> As for: "In recessionary Japan, the reckless use of
the > combustion engine is a hobby for the old and rich > "ojisan" often trying to recapture a youth in which he > was too overworked and cash-strapped to drive a > supercar."

> The additional irony of this statement

The statement is less ironic than moronic. As a cyclist in Tokyo and surrounding areas, I can testify on the basis of close encounters of the wrong kind that a recessionary economy has not taken young reckless drivers off the road. Moreover, just last week there was a television news item about a police crackdown on provincial bosozoku.

I wonder how The Times found the author of this article? Presumably with a posting saying something like, "Wanted
- Clueless, arrogant twit to write condescending articles about Japan in a puerile style that will appeal to the kind of people who would buy a newspaper published by The Dirty Digger (aka Rupert Murdoch)."

EHK