Mahathir once envisioned an East Asian economic framework centered on Japan, but U.S. intervention and Japan’s compliance led to its collapse.
Disillusioned by Japan’s political stance and the Asian financial crisis, he left politics.
Fifteen years later, seeing signs of Japan’s revival, he resolved to return as prime minister.
This account captures a symbolic chapter in modern Asian political history.

He learned that Japan was no longer an era in which Tomiichi Murayama or the Asahi Shimbun could dominate the scene.
2018-01-25
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
During the lecture, “the white attendees kicked their chairs and walked out,” wrote Yoichi Funabashi, who would later become editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun, many years afterward.
The tone of his writing was, “How dare a small Asian country anger the white world.”
Around the time of this lecture, Mahathir presented to the world the idea of launching the East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC), centered on Japan.
Clinton, unwilling to tolerate Japan’s revival, used APEC to move against and crush the EAEC.
Japan wagged its tail and followed the United States.
Mahathir was disappointed.
After that, Tomiichi Murayama visited and foolishly said, “The Japanese military did terrible things.”
Mahathir, who had believed that Asia existed because of Japan, was so shocked by such a prime minister that he could hardly stand.
As if to add another blow, George Soros orchestrated the Asian currency crisis and battered Malaysia.
He left politics in deep disappointment.
Fifteen years later.
He learned that Japan was no longer an era in which Tomiichi Murayama or the Asahi Shimbun could dominate.
It seemed to him that the Japan he had envisioned when he first conceived the EAEC had returned.
He is now 92 years old, but newspapers reported that he had resolved to return once more as prime minister.
According to speculation, the possibility is high.
If he does return, he will likely first come to meet Japan’s prime minister.
Surely he will not be disappointed.