Photo By STEVE LOHR
In Japan there is a stark line between speaking your true mind (hone- HOE-NEH) or saying what needs to be said in public (tatemae TA TEH MY EH) to make the waters smooth and the machine well oiled.
From the White House Press Office--All I can say is this is total TATEMAE Not HONE. The Japanese government's idea of stimulus in this crisis is that they sent every tax paying citizen and working visa holder 12,000 yen Or $120.00. Which most people immediately used to pay their electric bill or some other small household expense. This did not stimulate jobs, it did not stimulate consumer spending and it did not even generate good will among the people as it is so small as to be almost worthless and a waste of time and money.
President’s discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Aso at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy from National Security Spokesman Mike Hammer
"The President and Prime Minister Aso discussed the global economic crisis and reaffirmed the importance of economic stimulus and appropriate regulation to overcome current difficulties. They also discussed North Korea and agreed on the importance of full implementation of UNSCR 1874 and the denuclearization of North Korea. They discussed climate change and agreed on the importance of the upcoming Major Economies Forum meeting on climate change and on a successful outcome of the Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Copenhagen in December."
But in meeting after meeting you will hear Aso promise Obama and anyone else in hearing range- how serious the Japanese are about economic recovery plans and stimulus. That dog don't hunt.
Things will have to get a lot worse here before any real steps are taken. That is the real truth. And Japan's export supremacy is certainly at risk.
