STANDING TALL

Below is my comment on your article of "STANDING TALL", Page66 TIME, December 26,2005

As your article keenly pointed out, it could be a great risk for Junichiro Koizumi and Japan to alienate China and South Korea for a long time by his continuing visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.
But we should not forget that many Japanese people chose his policies at the Upper House election, not only because he promised to break down the powerful bureaucracy such as the post office, but because he is the only prime minister who could say “No” to the leaders of China and South Korea about many taboos such as the Yasukuni issue laying between those countries and Japan. People support him deep in minds despite his stubbornness simply because he speaks for their inner voices.

Italy vs China - A Tale of Two Towns in the Chair market

The fierce competition in the market economy shrinks the distance of real miles and minds of people between the two towns and cities as Manzano in Italy and Anji in China but widens the distance of minds of people there.

Who could imagine a decade ago that in the chair market, the once flourished town of good chairs exported around the world was suddenly replaced by the tiny unrenouned town of Anji taking over the once-dominant share by Manzano?

One important lesson from this episode is that this could happen everywhere including your workplace and your home town unless you go on trying hard to make better goods and services to your customers by keeping high motivation and innovation.

"Italy vs China" TIME, Page 34, December 5, 2005

Hollyhood's Asian Romance

Your article on “SAYURI” gave me a whole picture of this amazing movie even though I have yet seen it.
Say,

“A fairly tale familiar to every culture: poor girl meets rich man of her dreams.”

“Memoirs of a Geisha is the Cinderella story.”

But your comment on the reason why the three main geishas are played by Chinese women was most striking as well as instructive to me and many Japanese. Namely, as you say, there’s a bald fact that is evident to anyone familiar with today’s East Asian films: China is rich in top actresses, and Japan isn’t.

Apart from my somewhat strange feeling of seeing Chinese geishas on the film, this collaboration led by the U.S. as a good mediator could break off the emotional frictions between China and Japan in other field as well.

"Hollywood's Asian Romance" TIME, Page 42, November 21, 2005