Financial Times (May 17)
Is Japan’s revival dependent on stronger ties with China? The former editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun argues just this point. “While talk of a new industrial revolution may sound optimistic, recall that some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Panasonic, Sharp, and Toyota, laid the foundation of their manufacturing business atop the wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. For a repeat, China may be the key.” Much as relations with the U.S. were central to the post-war recovery, “a more stable and trustworthy relationship between Japan and China is also essential to Japan’s rebuilding. This is the moment of truth as to whether or not Japan will remain a global power.”Is Japan’s revival dependent on stronger ties with China? The former editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun argues just this point. “While talk of a new industrial revolution may sound optimistic, recall that some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Panasonic, Sharp, and Toyota, laid the foundation of their manufacturing business atop the wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. For a repeat, China may be the key.” Much as relations with the U.S. were central to the post-war recovery, “a more stable and trustworthy relationship between Japan and China is also essential to Japan’s rebuilding. This is the moment of truth as to whether or not Japan will remain a global power.”
Tags: China, Earthquake, Japan, Revival, U.S.
