Christopher Lingle - The Japan Times

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Christopher Lingle

For Christopher Lingle's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY / Japan

Oct 3, 2016

Central banks' failed policies

Instead of being our saviors, central bankers have destroyed wealth, created instability and set conditions for the next big economic crisis.

COMMENTARY / Japan

Sep 13, 2016

Central bank's policies impeding recovery

Central bankers' 'central planning' of the financial sector with controlled prices for credit are failing for the same reason as central planners of communist economies failed. It's time to allow financial markets to determine interest rates.

COMMENTARY / Japan

Aug 23, 2016

Beware Beijing's self-serving interpretations of history

While Beijing invites ridicule for making weak or baseless territorial claims, the rest of the world should not it is deadly serious in defending them.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 28, 2009

Free expression under fire

GUATEMALA CITY — Freedom of expression is one of the most important cornerstones of a free and open society. Guarantees of freedom of expression allow citizens to learn about mistakes of the powerful and help reveal corruption at all levels.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 5, 2009

Why joint initiatives on climate will likely fail

GUATEMALA CITY — A U.N. summit on climate change at the recent U.N. General Assembly meeting was supposed to give momentum for a post-Kyoto Protocol accord to be penned in December in Copenhagen. Indeed, an announcement was made that most leaders agreed that there is an "urgent and significant need" to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 15, 2009

Drama won't cure the doldrums

GUATEMALA CITY — Japanese voters have rejected the one-party state under the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has supplied most of Japan's government leaders since the party's founding in 1955. (Only in 1993 had an opposition coalition ousted the LDP, for a short time, by holding onto a majority in the Lower House.)

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 15, 2009

Unnerving trip to stellar deficits

BALI, Indonesia — With stock markets around the world having beaten a hasty retreat recently, a cautionary tale might be found by looking at the United States, since it is ground zero for current economic and financial upheavals.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 2, 2009

There's no deleveraging the illusions of politicians

BALI, Indonesia — In response to the current financial and economic turmoil, U.S. politicians wanted to be seen as "doing something" legislatively, even if costly and ineffective, in order to endear themselves to those voters who received benefits. This is evident in that the "stimulus spending" provides more political gains for special interests than economic gains to the country as a whole.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 17, 2009

Regulations set up crisis

BALI — Claims that "unbridled capitalism" is behind the current credit crunch and financial turmoil are misleading and remarkably uninformed. This is usually accompanied by suggestions that "blind faith" in market self-regulation was a handmaiden in this mess. We are then told that the future must involve greater political management of capitalism.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 14, 2008

Nepali 'democracy' unlikely to push peace

ATLANTA — Nepal's special assembly has chosen Maoist chief Prachanda as prime minister over Sher Bahadur Deuba, a three-time former prime minister from the Nepali Congress party.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 1, 2008

Hit jihadists where it hurts

LUXEMBOURG — In just a few years, irresponsible acts by self-styled Islamic jihadists have reversed the good will developed over centuries between the world's major religions. With bombs going off from Istanbul and around India, it appears that the acts of a few have enormous negative effects on many others outside the blast areas.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 3, 2007

Setting the record straight on Indonesia

BALI, Indonesia — Japan and India stand as beacons for democracy that surely inspire many of their Asian neighbors. For its part, Indonesia has been struggling with its own experiment with democracy that has enormous implications for the region and the rest of the world.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 22, 2007

Thanksgiving Day's economic lessons

BALI, Indonesia — One aspect of globalization is that some holidays have become internationalized. That is certainly the case with Thanksgiving Day, a distinctly American feast day now celebrated throughout the world on the fourth Thursday of each November.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 27, 2007

Intolerance mars climate change debate

NEW DELHI — What's up with journalists in the mainstream media? In most cases, they tend to be unconditional supporters of free expression and strive to report on controversial views.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 6, 2007

Don't play politics with lifesaving DDT

NEW DELHI — The specter of malaria, dengue fever and many other mosquito-borne diseases stalk the world. Despite its deserved reputation as being one of cleanest, pest-free countries in Asia, even Singapore is battling to cope with a rash of dengue cases.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 3, 2006

Affront to Korean identity

BANGKOK -- By distorting the historical record between Korea and China, Beijing has created a crisis that has united the ruling party in Seoul and its sometimes disloyal opposition.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 26, 2006

Lower corporate taxes can fuel recovery

BANGKOK -- It is a hopeful sign that professor Masaaki Honma of Osaka University has been set to be appointed chairman of the tax panel that briefs the prime minister. This would be a happy departure from the position of the current chairman of the tax panel, Hiromitsu Ishi, who consistently advocated raising taxes to bolster state finances.

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 4, 2006

India may finally embrace capitalism

ATLANTA -- For most of India's postcolonial era, the views guiding economic policy and those expressed by opinion makers reflected a deep-seated contempt for markets. Despite the failings of socialist economic policies at home and the successes of market reform elsewhere, India has been slow to embrace capitalism.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 19, 2006

China's monetary surge dooms its boom

ATLANTA -- Chinese monetary authorities raised their one-year benchmark rate by 27 basis points while allowing the deposit rate to remain unchanged at 2.25 percent. This move was mostly greeted with praise, but the change is trivial and will have little discernible impact on the Chinese economy or the global economy.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 9, 2006

Indian 'New Deal' invokes bad, old idea

UBUD, Indonesia -- Recently Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a startling revelation: He pointed out that the urban-rural gap has widened over the past 50 years. By itself, this was neither a remarkable nor surprising conclusion. After all, with the poverty rate for India at about 26 percent of the population, it takes little imagination to envision the grinding poverty that has afflicted too many for too long.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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