Japan is capable of overcoming its deep-seated economic problems, according to experts attending a recent symposium in London, but Western-based analysts were less optimistic than their Japanese counterparts that there is sufficient resolve at the political and boardroom levels to make the transition a smooth and simple one.
The symposium, held at the London Business School and sponsored by Japan's Keizai Koho Center, opened with moderator Anthony Loehnis emphasizing that whatever route Japan takes to shake off its crises is "beset with dangers."
"The contrast between today's Japan and that of the 1980s is stark," said Loehnis, executive director of the U.K.-Japan 21st Century Group.