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November 22, 2024
 

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Robert J. Samuelson
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2016
Dysfunction goes deeper than the candidates
Regardless of who wins this bitterly contested election, the victor will face the same basic, daunting, task: reconciling the vast promises that have been made, both in this campaign and earlier, with the government's limited ability to meet those promises.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2016
Fed is a prisoner of exaggerated expectations
The notion the central bank could orchestrate economic growth was optimistic and unrealistic.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2015
The mystery of America's productivity bust
U.S. productivity is slowing down at a time when it should be booming.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2015
Is the U.S. government going back to the 1930s?
The U.S. government is slowly becoming an agency for taking care of the elderly.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2015
Oil is not inexorably fading from the world stage
The age of oil will endure for the forceable future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2015
Worrying plight of the young and unemployed
Advanced economies must try to promote a sense of purposefulness and self-reliance for their bloated pools of disengaged youth.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2015
Pay and spending fears feed a vicious U.S. cycle
The U.S. economy caught in a vicious circle of its own fear and ignorance, as companies increasingly turn to temporary workers and consumers tighten their purse strings.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2015
It's time to worry about the Chinese economy
China's economic predicament resembles America's. It needs a formula for sustainable growth that's not dependent on repeated bursts of artificial stimulus.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2015
U.S. pays stubborn cost for 'exorbitant privilege'
The dollar's role as the dominant international currency is bad for U.S. manufacturers and their workers.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2015
Don't underestimate the power of Moore's law
Moore's Law is a quiet rebuke to those who think we control our destiny.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2015
Have we seen the end of the U.S. tax revolt?
With only 1 percent of Americans rating taxes as the nation's top problem, it appears that the U.S. tax revolt is all but over.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2015
Investment bust following historic pattern
Business investment has been slow to rebound during the weak economic recovery, but this is to be expected given past trends following recessions.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2015
American-style shareholder capitalism on trial
Shareholder capitalism in the U.S. seems caught in a vicious circle as consumers spend less and save more to protect themselves against future economic shocks, thus prompting businesses buy back more of their stock and return the money to shareholders rather than launch major investment projects.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2015
Should we worry about robots taking away jobs?
The fear of technological job loss to robots is real, but probably exaggerated.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2015
Distinguishing good wage increases from bad
Any acceleration of wage gains in the U.S. could be taken as evidence of greater inflationary pressures and justification for the Federal Reserve to make quicker and steeper increases in interest rates. But the risk is that this conventional interpretation is mistaken.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2015
The 'next America' is testing U.S. governance
Both major American parties have had a hard time creating agendas that appeal across ideological, racial and ethnic lines. The fragmentation of power and purpose transcends the defects of political leaders.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2015
Why the squeeze is on middle-class incomes
A right-wing think tank from among President Barack Obama's top economists blames the slow growth of productivity, mainly, for the squeeze on middle-class incomes.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2015
New tech isn't paying off as much as before
We are not getting our money's worth from the 'creative destruction' process that the economist Joseph Schumpeter trumpeted. For example, the technology that makes social networking possible monetizes activities that used to be outside the market's purview, while leaving us open to criminal and governmental cyber assaults.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2015
Twisted spending priorities of a graying nation
All Americans ought to want effective and efficient government, but government is being strangled as the rising costs of baby-boomer retirees reduce the capacity of other programs to fulfill their missions.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2015
Obama's gamble on free community college
Is U.S. President Barack Obama's proposal to make community college free mostly an exercise in political brand management?
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.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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