I spent much of last week discussing economic security in conferences here in Tokyo and in Taipei. That wasn¡¯t a surprise since the topic dominates politics and policymaking around the world.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister of economy, trade and industry, is right to insist that ¡°the concept of economic security is a determining factor in national power and the fate of the nation.¡±

Remarkably, however, those meetings highlighted the uncertainty and imprecision that surrounds the idea of ¡°economic security.¡± Everyone has something to say, but there is no consensus on what economic security is ¡ª and therefore, how to achieve it.