The Japanese economy was suffering from the Luciano Pavarotti syndrome.
The up-and-coming business people who looked to his model could, I suppose, be put off taking risks, but I also think it might work the other way and unite people in their dislike of the establishment.
It is a very inefficient working economy, in that respect, that the pool of talents is there but the antiquated system refuses to tap into it.
Lifestyles became much more modest, looking for cheap bargains. Deflation penetrated society.
It is cynical. He is clearly exploiting this male-female issue in a media-savvy way that plays into his desire to be seen as a reformer but belittles the role of women.
I think it's a pretty disastrous situation for them although it has been a disaster waiting to happen. At least they foresaw the problem this time but the fact that the system was about to crash is a problem.
At the height of the bubble people used to go to expensive and luxurious restaurants, to drink a lot of tremendously expensive champagne.
