As the business world obsesses over Sharp's new lease on life, let's pause for a moment and wish the maker of Aquos TVs died instead.
Japan Inc. has, as we all know, a zombie problem. Bloated, uncompetitive and complacent, Japan's ranks of the corporate undead have expanded under Abenomics. Massive corporate welfare via a weak yen and surging equities are killing what's left of the animal spirits Tokyo claims it's trying to resurrect. And here, 104-year-old Sharp could easily be considered Patient Zero.
Efforts by Taiwan's Foxconn Technology to pump life into the Osaka-based giant (via a $6 billion injection) are seen as a fresh start. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, it's hoped, will cut away at dead limbs and business lines and restore a brand that once inspired Japanese pride. But count Tadashi Nakamae among those rooting for Sharp's demise.
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