The news from Japan

Recently, I have started listening to NHK's broadcasts in English. They follow something of a standard format:

Item 1 - the World Cup - who can blame them

Item 2 - the latest corruption scandal

Item 3 - those beastly Chinese

Item 4 - the latest news on the economy. If it comes from the government it is all about how the economy has bottomed out, how they've turned the corner and everything is going to be just fine. If it comes from anyone else it's all gloom and doom.

For 300 years until the Meiji Restoration Japan was closed to the outside world. The Japanese held on to this policy until it was absolutely no longer tenable. During the Second World War Japan kept on fighting until, once again, it was absolutely no longer tenable. If history repeats itself we will see absolutely no change to the government's Keynsian pump priming policies until it defaults on its debts. Oh boy.