Japan's safe haven
The International Herald Tribune / Wednesday, June 4, 2003
... Ichizo Yamauchi, 56, managing director of Kokusai Asset Management in Tokyo..."The problem is that we are looking at something more than just bad debts and bad economy," Yamauchi says. "The fundamental characteristics of the Japanese economy are changing."
Yamauchi triggers a wave of nodding heads when he gets more personal with the [Japanese] audience. "Look at your children," he says. "Aren't they fooling around these days?"
"I ask my audience, 'Do you think that these young people can compete with hard-working Chinese, for example, thus helping boost the value of the yen against other foreign currencies?'" Yamauchi said. "No one says 'Yes.'"