FROM THE EDITOR (SHIRAISHI Takashi)

CHRONOLOGY (July – August 2009)

SEEKING A NEW STRATEGY FOR JAPAN’S ECONOMY (NARIAI Osamu)

East Asia’s Fancy for FTAs (KIMURA Fukunari)

Many used to scoff at free trade agreements as useless, but recent findings suggest they help promote free trade. Multilateral trade talks have bogged down, but FTAs have been spreading apace in East Asia and elsewhere around the world. They are an appealing tool partly because of the flexibility with which they can be designed. And it should be possible to come up with intermediate arrangements so that they can serve the cause of free trade for the world overall. (Ekonomisuto, July 21, 2009)

Market Expansion Through Free Trade Agreements (HATAKEYAMA Noboru)

Japan lags in the number of its FTAs and the quality of its trade liberalization under such agreements. The desire to protect the farming sector poses a major obstacle to freer trade. The government should shift from reliance on tariffs to a system of direct payments to farmers, accompanied by regulatory reforms to improve agricultural productivity. And it should focus on concluding FTAs with major counterparts like China, the EU, and the United States. (Chûô Kôron, July 2009)

Learning to Thrive Without a Trade Surplus (MIKUNI Akio)

Japan now has a good opportunity to wean itself from export-led growth. Even if the trade surplus disappears, though, Japan can push the value of the yen up by selling off some of its massive pool of dollar-denominated credits. This will mean cheaper imports, which will stimulate domestic consumption. In addition, Japan might consider helping the United States by cancelling part of the debt it holds in the form of US Treasury securities. (Voice, August 2009)

THE NEW GOVERNMENT’S AGENDA (TAKENAKA Harukata)

How the DPJ Will Govern (KAN Naoto)

In an article written before his party’s resounding victory in the August 30 general election, the acting president of the Democratic Party of Japan sets forth the agenda for a DPJ administration. Kan sets forth the goal of replacing the “bureaucratic cabinet” system, where mandarins call the shots, with a “Diet cabinet,” in which elected politicians take full responsibility for government administration. The DPJ also plans a sweeping decentralization of power. (Chûô Kôron, July 2009)

EMPLOYMENT

The Myth of Seniority Wages (KOIKE Kazuo)

Fundamental Reform to Deal with the Employment Crisis (HIGUCHI Yoshio)

The Japanese labor market reached a turning point after the financial crisis that struck in 1997. Companies started relying more on temporary and other nonregular employees, and the unemployment rate became more volatile. The downturn since last year’s Lehman shock has made the problem more serious. The government should undertake a variety of measures to sustain employment and strengthen the safety net for those who lose their jobs. (Nihon Keizai Kenkyû Sentâ Kaihô, no. 981)

DIPLOMACY

Working Together to Promote Japan (MONJI Kenjirô)

A senior diplomat explains Japan’s efforts to promote public diplomacy. The objective is to deepen understanding of Japan and boost the country’s image overseas. It is a job not for the government but for everyone. In recent years the government has been tapping the power of Japanese pop culture to serve as a starting point to interest people in Japanese culture as a whole. Two-way exchanges between individuals from Japan and other countries are also valuable, particularly those among young people. (Gaikô Forum, July 2009)

MUSIC

Pianist Tsujii Takes the Global Stage (YOSHIHARA Mari)

One of the two top prizewinners at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was Tsujii Nobuyuki, a 20-year-old Japanese pianist who has been blind since birth. Unable to read normal musical scores, Tsujii learns all the music he plays by listening to recordings. Despite this disadvantage, he has been playing professionally and impressing audiences for many years already. At the Van Cliburn competition he performed superbly and earned his prize based on his tremendous musical ability, without regard to his disability. (Chûô Kôron, August 2009)

Don’t Call Him the “Blind Pianist” (TSUJII Itsuko)

Tsujii Nobuyuki’s mother reports on her stay with him during the Van Cliburn competition in Texas, culminating in the great surprise of his first prize award. She recalls Nobuyuki’s infancy. Initially his demands utterly exhausted her, both physically and mentally, but at age two he amazed her by suddenly playing “Jingle Bells” on his toy piano. Ever since then, his playing has given her joy. (Bungei Shunjû, August 2009)

SUMÔ

Takamiyama: Japan’s Pioneer Foreign Rikishi (WATANABE Daigorô)

Watanabe, born Jesse Kuhaulua in Hawaii, recalls his initial hardships after coming to Japan and becoming an apprentice sumô wrestler in 1964 and his subsequent rise through the ranks as a pioneer non-Japanese rikishi. Competing under the name Takamiyama, he won his first tournament championship in 1972. After retiring just before his fortieth birthday in 1984, he became a member of the Japan Sumô Association, taking the name Azumazeki, and established his own stable, which has produced a number of champion wrestlers. In June this year he stepped down as stable master, ending a long, distinguished career in the sumô world. (Bungei Shunjû, August 2009)

VOICES OF JAPAN

A Jûdô Champion Reflects on a Changing World (YAMASHITA Yasuhiro, interviewed by KÔNO Michikazu)

WAR RESPONSIBILITY

Carnage in Okinawa (Yomiuri Shimbun War Responsibility Reexamination Committee)

Chapter 10 of the book From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor: Who Was Responsible? (The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2006). Based on a series of articles in the daily Yomiuri Shimbun, this book examines the responsibility for Japan’s taking the path to war first with China and then with the United States.