Thirty years ago, Harvard professor Ezra Vogel published Japan as Number 1: Lessons for America, a book that celebrated Japan’s manufacturing-fueled rise to become the world’s second-largest economy. Recently, Vogel has described Japan’s political system as “an absolute mess,” with prime ministers replaced almost every year and the youngest generation’s expectations sapped by years of deflation.
30年前，哈佛大学教授傅高义（Ezra Vogel）出版了《日本后来居上：美国应当吸取的教训》一书，这本书纪念日本在制造业的推动下崛起，并最终发展为世界第二大经济体的过程。傅高义不久前用“完完全全一团糟”来形容日本的政治制度，首相几乎年年更换，持续多年的通缩击垮了年轻一代的希望。《朝日新闻》前主编船桥洋一同样忧心忡忡：“日本人感到我们还没有做好准备在全球化世界中成为坚强、有实力的竞争者。”