J@pan Inc Online April 08

[jin at mailman.japaninc.com]

>From www.japaninc.com <http://www.japaninc.com>

Weekly blogs from leading experts on Japanese business, technology and
politics.
This week on J at pan Inc online we lead with Tobias Harris' examination of the

established conservatives' reaction to the North Korean rocket launch.

After the launch <http://www.japaninc.com/after_the_launch>

The nation's conservatives reheat the debate over Japan's
nuclear capabilities

By Tobias Harris

In the wake of North Korea's Unha-2 launch Sunday, the Japanese
establishment and public have uniformly reacted with a sense of outrage
and a desire for an vigorous Japanese and international response to the
test...

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Engine failure <http://www.japaninc.com/engine_failure>

Ahh, the problem(s) with Japan's economy

By Claus Vistensen

Last time I had Japan under the loop I asked whether there was no end in
sight
for Japan's economy and as I wind up for another close look, I must say that
it
is still very difficult to find good news if any at all. However, and for
the sake of
argument I thought that we might begin with some recent arguments in the
context of the global economy which suggest that we may be past the worst of

our travails...

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The real meaning of "To Earn is to
Win"<http://www.japaninc.com/To_Earn_Is_To_Win>

By Takafumi Horie

＊"Honorable poverty" is a Japanese expression for poor people who are poor
through
rightful acts and not seeking wealth.

So, it’s been written that I said “There is nothing you can’t buy with
money” and “You
can praise honorable poverty extravagantly because you are so far from it,”
and it looks
like this is a quote from the heading on the first item of my book “To Earn
Is To Win” but
actually, this is the wrong interpretation and if you read it, you will
understand...

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The mountain ahead <http://www.japaninc.com/mountain_ahead>

By Tobias Harris

April is here, the new fiscal year has begun, and Prime Minister Aso Taro is
in London for
the G20 summit.

For once, he leaves behind a favorable domestic situation. After months of
bad news, with
his approval ratings skirting single digits, the press is full of reports
about how Aso and DPJ
President Ozawa Ichiro have traded
places<http://mainichi.jp/select/seiji/news/20090401k0000m010134000c.html?inb=ra>;
Ozawa's leadership under threat from members
of his own party, at the same time that LDP members have all but conceded
that Aso will
lead the LDP into the next election...
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