LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In four weeks this series will have run for a year, and it will be time to bring it to an end. These last four articles, therefore, will constitute a combination of conclusions and parting thoughts.

In the course of the series, I have received much correspondence, most of which has been very constructive. Interestingly, the most critical letters were those accusing me of being too optimistic about Japan! My optimism, my critics allege, is based on the premise that Japan can change, that things can improve; whereas they argue that change in the sense that I imply -- greater openness, more dynamism, a positive response to globalization -- is impossible: Japan is doomed to continue to go downhill as a nation while ostracizing itself from the global community.

If this is the case, it is dramatic. To have the world's second-biggest economy permanently in the sick ward will ultimately cause a heavy toll to be paid by the rest of the world.