The financial crisis, which occurred after the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers' collapse in September 2008, gave a serious blow to the economies of Europe and Japan. However world economy seems to be gradually recovering backed by more than expected elasticity in emerging economies such as China and India.

These situations concur with what emerging totalitarians such as Germany and Japan were recovering firast and the Soviet socialist bloc economies had been completely unaffected after the Great Depression in 1929

At that time, although the world economy showed signs of recovery at once, it did not last long, and the economic frictions among the nations heated up and the Second World War broke out.

Today's China, which has tried to make the transition to a capitalist market economy from a socialist economy, is different from Stalin led Soviet Union and India too is different from pre-war Germany and Japan which were ruled by totalitarian and militarism. However, now, the second bottom of the economy is still concerned in United States, Europe and Japan. Moreover friction and conflict of interest over the climate change problem have shown the momentum to overheat among industrialized countries, emerging countries and developing countries. There is possibility that an important turning point in history comes out in 2010.

Japan, which had entrusted the United States with diplomacy and security issues and focused on economic construction after the World War II, had been growing by leaps and bounds. But after the end of the Cold War and coming into the late 90's the growth of Japan was declining and the government was forced to correct the course of not only economy but also politics. In the meantime, the Koizumi Cabinet promoted market-based structural reforms by leveraging the privatization and Hatoyama Cabinet is now trying to break away from bureaucracy by leveraging the sorting business. The Japanese government's Administrative Reform Council (Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Chairman) began screening what it calls wasteful and ineffective projects from fiscal 2010 budget requests prepared by bureaucrats.

Both privatization of postal services and breaking away from bureaucracy are major operations against backbone of Japan built since the Meiji era. To rebear Japan through these operations, we have to prepare for each person and each people in its own way. Even Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had iron-arms, unless the public does prepare, would end up breaking down.

Prime Minister Hatoyama lacking in Prime Minister Koizumi's to say it nicely, leadership or to say it bluntly, outrageousness looks weak. However it may help to raise awareness of the public or rather. In other words, Hatoyama's softness may raise awareness of the public, which Koizumi's hardness could not achieve, and might achieve the rebirth of Japan.

The reason why the economy recovered rapidly in the postwar Japan although the political turmoil continued in the storms of protest against the Japan-US Security Treaty and campus strife is because there were independent-minded managements who cleared their paths in their own hands throughout the country from very small town factories to large companies, except the special demand from the Korea War and Vietnam War. As long as there are such managers, any crisis can be overcome and the companies both large and small can survive.

The Obama Administration, which was born in a serious economic crisis such as Subprime loan problem, Lehman shock and the collapse of the Big Three, seems to be caught in a quagmire with no way out in the Middle East. Middle East problem is traced to the founding of Israel. Unless Israel problem is not solved, even if Iran's nuclear program is contained and additional troops to Afghanistan are sent, the second and the third Al-Qaeda would come out and the threat of terrorism would persist.

Zionism is not specific to Jews but is the most difficult koan (subject which Zen-masters give each religious to learn and practice the doctrine of Buddhism) shared by all mankind. "I am placing a stone in Zion that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall." Paul said in Romans quoting from Old Testament scripture.(Roma9:33) It is a touchstone for Christians, Jews, Muslims and all mankind to test whether they have the abilities to achieve true peace. Jesus already gave his answer two thousand years ago when he was given this koan from a Samaritan woman fetching water.(Jhon4:20-24)

Obama has advocated the abolition of nuclear weapons as the ultimate goal, the United States, the world largest nuclear power, even trying to contain Iran and the North Korea's developing nuclear technologies to achieve this goal will not work.

The reason why the Meiji Restoration succeeded, in other words Shogunate system configured with military organizations of various clans brought to an end and national unity was born in Japan is because the Tokugawa government chose disarmament by itself and gave up the Edo-castle bloodlessly. Because the biggest warlord Tokugawa disarmed by its own choice, Satsuma-han, Choshu-han and the other hundreds of Hans had no more cause to have their own militias. The courageous decision of Shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa and his Chief of the General Staff Kaishu Katsu helped the Meiji-government to establish its foundation.

In the same way, if the leader of free world, USA, initiates to propose the transfer of nuclear weapons to the United Nations, Russia, Britain, France, China and India etc. cannot refuse it. The nuke race may be eradicated. If so, then disarmament of conventional weapons is accelerated and international conflict would also be reduced.

Atsushi Murakami　(SEAnews Editor & Publisher)