Japan faces 'two lost decades'

[Taro Toporific]

Does Japan face 'two lost decades'?Wednesday, March 19, 2003 Japan Times
After enduring what is widely perceived as a "lost decade" of economic problems, Japan still appears to lack a sense of crisis, with some of the nation's leaders apparently not taking the situation seriously and reluctant to implement reforms, according to South Korean journalists attending a recent symposium in Tokyo....
...If an economic crisis had continued for as long as 10 years in South Korea, there would have been a coup, he added.
How can Japan afford to stay calm? "It is because Japan is a wealthy country," Kim said. "But I do not envy you for that."