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November 22, 2024
 

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Noriko Hama
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Aug 3, 2009
The Great Recession's five-act drama might end up being a tragedy
"All the world's a stage." So says the Bard, and who are we to argue? The global economy is certainly not short on drama these days.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jun 29, 2009
Two cheers from the grave punctuate the nationalization of GM
The automaker General Motors filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, and there are surely two people rejoicing in their graves at the news. One of them is John DeLorean. The other is Clement Attlee.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 20, 2009
Aso's gift-tax cut for rich puts wealth gap issue on back burner
Who are the people that are suffering the most as this global depression unfolds? Clearly, it is the weakest members of society who are getting the worst deal. That, sadly, is the way it has always worked. There's not much that can be done about this particular fact of life.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 16, 2009
Survival instincts need rethink before killer disease spreads
We used to think that SARS was the killer disease. No doubt it still is. But at least it seems dormant for the moment. In its place we now have a potentially more potent epidemic going around that looks set to engulf the whole world. I hereby christen that disease SLICS. This is short for "So long as...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 2, 2009
Themes of adulthood, inclusiveness set tone for remaking America
In his inaugural address as 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama said: "We remain a young nation but, in the words of the Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things."
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 29, 2008
Finance, goods must reconcile to restore economic partnership
Crises come and crises go, but this one seems to be in a class of its own. And now that it has arrived, it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 1, 2008
Aso reveals more than wealth gap with kanji-reading blunders
So now we know. Aso the "manga" man cannot read Japanese. At least not when it is written in kanji. The newspapers have been full of revelations these past few weeks about Prime Minister Taro Aso's slipups in the art of kanji deciphering.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Nov 3, 2008
Halloween in Japan: a commercial break from global nightmare
Since when was Halloween such a big thing in Japan? Admittedly, you could see it coming these past few years. But this autumn it is simply everywhere.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Oct 6, 2008
Japan has nothing to fear but fearlessness
The accepted wisdom seems to be that Japan is being less affected than most by the ongoing banking crisis. I wouldn't bank on it.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 1, 2008
WTO should remember global equals multilateral, not bilateral refereeing
When the Doha Round of trade negotiations broke down some weeks ago, no one was particularly surprised. Nor did anyone seem to care all that much.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Aug 4, 2008
Keeping the global circus in business a matter of balance
Does the presence of a safety net make people too reckless, lazy and dependent? Or does it allow people to experiment, develop skills in a secure environment and prevent the penalization of healthy high spirits.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jun 30, 2008
What gold is telling us about global economy
Look at these numbers: 21, 35 and 1,000. What kind of vital statistics would you say these were? The amount of calories you need to deny yourself to get back into shape? The number needed on your point card to earn the cash back you covet at your local supermarket?
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 26, 2008
In a world lacking heroes against poverty and inflation, Don Quixote, where are you?
As surely as night follows day, credit crunches are followed by recessions, if not great depressions. Whether we are on the verge of a 21st century version of the 1930s, however, still remains to be seen.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 28, 2008
Closing of global mind bodes ill for future of globalization
"The Closing of the American Mind" is a book that no doubt many readers will be familiar with. As an indictment of higher education and the corrosion of the intellect in 1980s America, this book caused a sensation and earned well deserved acclaim. I am reminded of this title because we seem to be suffering...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 31, 2008
The vacancy at the BOJ and the merits of emptiness
Nature abhors a vacuum. So said Aristotle. Human beings also abhor a vacuum. Especially when they are LDP politicians in search of a new governor for the Bank of Japan.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 3, 2008
No place for celebrity currencies in global jungle
Just recently I took part in a very interesting discussion program for NHK television in which economists and strategists from around the world came together to debate the state of the global economy and what kind of a beating the financial markets were liable to take as a result of the ongoing subprime...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jan 28, 2008
Nightmare becomes reality: Classic credit crunch leaves policymakers floundering
In this column last month, I talked about the nightmarish possibility of a global financial crash. Well, a month is a long time in economics, and the nightmare has well and truly become reality.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 31, 2007
'08 to see nightmare of globalization, or alert central banks?
Looking back at what I wrote in this space this time last year, I find that I was dreaming of a Japan of the United States, in which the regions become city states unto their own and make Japan a generally more interesting place. The dream still remains but a dream. But I keep hoping.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 3, 2007
Wrathful gods bear down on sinful global economy
'W rath of Gods" is the title of an award-winning documentary directed by Jon Gustafsson, the Iceland-born filmmaker. It could equally be the title of a documentary about the state of the global economy as it stands in November 2008.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Oct 29, 2007
Sovereign vultures look Adam Smith in the eye
When Adam Smith wrote "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" in 1776, the industrial revolution had entered its second decade and the relationship between nations and their wealth was still relatively straightforward.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ex-yokozuna Kitanofuji dies at 82
Yokozuna Kitanofuji enters the ring during the May 1970 grand sumo tournament in Tokyo.
Man charged with murder allegedly made victim date other men for money
A car carrying suspect Ryotaro Masuda, who was indicted for allegedly beating his 25-year-old girlfriend to death, leaves the Shibuya Police Station in Tokyo on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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