author

 
 

Meta

Jean-pierre Lehmann
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2016
The Trump effect on China
If the Chinese believe that they are being thwarted from getting their due place in the global sun, their anger could fuel the rise of a populist leader.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 26, 2015
Abe's move to beef up military role brings Asia closer to war
Given the unrelenting chauvinism that pervades Japan's political establishment, it is no wonder that in East Asia there is serious concern about the resurgence of Japanese militarism — and hence the prospect of war in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2014
Asia's democratic dramas
Socially and economically, Asia now stands roughly where Europe was at the start of the 20th century. One can only hope that its democratic journey will be shorter and less violent.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2013
The new cultural counter-revolution in China
The Chinese Communist Party's promotion these days of Confucianism and Western classical music illustrates the profound transformation this country has made again.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2003
So little done with so many
GENEVA — The outcome of the World Trade Organization ministerial midterm review in Cancun, Mexico (Sept. 12-14), was an unmitigated disaster. The United States, European Union and Japan share equal responsibility for failing to stand by the commitments they had made in the Doha Declaration of November...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 21, 2003
Cultural powerhouse needed
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Sustainable globalization needs Japan to be actively involved, if only because of the size of its economy. For its part, Japan stands to contribute a great deal to globalization. The Japanese establishment, however, has hobbled the country with gerontocratic governance, obsolescent...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 20, 2003
Intellectual alienation spawns hazy polic
WASHINGTON -- The main purpose of my visit to Washington at the beginning of 2003 was to carry out discussions on U.S. perspectives, policies and strategies for the Doha Development Round, in particular, and global economic policy in general. Meetings were held with U.S. government departments, foreign...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 6, 2003
Atavistic racism: greatest impediment
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- A central argument of many observers of Japan, myself included, is that there has been very little change and no leadership. The two are interwoven: leadership is required to generate and manage change. The Japanese system that was quite appropriate, dynamic and robust in the...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Dec 23, 2002
Bleaker times may await the grandkids
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In four weeks this series will have run for a year, and it will be time to bring it to an end. These last four articles, therefore, will constitute a combination of conclusions and parting thoughts.
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Dec 16, 2002
Sicily's sobering message for grandparents
SYRACUSE, Sicily -- Sicily is an ideal place to ponder the fate of civilizations and to reflect on the future. This island off the boot of Italy, with a population of 5 million, has been a crossroads of civilizations for almost three millennia. The Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, Catalans, French,...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Dec 2, 2002
Women's creativity waiting to be tapped
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Several months ago, I mentioned I would be addressing the gender question in a future article. I received several letters urging me to do so. A couple of correspondents, however, argued that the question of women is a purely domestic affair and not relevant to the theme of "Japan...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Nov 18, 2002
Benefits of opening up to foreign labor
HONG KONG -- In the previous article in this series, I asked whether capitalism would be sustainable into the 21st century. In the article before that, I emphasized that never had the world seen so many democracies, but warned that there were risks that the conditions for maintaining the momentum of...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Nov 4, 2002
Contributing to the crisis of capitalism
YAOUNDE, Cameroon -- During a conversation at a dinner in Shanghai recently with some Chinese friends, the comment was made that Japanese businessmen in China were now known quite willingly to accept various forms of bribes and kickbacks. The man who was making this comment, who knows Japan quite well...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Oct 21, 2002
Contributing to the spread of democracy
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In a recent editorial, the Financial Times admonished the European Union and its member states, "(for) having consistently failed to grasp the broad historic significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall nearly 13 years ago." It is in fact an awesome event, the significance of...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Oct 14, 2002
Acute case of linguistic 'disconnectivity'
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- One of the best terms of the 21st century is "global connectivity." Composed of three elements -- (1) entrepreneurial and energetic individuals, (2) the Internet and (3) the English language -- global connectivity serves not only to exchange information and ideas but also to...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Oct 7, 2002
Brainstorming to bring positive change
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In an article on the IMF/World Bank meeting in Washington last month entitled "A Washington gathering of incompetents," Gerald Baker, while lambasting policyma- kers in the United States and the European Union, handed the first prize for incompetence to Japan. "Every time it...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Sep 23, 2002
Youth must lead creative destruction
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The turn of the century is an important opportunity to engage in questioning and re-evaluating some of the global community's basic tenets, assumptions, policies and directions. On these matters we are being well-served by some excellent books.
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Sep 16, 2002
Foreign experts are part of the problem
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- One of Japan's problems in the global era arises from foreign academic experts on the country. The key qualification to be a foreign academic expert on Japan, or a "Japanologist," is to command the spoken and written language. Thus the late Professor G.C. Allen, who wrote some...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Sep 11, 2002
Japan and Asia: facing the troubled past is a prerequisite to forging a better future
In two previous columns I quoted from one of the writers whom I most greatly admired, referring to him as the "late Shigeto Tsuru." It has been drawn to my attention that I was misinformed, as Mr. Tsuru, I am embarassed but really delighted to report, is alive and well. I offer my most sincere apologies...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Sep 2, 2002
Revival depends on openness, immigration
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The late Shigeto Tsuru's "Japan's Capitalism: Creative Defeat and Beyond," which I referred to and quoted in my Aug. 26 column, urged Japan to "work hard, through both aid and trade, to wipe out the poverty that plagues the Third World."

Longform

Akira Oishi (left) and Shinichi Okanobori have taken on the responsibility of surveying the flora and fauna of Mount Tenran and Mount Tonosu in Saitama Prefecture.
Inside Japan's 100-year project to monitor its deteriorating biodiversity