World View. No industrialized nation can be an economic island, yet Japan continues to behave like one. In "Letter from Japan," Kenichi Ohmae writes that consumers are tired of paying for subsidy protection and higher-priced goods.

Books in Review. The news media and the government are entwined in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, myth making, and self-interest. Journalists need crises to dramatize the news, and government officials need to appear to be responding to crises. Business, too, has had to learn to play the game of manipulating the public's perceptions.

The essence of business success lies in making sure you're playing the right game. How do you know if it's right? What can you do if it's wrongs In "The Right Game: Use Game Theory to Shape Strategy," Adam M. Brandenburger and Barry J. Nalebuff answer those questions by drawing on the insights of game theory, which stresses the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of other players and anticipating their responses.