KYOTO -- When the Kansai region's leaders gather here every year for a two-day seminar to discuss the regional economy, corporate heads, economists and local government officials pontificate on issues ranging from information technology to employment.
Often the speeches are so littered with the latest business school buzzwords that many have no idea what's being said.
Traditionally, seminar participants steer clear of noneconomic issues, and that has drawn much criticism, especially from foreign observers, who complain the seminars offer nothing more than bland platitudes.