As the date drew near, I asked Summers why he persisted in offering Japan’s leaders this unwanted advice, given that they were clearly locked in politically. Summers told me that he knew he was unlikely to change anyone’s mind, but that he wanted to be sure that Japanese officials recognized their mistake when they went ahead with the increase.
这问题是不禁让人想起1997年4月。当时拉里•萨默斯任美国财政部副部长，他一再警告日本政府，一旦其推行上调消费税的计划，那么日本经济将重新陷入衰退。当时我在美国政府工作。随着日本上调消费税日子临近，我问萨默斯，既然日本领导人显然是为政治所迫，那为什么还坚持向他们提出本不需要的建议呢？萨默斯回答说他知道自己无法改变任何人的想法，但他想确保日本官员能在上调行动中意识到自己的错误。不幸的是，他的预测变成了现实。