Japan’s newly minted finance minister, Naoto Kan, seems an excellent choice to lead Japan on an expedited road to fiscal perdition. For those who argue the best way to deal with the coming financial crisis is to precipitate it quickly, Mr. Kan’s choice should be particularly welcome. The governments of …
On President Obama’s trip across Asia, the major news has not been America’s policy posture, but rather our president’s personal posture. On Saturday, photo and video emerged of President Obama bowing at a 45 degree angle, head down, hand outstretched to Japan’s Emperor Akihito. Even within Japanese culture, this bow …
The most surprising aspect of the dust-up between the U.S. and Japan is that anyone is surprised. It was obvious that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) security policies ran counter not only to long-standing U.S. priorities but also to American strategic interests. Yet, the common post-election view among analysts …
One of today’s great Chicago architects likes to critique buildings by asking: “If this is the answer, what was the question?” It cuts to the chase. Imagine standing before this…thing and applying the above critique. The question becomes: “Can you build me a poorly lit maximum-security prison tower to live …
When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Japan this week, one of the main topics of conversation will be developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Japan has played an important role in contributing to efforts to stabilize and secure South Asia over the last seven years. Washington should welcome a more …
Some developments on nuclear energy from around the globe. Putin’s Nuclear Push: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stressed the need for nuclear power in his country at a meeting in Elektrostal, outside of Moscow. Part of his plan is to dedicate $42 billion in public spending toward building Russia’s nuclear …
