The Japanese warrior chieftain Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) rose to a position of military hegemony during the civil wars of the 14th century and founded the second shogunate, or warrior government, of medieval Japan. The Ashikaga shogunate (known also...

EVEN THE BIGGEST OPTIMIST had to admit that it was all going a little too well to be credible. The Japanese banking system, though allegedly on the mend, is still the kind of patient that can suffer a sudden relapse and put the...

A rising Nikkei index may have helped the major Japanese banks produce favourable first-half financial results but while optimists can claim some progress, the overall banking sector remains highly vulnerable. This was underlined by prime minister Jurichiro Koizumi's recent decision to nationalise temporarily...