Commentary / Japan May 16, 2020

Bad English in Japan: A conspiracy theory

There is no rational reason why Japan's English-language education should be so woeful. Could something sinister be going on?

Voices | FOREIGN AGENDA Aug 19, 2018

Japanese and Israelis could make a killer yin-and-yang combo

Israel and Japan are the yin and yang of countries. And yet, despite — or maybe because of — their differences, they have much to offer each other.

Language | BILINGUAL Apr 27, 2015

These tips for Japanese mastery go out to the muddlers

When it comes to learning Japanese, most of us muddle through. This article is for the muddlers.

Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Aug 26, 2013

Kaizen and the art of human wa maintenance

Kaizen here is organic, ubiquitous and attuned to the physical and psychological needs of human beings. At its best, this "human-scale kaizen" eliminates or eases many of the mundane uncertainties, annoyances and embarrassments of daily life.

Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT May 28, 2013

Want more out of Japan but face doesn't fit? Be TOFITR

I recently served as a "private sector representative" in a panel discussion before an audience of foreign graduate students at the University of Tokyo. Many of the students will soon be seeking employment in Japan; because I have spent 25 years living ...

Issues | LIGHT GIST Nov 27, 2012

I have a dream: a 'young first' Japan that works for all

It is a political season. Barack Obama was recently re-elected president of the United States, China has anointed Xi Jinping as its new leader, and Japanese politicians are jockeying for position in advance of a general election to be held on Dec. 16. In ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Jun 26, 2012

Japanese business isn't working: What would Shima do?

A Ponzi scheme. Alleged yakuza ties. Accounting scandals. Executive misuse of company funds for gambling. A record-breaking bankruptcy. Callous disregard of public health and safety. Japanese companies are in the headlines a lot these days. But for all the wrong reasons. While ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Jan 3, 2012

Japanese must tap their 'inner Israeli'

Aimless, Japan has been struggling to find a suitable vision, or model, for its future. Should it strive to be like Finland, small but prosperous? Should it de-emphasize economic growth and focus on sustainability and lifestyle? Should it look to the go-go '80s for ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Jul 5, 2011

'English interface' could be key to Japan's revival

Japan is not No. 1. After 20 years of stagnation-punctuated decline, it should not be news to anyone that Ezra Vogel got it wrong in his 1979 best-seller, "Japan as Number One: Lessons for America." Yet, in their endless navel-gazing and wheel-spinning (which, sadly, ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Feb 15, 2011

Japan, be confident!

On the day of his departure from Hokkaido on April 16, 1877, at the end of his tenure as the first president of what later became Hokkaido University, William Smith Clark left his charges, and Japan, with a parting message: "Boys, be ambitious." For ...