16 FEB 2015

5 JUN 2014

5 JUN 2014

29 JAN 2014

21 JAN 2014

6 DEC 2013

2 FEB 2013 · The Japan Time's interview of 10 prominent people in Japan regarding what Japan should do in 2013 to begin to set things straight was very interesting. The government has recently enlisted the help of the Bank of Japan to set an inflation target of 2% this year. the Yen has risen from about 77 to 90 yen in the past few months which is almost 15% so I imagine it will be easy to achieve 2% inflation if not 5% or more given that Japan imports all its energy and a lot of food and raw material. The consumption tax is set to go up in 2014 to 8% and to 10% soon after that so as Noriko Hama says, wages, somehow, must be raised to compensate for 10-15% inflation including the tax. Aye, there lies the rub! Why will wages go up??????

24 DEC 2012

1 NOV 2012 · This episode was recorded live on the train in Japan, so there is quite a bit of background noise. I spoke very quietly to make this message as I did not want to disturb others. The tendency for people to not make room for others to sit on the train is becoming more common in Japan, especially over the past few years. But the addition of armrests in some of the private railway cars seems to have made a difference. Listen to today's audio blog and let me know your thoughts.

8 OCT 2012