Daily Yomiuri

Fort Knox, Ky. used to be the most carefully guarded site on the planet because it held the massive gold bullion reserves that backed the value of the U.S. dollar. Those days are over as the dollar now floats freely against other currencies, and Fort Knox is no longer necessary. But the currency of global leadership does have value. The newest most guarded site in the world was not far from Kentucky--it was the small coastal resort named Sea Island,… more

In his "Notes on Nationalism," George Orwell writes, "the nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."

For nearly the first half of the 20th century, nations around the Pacific lived in fear of Japan's formidable military machine and regional hegemonic pretensions. In the latter half, they dreaded a return of unconstrained and aggressive Japanese power.

Japan's unwillingness to address in some broad cathartic manner… more

There are episodes in history that deservingly draw our attention--some very small in scale, but major in impact. In U.S. history, one such moment at the start of the Revolutionary War has come to be known as "the shot heard round the world."

Another such momentous event recently appeared in Japan, which wrecked by a decadelong economic malaise and the potential threat of a financial implosion, saw the Nikkei Stock Average rise on a day that it should have plummeted.

After… more