Japan: Economic Trends and Outlook

Articles Trade & Economics   Japan: Economic Trends and Outlook A. Major Trends and Outlook Japan is America’s largest overseas trading partner. It is also the world’s second largest economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly $5 trillion in 1995. That is 70 percent of the United States’ GDP, while Japan has only […]

Japan: Economic Trends and Outlook

Articles Trade & Economics   Japan: Economic Trends and Outlook A. Major Trends and Outlook Japan is America’s largest overseas trading partner. It is also the world’s second largest economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly $5 trillion in 1995. That is 70 percent of the United States’ GDP, while Japan has only […]

America Benefits from Free Trade

Articles Trade & Economics   America Benefits from Free Trade by Carla Hills, Intellectual Capital April 24, 1997 The case for free trade does not easily fit on a bumpersticker. But the arguments are not hard to understand. Consumers gain from free trade because they can buy the best goods and services at the lowest […]

The Truth About Trade

Articles Trade & Economics   The Truth About Trade By Pat Choate, Intellectual Capital April 24, 1997 Just how much more evidence do our leaders need before they can recognize that existing U.S. trade policies are a failure and change course? Apparently, a great deal more since the following facts have not dampened their enthusiasm […]

Wetlands and Wildlife

Articles Ecology & Environment   Wetlands and Wildlife The wetlands and riparian zones along the Estuary’s shores are some of the most ecologically and economically important components of the Bay-Delta system. They provide many benefits, including food-web support, habitat for fish and wildlife, flood protection, water-quality improvement and erosion control. They also provide waterfront open […]

Bioinvasion Rates

Articles Ecology & Environment   Bioinvasion Rates At least 121 non-native organisms have established themselves in the Estuary’s waters and wetlands to date. Such invasions — many of which occur via the discharge of ship ballast water taken up in foreign ports — may constitute the biggest single threat to the Estuary’s native biodiversity. More […]

Tokyo: Trade and Economics Overview

Articles Trade & Economics Tokyo: Trade and Economics Overview Industrializing rapidly after WWII, the Tokyo metropolitan region is the largest commercial center in Japan. Here, especially in the central business district, most large (both Japanese and foreign) businesses and banks have established their headquarters. The region’s port of Yokohama is the country’s largest port. Tokyo […]

Tokyo’s Calamities

Articles History & Culture   Tokyo’s Calamities Tokyo has been the site of immense calamities throughout history. Fires destroyed huge sections of Edo numerous times, so often that fires became to be known as the “flowers of Edo.” A 1657 fire burned down two-thirds of the city and killed 100,000 residents. In 1923, another disaster […]

Tokyo: Historical and Demographical Overview

Articles History & Culture Tokyo: Historical and Demographical Overview With 28 million residents, the Tokyo Bay Area is home to almost one quarter of Japan’s population. As Tokyo’s population has burgeoned (with 37,000 people per square mile, Tokyo is twice as densely populated as NYC and three times as Bombay), housing costs have soared, crowding […]

Bluefin Tuna — Sea Giants in the Japanese Food Market

Articles History & Culture Bluefin Tuna — Sea Giants in the Japanese Food Market In the Japanese market, the bluefin [tuna] is worth fantastic money. Fishers can be paid, depending on the quality and condition of the individual fish, more than $50 per pound for a fish that can weigh hundreds of pounds (the largest […]