[kamome]

Interesting article. But the Japanese can hardly claim they have a better management style than the US. For Christ's sake, the Japanese are the worst managers you could ever work for. Anybody who has worked in a Japanese company will understand this.

[cstaylor]

In "Don't Rely on America Anymore," Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara criticizes the United States as being a modern-day Mongol Empire, arguing that the country protects only its own citizens and does not govern its enemies, even when it has defeated them and rules over them.

Yeah, we should have taken a page from the Japanese playbook: "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", also known as ASEAN.

Ishihara says that rather than being dragged along America's road to ruin, Japan would be much better off using the 300 trillion yen in U.S. government bonds it holds as collateral to create a fund to start new businesses.

That would be wonderful... one of the big reasons we protect Japan is because they own a piece of us. Perhaps if Japan divested itself of its holdings in the United States we could remove our troops altogether, and let the SDF run the show (oh boy).

[keiko]

Japanese used to be obsessed with Americans and tried to copy the way Americans are.....

or....i think they still do?

[kamome]

I think such feaux academia is really an attempt to dodge the blatant fact that Japanese business and government are failing in their methods. By searching for fault with America, the Japanese can thus comfort themselves by being lulled into a sense of continued false security.

[Mr. BIG]

I definitely agree with Kamome; however, the fact that the economy of Japan (and the rest of the capitalist world) is ultimately connected to that of the U.S. does grant them some bitching rights. What Ishihara-san fails to realize is that the world capitalist system (yes, that includes the Japanese) is dependent on the transnational investments he's proposing to withdrawl....if Ishihara thinks Japan is experiencing a recession now I'd like to see his face if the 300 trillion was actually divested and the U.S. (a.k.a. the modern-day Mongols) cut off all trade with Japan (we've got plenty of Honda plants in the U.S. that might almost make up for it)....

[Ketou]

Actually one of the best managers I have ever worked for was Japanese.
Though that was back home and he was disliked by the cloistered Japanese community for being too different.

Japan will never sort out it's sh*t. They can never stop all the social politics and get on with the job. I have worked in Japanese companies for the last 12 years. The intrigue is so fun to watch. That and the old, blame someone, get them to apologize and then forget it ever happened trick.

Of course America is not going to apoligize for this one!

[kamome]

What Ishihara-san fails to realize is that the world capitalist system (yes, that includes the Japanese)

One point: Japan does not quite have a capitalist system. It's a unique brand of socialism. Price competition doesn't really exist, the whole society is basically middle-class (with fringes at either end of course), and individuals are subordinated to the State. Somebody pointed this out to me, and I thought it was an interesting observation.

[Mr. BIG]

Good point, Kamome....that's one of the clearest and most accurate representations of the Japanese system that I've heard.

With Kamome's point in hand, I'll reword what I said as:
'What Ishihara-san fails to realize is that the world capitalist system, and those economies dependent on it, are structured on the transnational investments he's proposing to withdrawl....'

I also feel obligated to slightly modify your statement....I think you'll find it quite accurate:
'Japan does not quite have a capitalist system. It's a unique brand of socialism. Price competition doesn't really exist, the whole society is basically middle-class (with fringes at either end of course), individuals are subordinated to the State, and the state is subordinate only to the widespread mafia crime-syndicate.'

[kamome]

'Japan does not quite have a capitalist system. It's a unique brand of socialism. Price competition doesn't really exist, the whole society is basically middle-class (with fringes at either end of course), individuals are subordinated to the State, and the state is subordinate only to the widespread mafia crime-syndicate.'

That's for sure.