FROM THE EDITOR (IWAO Sumiko)

CHRONOLOGY (March - April 2002)

THE CHALLENGE FACING KOIZUMI (KABASHIMA Ikuo)

Battling Headwinds to Achieve Reform (KOIZUMI Jun’ichirô, SHIROYAMA Saburô)

Prime Minister Koizumi and author Shiroyama discuss the record of earlier reform-minded leaders like Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi in the 1930s. Turning to the present, Koizumi suggests many of the politicians arrayed against him, even within his own party, will be pleased with his falling popularity, but he declares himself firmly committed to his own program of structural reform. (Chûô Kôron, April 2002)

How the Prime Minister Is Kept from Leading (NARITA Norihiko, EDA Kenji)

Men who served as personal executive secretaries to two past prime ministers discuss the shortcomings of the prime minister’s executive office. The Kantei is understaffed, and most of those working there are on temporary loan from other bureaucratic ministries and agencies, to which they owe their primary loyalty. For the prime minister to function effectively, he needs to have his own team of loyal advisers, like his counterparts in other major countries. (Ronza, April 2002)

Koizumi’s Critics Speak Out (NONAKA Hiromu, KAMEI Shizuka)

The biggest problem with the present prime minister’s program, according to two senior members of his own Liberal Democratic Party, is that it neglects the weak. Nonaka suggests that Koizumi is implementing the “law of the jungle,” and Kamei disputes the idea that weeding out weaker companies will strengthen the Japanese economy, declaring that it amounts to “defoliation.” (Chûô Kôron, April 2002)

JAPAN’S GREAT STAGNATION (KOJIMA Akira)

The Misdiagnosed Ills of the Japanese Economy (OKUMURA Hirohiko)

Over the past decade economists and others have offered a variety of prescriptions for economic revival, and successive administrations have implemented all sorts of policies, but the situation has stubbornly failed to improve. People seem to be talking in circles. One key problem that has been neglected in the meantime is the tremendous size of public-sector financial institutions. The funds in these institutions should be invested in the capital market on a performance-oriented basis. (Ronza, April 2002)

The Hopeless State of Japan’s Banks (FUKAO Mitsuhiro)

Japan’s major banks are now beyond the point where they can be salvaged. The banking sector has used up its own capital, and the government, already up to its neck in red ink, can ill afford to come to the rescue. The only two remaining scenarios for the Japanese economy are a hard landing or a crash. (Bungei Shunjû, April 2002)

Three Woes of the World Economy (YOSHITOMI Masaru)

The world has run into three major economic problems since the beginning of the twenty-first century. One is that the “new economy” of the United States has dipped into an unexpectedly sharp recession. A second is the crisis in corporate governance epitomized by the Enron affair. And third is the lack of a solution to the issue of how best to handle foreign exchange systems: Argentina’s present troubles may be a harbinger of another currency crisis in East Asia. (Sekai, April 2002)

How to Deal with Deindustrialization (KOBAYASHI Hideo)

Japanese manufacturers are continuing to shift their production plants to other countries, particularly to China. But if we look at specific cases of companies that are continuing to maintain a domestic manufacturing presence, we find encouraging signs that it is possible to succeed by taking full advantage of new technologies and developing new methods of production. Another key lesson from the success stories is the need to make effective use of human resources, particularly older workers. (Ronza, April 2002)

Making Cars People Want to Buy (YOSHINO Hiroyuki, interviewed by KATAYAMA Osamu)

Honda Motor Co. is now riding high on a wave of sales of its new subcompact Fit, and it has attracted attention with its development of the humanoid robot Asimo, which walks on two legs. Honda’s President Yoshino discusses his company’s focus on the customer and commitment to new technologies, along with the legacy of its founder, Honda Sôichirô. (Voice, April 2002)

SOMETHING “JAPANESE” (TAKASHINA Shûji)

Romantic Nativism in Twentieth-Century Japan: Tange Kenzô and Kuki Shûzô (ISOZAKI Arata, FUKUDA Kazuya)

Tange Kenzô is one of modern Japan’s most internationally renowned architects, having used his mastery of Western techniques to express the traditional Japanese aesthetic sensibility. His accomplishment in the world of architecture may be compared to that of Kuki Shûzô (1888-1941) in the field of philosophical thought. Kuki used the logic and methodology of Western Europe to explicate the Japanese concept of iki. (Ronza, April 2002)

ASIAN FOCUS

Shanghai’s Soft Power Shows the Way Forward (AOKI Tamotsu)

Asia’s cities are now fiercely competing with each other in drawing capital, businesses, and visitors from around the world. A key to success is cultural attractiveness. Shanghai, which has a long tradition of involvement with Western culture and civilization, is now rapidly reinventing itself as a dynamic metropolis that appeals to both the eye and the mind. (Chûô Kôron, April 2002)

POPULAR CULTURE

Japanese Manga Encounter the World (NATSUME Fusanosuke)

The world of Japanese publishing has tended to be insular and bound by its own traditions. In the field of manga (comic book) production, the artists are indulged by editors who cater to their every need in order to keep them churning out new works. Because of the lack of a strategy for overseas sales, approaches from abroad are liable to get ignored or dealt with too slowly. The success of Pokémon was a rare exception. (Bungei Shunjû, April 2002)