Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and many Japanese spokespersons, official and unofficial, have been repeating for months that "Japan is back."
Indeed, viewed from abroad, from Canada and Europe certainly, and from many parts of Asia, Japan has returned, indisputably, to global attention. But the world to which it has returned is not the one that prevailed when Japan enjoyed its great success in the 1970s and '80s.
For starters, there are 1½ superpowers, heading for two. China, by all indications, has a different trajectory than the Soviet Union had last century. It will possess, within a generation or two, power comparable to that of the United States. That was never the case of the Soviet Union.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.