will destroy Russia. Even those who pretend to care about world and cosmic problems are in fact thinking about how to grab a bigger piece for themselves. Just lure those people with some bait like power and fame and they will start grabbing like madmen. Our greed leads to the breakdown of both communism and capitalism. People have gotten used to treating themselves to sprouts that haven’t even developed yet. America has such people, too, and perhaps it’s precisely for that reason that America has achieved such growth. In Russia such a thing is impossible because we have a shortage of everything. All the same, Ilyusha, I am a Russian. It’s enough for me to hear the balalaika and my soul begins rushing into Russian spaces, returning to the Russian forests. Tears appear almost involuntarily. Near the train station in the distant suburb where we live there are rows of yellow wooden houses on a road covered with reddish-brown dust. There are also several mobile homes, just as during the time the West was being settled. It’s as if the people living here aren’t able to get rid of the anxious feeling that they are only temporary inhabitants of this world. To be honest, my husband and I would be ready to return to Russia even today. To the land where nature sings and humans are part of it. Here there are only heavy sighs of the loneliness that comes from being squeezed into a megapolis—and cowboy songs from the prairies. And always there’s the same, constant “I, I, I, mine.” Even so, we’re persevering here. I’ve even started to like cowboy songs. Prairies that vanish into the horizon, tall blue skies, and confidence in the future—the essence of the American spirit is in these things. And is the Russian spirit really so different? For this reason we’ll hold out here to the end. Hold out for little Ilya’s sake. It seems that this boy has a broad nature. Whether in America or in Russia this child is capable of mounting on a cloud and soaring into the sky. He is truly your child. Ilyusha, you absolutely must try to visit us here some time and disclose that you are his father. The way your father, Academician Volkhov, did. Such is the will of fate, Ilyusha. Russians are doomed by fate to be fatherless. It seems that it’s their lot to grow in the gentle embraces of a land that does not know its real master. I wish you happiness and success. Your Eleonora 8 February 1994 San Francisco http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/the_world/russia/epilogueilyas_son_will_grow_in.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/the_world/russia/epilogueilyas_son_will_grow_in.php Russia Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:37:29 +0900 Today's newspaper proudly announces the docking of Japan's new HTV (H-2 Transfer Vehicle) to the International Space Station. It says that the HTV (it is neither HIV nor H-Television) will be the only large transfer vehicle after retirement of the American Shuttle. Good. I was relieved that it was not HIV virus that was docked to the Station. Japan is developing space technology with fanfare, but no matter what she does, she is from the start dismissed. The implication of this new technology, however, should not be neglected. http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/politics/japanese_htv_not_hiv_has_been.php http://www.japan-world-trends.com/en/theses/japan/politics/japanese_htv_not_hiv_has_been.php Politics Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:20:53 +0900