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May 16, 2024
 

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William Pesek
For William Pesek's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 29, 2015
The kabuki art of public apology
Until Japanese CEOs back up their apologies with concrete action, their words will ring hollow — as will government efforts to improve the sorry state of the country's corporate governance.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2015
Toyota's drug problem, and Japan's
Toyota has a drug problem. The company and CEO Akio Toyoda are dealing with the fallout from a bizarre case surrounding his newly promoted head of global public relations, Julie Hamp.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2015
Chinese investors are swimming in a bubble
The belief that China can prevent the crash of a market already defying the most wildly optimistic of economic scenarios is mistaken.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 18, 2015
Japan joins America's presidential campaign
BOJ head Haruhiko Kuroda's recent comments about the yen suggest Washington is very much on Tokyo's mind these days.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 16, 2015
Unfortunately, corporate Japan thinks it's 1985
Japan's biggest companies are greeting reforms aimed at improving corporate governance with a halfhearted shrug.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 9, 2015
The Japanese government's Peter Pan problem
Until the government does its part by loosening labor markets, lowering trade barriers and creating tax incentives to support entrepreneurship, the BOJ's yen printing won't save the day.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 8, 2015
Japan's maverick billionaire bets big abroad
Corporate Japan should seriously consider emulating Softbank CEO's Masayoshi Son's gutsy approach to doing business.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 1, 2015
Hedge fund activists are Japan's best friend
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should leverage the uptick in foreign investment to reignite his economic reform program.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2015
Beijing blowing its debt bubble ever bigger
China's debt bubble is expanding, and the only way it can avoid Japan's fate is by accepting slower growth and less borrowing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 25, 2015
Takata is the real safety hazard, not its air bags
The Takata debacle is a microcosm of all that's wrong with Japan's insular corporate culture.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2015
Man who brought down Barings warns on China
Convicted rogue trader Nick Leeson warns that stock trading in China is rife for manipulation.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2015
China's baby steps toward economic disaster
Decisions Japan made in the late 1990s can serve as a cautionary example of what policies China should avoid as it tries to bump-start its stalled economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2015
Japan's economy needs a dose of shock therapy
A little more monetary shock-and-awe by the Bank of Japan could stem Japan's 'deflationary mindset.'
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 27, 2015
Japan needs to cut its rice farmers down to size
Japan's 3.3 million rice growers, who together comprise only 2.5 percent of the population, now seem to be the biggest obstacle preventing Japan from completing one of history's biggest trade deals.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2015
Asia must solve its growing China problem
Asia needs a growth plan that relies less on China and more on domestic demand.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2015
Asia's tough love agenda for IMF, World Bank
It's time for developing countries to have a greater say in managing the global economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2015
Toyota delivers a blow to Abe's 'reshoring' plan
Toyota's move to build new factories overseas deals a blow to the government's hope that the weak yen would encourage manufacturers to move production back to Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 6, 2015
Japan's battery-powered economic recovery
A renewable-energy boom would do for Japan what quantitative easing can't: produce a thriving economic ecosystem that creates wealth, jobs and international esteem.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2015
Xi celebrating soft-power win over U.S. too soon
If Chinese leaders are to achieve their growing international aspirations, they'll have to be far more ambitious about getting their financial house in order first.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 31, 2015
BOJ should play mysterious
Arguably no central banker in the world has been bolder and more aggressive about quantitative easing than Japan's Haruhiko Kuroda.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Japan’s carmakers look to China tech to claw back market share
Toyota CEO Koji Sato says the company plans to expand AI-related investments, and this year will focus on building a strong foundation for software-defined vehicles.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.

Podcast

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

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

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