Regarding Jochen Legewie's Oct. 5 column "New Japan in sight as mind-sets, economy approach crossroads": Basically I welcome these comments, and I expect Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to behave as a leader on international affairs, not only on domestic matters. A person who studied science at a foreign university rarely becomes a prime minister in Japan. Although he is called "alien" in the political world, that's not how the public actually views him. I hope Hatoyama will bring about politics for the people in Japan.
Legewie's article made me realize that I haven't thought that much about how people from different countries view us politically. We younger generations don't see rapid economic growth and don't expect a glorious future for Japan. Subconsciously, we may be giving up on change. Through Hatoyama's initiative, I expect we will see some of what we have passed over and find a breakthrough on increasing domestic consumption. I personally believe that as long as we create business as part of Japan Inc., we won't survive the international competition.