Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2011

Lifeboat Japan

Illustration by Phil Couzens

Regarding “Brave New Japan” (The Last Word, January 28): I’d say Mr. Veverka has got it just about covered.

The US will continue to sink deeper into debt because of an unwillingness to do the only two things that can and should be done to stem the red ink: raise taxes, particularly on the rich, and cut the military budget, which now comprises about 30 percent of federal spending. We could reduce military spending by 50 percent (about $450 billion) and still have the largest and most lethal military in the world.

How quickly things swing in just eight years’ time—we had budget surpluses during the last two years of the Clinton administration and were retiring federal debt, and by the time Shrub left office, we were broke. God only knows why anyone would want to be president of the US.

“Japanese with a farm in the family will become the most sought-after marriage partners, as waves of otherwise unemployable liberal arts graduates need to find a way to stay fed.”
That’s us. Gifu is looking better and better all the time.—jeffrey

To add to the previous comment, cutting spending and raising taxes is a great start, but Americans need to stop looking at capitalism as the sacred cow. We are still, all these years after the Cold War and McCarthyism, afraid to touch the system for fear of being labeled pinkos. The US tax base is being depleted by large corporations outsourcing jobs and selling off major industries. More than 20 million jobs are currently in other countries. Conservatively, that is about $2 trillion dollars in taxable revenue that is just gone. The US’s chief export now is jobs.—cyberfish

The author is essentially right about the weakness of the US economy. Look up the term “debt ceiling” and then consider what will happen when no one in the world wants to buy US government bonds anymore… the economy will collapse. It’s not funny, but it’s not as remote a possibility as commentators seem to think. Being in debt is one thing; being in debt up to your eyeballs is quite another. If the economy turns around and then levels out, we can all breathe a sigh of relief… [But] I have a grave feeling we shouldn’t hold our breath too long.—xshens

Great insight into the future, and it put a smile on my dial. Thankfully I am not American, so if the economy sinks, no matter. I am married already, but I feel I could be looking for a Chinese wife next [because of] Japan’s economic situation.—Wes Terly

This is supposed to be fiction, I presume? If so, the premise doesn’t work well. Especially since the US is in much better economic shape than Japan. The US population and economy are still growing quite nicely. If you are going to write a story based on economics, you really need to get the fundamentals correct. It’s more likely that the Chinese will take a look at underpopulated Japan in 2050 and decide to annex it and use it for a giant Tiger Balm Garden.—kevcham

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