96. "A country's economic power cannot be used as its identity."

"Asked for his impression about the inauguration speech by President Obama, Japan's then-Prime Minister said, "As the world's second-largest economy, we must cooperate with America, the world's largest economy." I think this was a typically-Japanese answer. (snip.) As a matter of course, the world economy ranking changes every year, and a country's "economic power" cannot be used as its identity index. Saying "we want to establish a strong relationship with America as the world's second-largest economy" implies that such a relationship may vary if it becomes No. 3 or No. 5. (snip.) If a musician gets asked, for example, if he wants to collaborate with another musician and if he says, "yes, as the No. 2 musician in the popularity ranking, I wanna do that," he will be laughed at as being loopy in no time."

From "The Remote and Isolated Country, Japan" by Tatsuru Uchida, SHINCHOSHA Publishing Co., Ltd.