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MAY 9, 2005
AIG Learned The Wrong Lessons From Asia I really enjoyed reading your articles regarding the American International Group/Warren Buffett controversy: "Get ready for Starr wars" and "Warren and Hank are set for a grilling" (News: The United States, Apr. 18). How the mighty have fallen! Part of this is cultural. AIG started its first office in Shanghai, not New York. I would imagine that it imported that region's gung-ho work ethic as well as some clearly negative family-business practices to the storied insurance behemoth. Complicated cross-shareholdings in the keiretsu style are typical in Asia, where controlling families and their cronies siphon much wealth away from shareholders. It's sad that the Greenbergs imported some of the worst elements of Asia to AIG. There are many better practices they could have learned from us. Athaporn Arayasantiparb Bangkok, Thailand Michigan And Germany Aren't In The Same Boat Re "Jobless in Detroit -- and Germany" (Editorial, Apr. 18): Yes, there are similar problems, but for very different reasons! In the case of Michigan, it is too dependent on the auto industry, which is essentially a mature one and does not create jobs anymore. Every year, improvements in productivity are higher than market growth. It is other industries and services that will provide future jobs. Germany is a manufacturing powerhouse that is able to export its products all over the world and enjoys a large positive trade balance. As a result, Germany is getting richer every year and has no problem maintaining its wealth. What has been dragging down the economy for the past 15 years is the remaking of East Germany, which has consumed tax revenues and business investment with an extremely poor return -- and at the expense of investments that would have created jobs. Michel Brimba Paris   It's Not Easy Being A Japanese Student -- Or Parent As a board member of a Chinese school in Japan ("Crazy for cramming," Asian Business, Apr. 18), I'd like to make a comment: Japanese parents aren't limiting the education of their children to school subjects. As Japanese parents foresee that China is becoming one of the world's powerhouses, many are having their children attend Chinese schools originally established in Japan for mainly overseas Chinese students. Lately, however, more and more Japanese students are enrolling in Chinese schools. Their objective is to receive a Chinese education and, even more important, to learn to speak the language. Japanese parents are going through huge troubles for their view on China. When their children enroll in Chinese schools, parents have to pay relatively expensive tuition. Furthermore, education at Chinese schools isn't considered formal, as it isn't following the curriculum set by the Ministry of Education & Transportation. Yungho Pok Osaka, Japan Cramming information into young skulls isn't education. It's injection of data with extreme prejudice. As long as the hard-boiled and narrow-minded world holds exams and grades in high regard, we'll have test-battered students slaving over what to do with pi. Michael G. Driver Ichihara, Japan
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