[...] Offending nationalist sensibilities?:  Can’t stop won’t stop on the Wish Fulfillment tip. A “black van moment” is a reference to the soundtrucks and black vans that run around Tokeeoh blasting nationalist slogans and eery military marches when I’m eating my box lunches. This is a comment made for the express purpose of appeasing constituents. I understand this. I’m more interested in the wish fulfillment undertones of the Japanese ultraright – the united land of JapanDaiNipponLandofBountifulRiceStalks is and has always been the best place on Izanami’s green earth, and if all these other countries would stop being better than us at quite a lot of things, we’d finally be able to get something done. [...]

I wouldn’t have thought it could offend them. But some people might not see why it is so offensive to some Americans when the American flag is burned—even in jest. It’s sometimes hard to understand people’s emotional attachment to symbols especially when it is based on patriotism.

Not Japan but DPJ was offended because Economist attacked and mocked its (ridiculous) conducts in Diet. DPJ is simply annoying.

Mr. Iwakuni!? As long as I know, He isn’t a nationalist type at all. He is famous for its dovish approach toward North Korea and he seems to be a supporter of Article 9. He worked for Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, so he is a specialist of financial matters. According to his website, he made a speech about “nejire diet” at a “Japain” conference supported by Economist(!). I don’t know what made him write such a meaningless letter, but I suspect that this incident has to do with this conference. Economist published his off-the-record remarks?

Japan’s DPJ is a party looking to complain about something to justify their position in the opposition. There are plenty of issues out there which they could take to legitimize themselves but they never pick the right ones. This is just one such example.

It does have the feeling more of a cheesy Time or News and World Report cover than The Economist though, doesn’t it?

Cultral confidence has nothing to do with this,me think.
Japan’s pictures are always drawn by foreigners either in toungue-in-cheek manner or open hostility.And we have little or nothing to deter that.
Anyway Japan is way more tolerant than other Easr Asians when it comes to foreign criticisms because that is part of our lives.

“Japan’s pictures are always drawn by foreigners either in toungue-in-cheek manner or open hostility.”

Always? I think that might be a bit of a stretch, at least from an American perspective.

“Always?I think that might be a bit of a stretch,at least from an American perspective”.

Check U.S-Japan discussion at National Bureau for Asian Survey,Soob.You’ll see what I mean.

Aceface. I know the discussion of NBR sometimes fall into nonsense, but some well-informed members correct it. This forum is useful to know who are ill-informed japan specialists. Net is a open and permanent record and it empowers us. This is an unexpected situation, for example, compared to 1980’s.

I don’t expect too much and I don’t think they are so influencial, so I am not so irritated by ill-informed critics. This forum tells me not about realities of Japan but about a vicious cercle of discurses about Japan. An American liberal appropriates the vulgar theory of a Japanese cultural conservative and a Japanese liberal agrees with him and even offer some additional “proofs”. ouch! As you say, Mr. Kinmonth always does good job and I add some other members to the list of relatively well-informed people. Anyway the problem may be the poverty of English translation of important academic publications. The laziness of J-academics should be blamed. 自業自得!

YH:
I’m veery much aware of Emmot.Been reading The Economist since 1994.He was in charge of “Japan’s amazing ability to dissapoint” about a decade ago,though.Iwakuni should be black van-ning to that,me think.

My biggest WTF on The Economist was also the article by Henry Scott Stokes’s piece several years ago that Japan needs more Mishima Yukio!

Ken:
I’ve read that argument over NBR,30k for a year for a discussion board?Who are they outsourcing,Haliburton?

I don’t know how exactly much Japanese consulate is spending for that pile p crap,not much I guess considering their financial situation.
I’ve checked NBR web page after I read accusation from Komori Yoshihisa’s blog that “Japan Foundation is partially funding NBR”.Weird thing is I couldn’t find the name of Japan Foundation on NBR supporter list,instead I found U.S-Japan Foundation,founded by whoelse but Sasakawa Ryouich.Another black van conspiracy? NBR’s name does exist on link page of JF though.

YH:
Iwakuni is one of those business leader entering politics in the 90’s.His reaction to the article is not out of nationalism,but his fear that foreign investors flea from Tokyo Stock Exchange gets escalate.While he’s probably right about that,The Economist is not to be blamed any reason.
Besides he should have thought again of the sideeffect of his own action.DPJ leadership is now doing everything and anything to bring down Fukuda and LDP,Ozawa probably think current Japan-selling maybe bad for the country,but good for the party.And Iwakuni can’t even had that coming to his mind,or didn’t even care that someone may reads it as a sign of we-just-don’t-know-what-we’re-doing state of his party.I just think this letter-to-the-editor is not even a concensus of DPJ,but Iwakuni’s own performance without any
consultation with his colleague beforehand.
That letter is gonna cost a lot more to his party than Iwakuni had ever imagined.Just like that WaPo ad on Comfort women last year.

And about Samuels and Hughes…
They are scholar with Japanese linguistic ability,No?
Than that’s different cases in many way…

And for your last question..
I think someone had asked same question and I answered The Economist….and Ian Buruma?

>his fear that foreign investors flea from Tokyo Stock Exchange gets escalate
I think his fear is excessive because the current Japan selling is not directly due to “distorted diet” and delaying reforms, but to the global fear of credit crunch. As Aceface says, the lawmakers who go on their own with speculations are annoying and harmful.

YH,
I find many academics with specific disciplines reliable and thought-provoking, although I don’t appreciate the generalist type much. I add that I dislike the cultural left type, but it’s only my taste. As for journalism, The Economist is always the best and Telegraph is the second best(I believe many don’t agree with me). I think Japan-related informations have been improving due to the emergence of good bloggers, so I’m optimistic in the long run.

I like Colin Joyce’s articles and I’ve already read the confession. I believe this is not peculiar to Telegraph and most media adopt such a policy. Now, I like Ambrose Evans-Pritchard’s articles, although they are not Japan-related.

By the way, Guardian wants to become “daily Yakuza and Uyoku”. I think foreigners know about this world better than the average Japanese.