Japanese Capital

Once again David Tripe has shown his sympathy with those who want something for nothing. I refer to his article on Japanese capital. The situation which he describes as desirable is one where Japan gives SE Asia a certain amount of money with which to do what they like. He fails to recognise that the Japanese have a right to a return on their investment and as such want to see where it is being invested.

In 1945 Japan was destroyed and yet 30 years later it is one of the world's great economic imperialists. Because it developed with US capital, its own culture has been prostituted into a stylised American one. God forbid that this should happen to SE Asia. However alas, this is what comes with international investment.

If there were no international investment then each country would have to generate its own like Britain and Germany originally did. This will either bring the social horrors of the industrial revolution to SE Asia or at worst some Stalinist genocide. The countries of SE Asia naturally want to avoid this ghastly situation. Yet they still naturally want to obtain the riches they see as they look around the capitalist world. Yet they do not want to have the disadvantages that go with it. You cannot say mat some part of the capitalist system is acceptable to a people's experience, hope to obtain it while keeping out some undesirable part of capitalism. They not only want the cake to eat but it seems they want bits of other people's cake.

E.W. Clarke