Japan's manufacturers have a staunch ally in Tokai University Professor Hajime Karatsu.
Blaming the Japanese financial sector for having brought ruin upon the economy, the 81-year-old science and technology expert advocates that the nation take a closer look at the virtues of manufacturing for the sake of its economic revival.
"Globally, the Japanese manufacturing industry is first-class -- it's the second-rate financial and securities sectors that have messed up economic conditions," Karatsu said in a recent interview with the Japan Times.