Takahiro Miyao's Radio Institute of Global Communications: No. 28, February 5, 2006

Takahiro MIYAO (Professor, GLOCOM)

Partial transcript and translation from Prof. Miyao’s Radio Program, posted here with permission of Radio Nikkei

Takahiro Miyao’s Radio Institute of Global Communications: No. 28
Radio Nikkei daiichi hoso ; BS Radio Nikkei 300 ch.
Broadcast time:	February 5 (Sunday) 19:00-19:30
Recording place:	Recorded in Radio Nikkei’s Studio
Program:	1. Introduction 2. Virtual Discussion 3. Trend Research 4. Concluding Remarks
Audio:	Radio Program  (Windows Media Player) (Mainly in Japanese but some parts in English) Asia Station Web site (in Japanese)

Introduction

Hello, how are you? I hope you are doing OK in this cold weather. Since spring has already arrived according to the traditional calendar, a warmer weather should be forthcoming soon, I hope. Today I will first focus on the issue of Livedoor, which is attracting a lot of media attention, and take up an interesting article entitled "Horie and LDP Boosters Have It Coming" written by Professor Gregory Clark, Vice President of Akita International University. Then we will have an interview with Mr. Masahiko Nakanishi, Chairman of Industrial Manufacturing NPO, who is going to talk about the possibility of Japanese-made jet planes. It should be quite interesting, so please stay tuned.

Virtual Discussion

In this corner I will focus on the issue of Livedoor, which is attracting a lot of media attention, and take up an interesting article entitled "Horie and LDP Boosters Have It Coming" written by Professor Gregory Clark, Vice President of Akita International University. As Professor Clark points out "some Western media seem to want to dismiss the Livedoor scandal as an example of Japan's conservative establishment seeking to shoot down a high-flying, unconventional entrepreneur who had been too successful." But Professor Clark sees the situation quite differently. His view is that Mr. Horie is a phony guy, a stock-market manipulator and a dubious greenmailer. In addition, Professor Clark emphasizes the close association of Mr. Horie with Prime Minister Koizumi and his political supporters, namely, Koizumi reformers, and criticizes Koizumi’s reform as a whole, almost saying that Koizumi is also a phony guy, politically speaking. His conclusion in this article is that Whether Koizumi is able to continue to impose his policies, many of them mistaken, including his desire for a successor cut in his own image, is -- like the future of Livedoor -- becoming doubtful. Well, this seems to be an extremely critical view on both Horie and Koizumi. What do you think?

Trend Research

In this corner, we will have an interview with Mr. Masahiko Nakanishi, former Vice Chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and current Chairman of Industrial Manufacturing NPO, who is going to talk about the possibility of Japanese-made jet planes.

(Interview with Mr. Nakanishi in Japanese)

A summary of Mr. Nakanishi’s talk will appear in the March issue of the GLOCOM Platform Newsletter (http://www.glocom.org/newsletters).

Concluding Remarks:

If you have any comment on today’s program, please contact us through our Radio Nikkei hompage (www.radionikkei.jp/joho). Actually you can hear our past broadcast program through our homepage. I hope you enjoyed today’s program. Our next program will be on Sunday, March 5. In the meantime, please stay warm until spring comes.