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Article: Japan's global fear: Japan says it's an international country, but its trade record does little to back that claim. (Frontline).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Business Asia
- Article date:
- June 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 First Charlton Communications Pty Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A sign greets passengers arriving at Japan's second-biggest airport: "Welcome to Japan, an International Country in an International World."
Just two problems with the notice--one minor, one major.
First, it's written in Japanese, leaving anyone who speaks anything else in the dark. Second, the message itself--that Japan, the world's No2 economy, is an international country.
It is, by many measures, and certainly thinks of itself as such. Japan maintains close diplomatic relations in all corners of the Earth, its people are avid world travellers and the yen is one of three truly global currencies. And in times of war, Japan is one of the first ...