I am always on the lookout for new scans, articles or tidbits of information regarding Kitagawa-san for this site! If you have any, please E-mail them to me, and I'll be sure to give you full credit for your contribution! Thanks!

Recently, with my new years gift money, I purchased an electronic dictionary! In addition to English and modern/classic Japanese it also has Japanese historical and world historical terminology. Since this [kind of thing] is really convenient and useful [to have around] I found myself interested in it. Every day when I have some free time on the set I play with it by looking up the names of historical personages.

Then a clever little aside which says the following:

Here's the double-standard folks. This entry is going to cause [Dr. Xadium] to further go on about how she's just the most perfect actress ever and how interesting she would be to have a conversation with. Now, I do stuff like this too, but being male, this instead makes me a boring person. How many of you Jyoji fans would get really excited knowing he can explain to you how Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato's income doubling plan worked? We're just pieces of meat.

All I have to say is... the man is SO right. But he neglected one crucial detail... how exactly *did* Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato's income doubling plan work? I must know!! Kitagawa-sensei, the answer please:

"In December 1960, in order to bring Japanese standards of living up to levels comparable to those found in many advanced Western countries, ensure full employment and reduce the income disparity between rich and poor citizens, Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato announced an Double National Income Plan (kokumin shotoku baizo keikaku) intended to double Japan's gross national product in the course of the following decade.

Setting a goal of 7.8% annual growth during the decade 1961-1970, and utilizing economic plans aimed at expansion of the industrial base, the plan employed "three pillars" of (1) tax cuts, (2) social security, and (3) public investment.

In this way, the latent energy within the private sector was skillfully activated and "miraculously" high rates of growth were achieved.

The plan proved exceedingly successful-- moreso than originally envisioned. Although Ikeda's plan had envisioned a growth rate of 9 percent per year for the first three years, actual results exceeded this as the economy expanded at a rate of 10 percent. Also, the target of doubling levels of personal income was reached in a little over four years instead of the ten-year period that originally had been thought would be necessary."

Thank you, Kitagawa-sensei.

This has NOT been a scholarly proclamation by Kitagawa Keiko, but rather an incredible simulation of same. Could Britney Spears give us an answer of this quality and caliber? We think not. (But we hear she has some experience in Nevada Family Law)