"David I thought your Bloomberg piece on Japan last night was both thought-provoking and somewhat tragic. Japan's failure to embrace cultural change in 'imprisoning' its women at home has disturbing consequences for its future. I've had the pleasure of visiting Japan and I've done business with Japanese businessmen and their companies for over 20 years.

"I've always wondered how their wives accepted being treated like second class citizens. In a world that has seen so much political & cultural change (Apartheid has fallen in South Africa, several world dictators have been overthrown and many countries have had excellent women leaders, I could go on...) it's remarkable that the lot of Japanese women has not improved significantly. One wonders how much longer Japan will continue with this inequality!

"FM's social and economic commentary is wonderfully informative. Both Eoin and yourself offer an excellent service to Retail Investors like myself. It is with some envy that I read Eoin's summaries of the US Chart Seminars. I was at the London TCS in May of last year for a very illuminating and stimulating 2 days. I highly recommend it as an essential 2 Day Retreat for any serious-minded investor."

David Fuller's view Thanks for your thoughts on this subject and your kind words regarding TCS.

I have long maintained that female emancipation was a hallmark of the most successful economies, particularly as they achieved developed country status. Japan seemed to break this rule in the 1980s, although not beyond. Contrast the role of women in Japan, or many other countries where conditions are far worse, with that of Singapore which has long set the standard for emancipation, in my opinion.