RAPID RESPONSES
Curing Japan
AS A seasoned Japanese business professional, David Crow’s article [The Japanese disease, yesterday] made me smile with agreement, saddened with frustration and duty-bound to build upon its analysis.
I commend Crow’s accurate observation of our cultural traits, but I would ask why characteristics which once made Japan great now fail to serve us well.
What is urgently needed for Japan PLC is not a change in the customs which define its fundamental makeup, or the piecemeal modification of methods but a fresh management mindset, comprising unflinching integrity, openness and adaptability, to help them operate and communicate better at an internationally acceptable level.
I hope Japan PLC is truly open for global business.
Honami Matsutani, director,
Business Development and Consulting, CAC Europe
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At a loss over tax
The German finance minister plans to “press on” with an EU Tobin tax. We already knew this pointless levy would lose more money than it raises. Now we learn that it would be both a tax on pensioners and a jobs-killer to the tune of 1m unemployed. How can the Germans and my Labour and Liberal Democrat colleagues in the European Parliament continue to support it?
Marina Yannakoudakis,
Conservative MEP for London