Apologies for the lag in posting; life in Nagata-cho has gotten busy, leaving little time to dash off notes.In any case, I want to call attention to an article in Foreign Affairs by Tufts University professor and blogger Daniel Drezner, called "The New New World Order."Drezner argues that US foreign policy in recent years has …
Month: February 2007
Step back, Mr. Prime Minister
I want to call attention to Prime Minister Abe's email magazine from last week, in which he discusses seeing a performance by Noel Paul Stookey, onetime member of Peter, Paul, and Mary, of his new song "Song for Megumi," about Yokota Megumi, poster child of the abductions issue.Simply put, Abe's note shows just how far …
Japan’s evolving democracy…aimed squarely at USFJ?
In light of this recent post on encouraging signs that the realignment of the US military presence may at last be ready to move forward to a conclusion that satisfies both countries, I found this op-ed in the Japan Times by journalist Hanai Kiroku interesting, in that it shows how the US military presence has, …
Continue reading Japan’s evolving democracy…aimed squarely at USFJ?
Preserving American dynamism
As the 2008 US presidential election ramps up, it seems that the biggest looming question -- perhaps even bigger than Iraq -- is the question of how to preserve America's economic dynamism in the face of intense competition from the BRICs and others. Will the US economy and society be able to adapt successfully to …
Changing bases
The Economist this week has an article that suggests that local officials in cities hosting US bases may finally be acquiescing to the plans formulated by Washington and Tokyo.I think there's still a ways to go before the May 2006 agreement is fully on track, but it seems that Tokyo is finally willing to exert …
Cheney comes and goes
The vice president has swooped in, addressed US navy personnel in Yokosuka, talked and dined with Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Aso (I wonder if Aso had anything to say about the "comfort women" resolution currently being debated in Congress), met with the parents of abductee Yokota Megumi, and is now en route to …
Quantative easing continues
So the BOJ opted to raise interest rates by .25%. Ken Worsley has the wrap-up here.It seems that the effect on the carry trade will be negligible; the EU will no doubt still complain about the weak yen; and the BOJ's independence is still in doubt.
Reading on the six-party agreement
With Vice President Cheney in Tokyo to reassure the Abe Cabinet that the US "understands" Japan's need for progress on abductions, it is worthwhile to look at a couple essays that look into the conditions surrounding the preliminary six-party agreement reached in Beijing.First, in the Washington Post, Philip Zelikow, onetime Condoleeza Rice co-author and until …
Courageous or foolish?
The big story in political Japan today is that the drop in the rate of support for the Abe Cabinet has continued unabated, with the Asahi poll finding that the rate of support has dipped below the rate of people actively oppose to the cabinet.What I found most interesting, however, was the Yomiuri poll (in …
Interest rates, again
The Bank of Japan is due to consider once more tomorrow whether it is the right time to raise Japan's interest rates again.The last time, you may recall, the Bank's policy meeting was surrounded by a storm of debate surrounding comments by senior LDP and government officials questioning the wisdom of raising rates again (discussed …
Tobias S. Harris 