Mr. Jimmy Climbs the Stairway to Perfection
What matters is the purity of Sakurai’s quest and his refusal to compromise.
How the Bank of Japan Can Turn Disaster into Triumph
The BoJ has taken on the appearance of an enormous and dangerous Moby Dick.
Five and a Half Super Scenarios for the Year of the Dragon
Japan is now a more strategically important player than ever before in the post-war era
Why China Needs A Dose of Abenomics
The Showa depression of the early 1930s led to the era of “government by assassination”
The Geopolitics of Godzilla
China, Russia and North Korea could be considered three Godzillas, a large one, a medium-sized one and a small but vicious one.
Think Again, Al Jolson: Japan’s Silent Movie Culture Is Still Going Strong
There was a cultural divide in benshi preferences, rather like the difference in taste between those who enjoy the latest Tom Cruise movie and those who favor “Drive My Car”
“Allez, Les Brave Blossoms”: Japan’s Special Sporting Footprint
Planet Rugby is very different from the world of geopolitics. The United States is not a superpower but a minnow that failed to qualify for the World Cup
The Intelligent Ambiguity of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”
When a friend mentions an underground route for getting atomic secrets to Moscow, he responds “that would be treason”.
Ian Buruma’s “Collaborators”
And sometimes, there really are conspiracies — or at least crucial decisions taken far from the public eye
Chris Miller’s “Chip War”: the Geopolitics of High-tech
“Washington’s foreign policy strategists embraced complex semiconductor supply chains as a tool to bind Asia to an American-led world”