Japan Watching: Society, Politics, Culture, Economy, Environment, And the World

So what's wrong with Japan?  It may all be summed up in the title, "The Japan That Can't Decide", of a new book by Kevin Maher.  This work distills the wisdom of his 30 years' experience working for the US State Department, most recently as its Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs.

As Japan tries to pull itself out of the depths of its nuclear disaster, it is instructive to draw a few comparisons with the global financial crisis.

Japan's future looked pretty bleak even before it was struck down by the triple crisis of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.  Right now, its future looks even more bleak.

But in the darkest hour, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  This is the moment to forge ahead and create a full fledged East Asian Economic Community which has the potential to create a much brighter future for Japan and the rest of East Asia.

Let's examine the situation.