ARTICLE: How Do Japanese React to China's Rise? Depends on Their Age, By HIROKO TABUCHI, New York Times, October 1, 2009 ARTICLE: Chinese Economic Juggernaut Is Gaining on Japan, By HIROKO TABUCHI, October 1, 2009

Japan's rise and decline should serve as a grim warning to China right now. Japan got old, but China will get older faster. Japan kept its environment relatively clean, China is trashing its own. Japan built its manufacturing power on excellent goods, China is fly-by-night by comparison (reading a book on that now). In sum, China has so many huge hidden deficits incurred during its rise, that I think it will suffer future stagnation that makes Japan's seem tame, especially since China's political system is so brittle and unimaginative. I guess I'm just responding to all this China-will-rule-the-world vibe connected with the 60th b-day celebration. As soon as I read stuff like that, the Irish in me says you're heading for a fall.