Meanwhile Kaoru Yosano, the new economy minister with a clear sense of what needs to be done to overhaul the country's finances in the face of an ageing population, was ordered to cobble together a fiscal-stimulus package in response to panicky (and probably unfounded) fears that the economy was tipping into a deep recession again.

ECONOMIST: Japan

The package was a response to the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge on Aug. 1, 2007, which killed 13.

FORBES: State Gas Tax Guzzlers

Instead, it was the idea of government and announced as part of its package of measures in response to the public inquiry.

BBC: Is nurse training plan a stupid idea?