The Japanese people are usually very prudent, even when they are convinced change is necessary.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The recipe to an unhappy life in Japan is to want to be Japanese if you are not. Anyone who wants to penetrate the country is setting themselves up for tears and disappointment.
I feel very keenly the eyes of the foreign media on our country. And I think a lot of Japanese people feel that things are not working the way they should. When the time comes, I will put myself forward.
The Japanese press likes me a lot, but the problem is the Japanese government. It's very bureaucratic.
It is impossible to remain indifferent to Japanese culture. It is a different civilisation where all you have learnt must be forgotten. It is a great intellectual challenge and a gorgeous sensual experience.
The Japanese seem to be a loyal audience.
The greatest problem in Japanese politics over the last two decades is that we put off what needed to be done. We have to overcome that.
We don't put our emotions out there in Japan. I'm Japanese, but I love to be honest.
The Japanese have perfected good manners and made them indistinguishable from rudeness.
I'm afraid Japanese people tend to collective hysteria.
Self-deception ultimately explains Japan's plight. The Japanese have never accepted that change is in their interest - and not merely a response to U.S. criticism.