"The Closing of the American Mind" is a book that no doubt many readers will be familiar with. As an indictment of higher education and the corrosion of the intellect in 1980s America, this book caused a sensation and earned well deserved acclaim. I am reminded of this title because we seem to be suffering from something of a closing of the global mind these days.
The J-Power versus TCI incident has shown where the Japanese government's mind lies regarding inward foreign investments. For all the declarations of the need for greater openness toward incoming investments, the shutters come down all too easily when things like electric power are at stake.
To be sure, protecting electric power from foreign intrusion probably has greater legitimacy than shutting foreign investors out of yogurt production. And Japan is certainly not alone in coming to the defense of its industries in the name of national security. That said, though, it is a pity neither J-Power nor the government had the guts to meet activists head to head in the business arena.