Here's one for all you readers kicking it in Japan:
Prime Minister Taro Aso of Japan contends that Japan is ready to take the lead at the G20 summit.
"industrial output was down 9.4 per cent month-on-month and data on Tuesday showed the most rapid worsening of job availability since 1974 – Mr Aso’s message is clear: Japan remains a force in the world"
In my opinion, Mr. Aso has no choice but to take this tactic to G20. Due to Japan's size and technology heavy economy, they rely very heavily on exports. Japan's economic problems will likely be among the last of the economic superpower's to clear up due to this reliance on other economies improving first. As other countries race their currency to the bottom, Japan's exports get even less attractive.
Whether or not Mr. Aso really believes that his country is in a position to lead the world's economic policy doesn't matter--for Japan's sake he hopes they listen because Japan needs the rest of the world's co-operation.
Oh, and he has an election coming up in November.
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Some interesting things that I have noticed while in Japan:
- Even with the worsing economy, crime is still very low here, and I haven't seen many homeless people.
- Their recycling policy seems to be a contradiction. On one hand, they have very specific policies on what to recycle and when, and make it easy to do so, yet they create so much waste to recycle. Everything comes in packaging, much of it unnecessary, and any purchase pretty much anywhere gets placed inside a plastic bag, whether it is needed or not.
- In all my travels, the Japanese are the least likely people to say hello to you on the street or ask where you are from. I have been told this is because they are extremely shy and not confident in their English.
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