Is Japan still deserving of special economic treatment from U.S.?

Now that economic conditions in Japan and the United States and the landscape of the global economy have completely changed, the U.S. should abandon bashing, passing and "gaiatsu" and change its policy toward the country completely, according to C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Institute for International Economics.

Bergsten was speaking at a symposium sponsored by Keizai Koho Center in Tokyo last week to mark the publication of his latest book, "No More Bashing -- Building a New Japan-United States Economic Relationship," written with Marcus Noland, a senior fellow at the institute, and Takatoshi Ito, professor at the Institute of Economic Research at Hitotsubashi University.

"The time has come for fundamental changes in the U.S. policy toward Japan," Bergsten said. "The United States should terminate the Japan-specific policy. It should treat Japan like any other major economic power."