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A collection of articles provided by The Wall Street Journal's Tokyo Bureau focusing on Japan's economic, corporate and political backdrop. Pulled together the best of what we can offer readers throughout the world: thoughtful, analytical journalism that breaks news and delves deep to explain what's at stake to the world's second largest economy.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As with the travel and real estate industry before it, the health insurance market is being transformed by technology and the Internet. But it's not just convenience that has driven more consumers to go online for their individual health insurance coverage. For more and more Americans, it's becoming a matter of necessity.

The United States is indisputably undergoing a financial crisis and is perhaps headed for a deep recession. Here we examine three claims about the way the financial crisis is affecting the economy as a whole and argue that all three claims are myths.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the size of the Internet search market in Japan is expected to grow from ¥158.2 billion in 2006 to ¥549 billion in 2011. The search engine market will continue to lead the growth of the information technology (IT) service market in the future. This growth means that search engines constitute the basis of the Internet and that they are coming to play roles that are more significant.

The author of Emotional Intelligence says business leaders will need greater interpersonal awareness in an era of corporate transparency.

Integrating China into Your Global Supply Chain - Lessons Learned from Global Supply Chain Integrators

For too long, many companies have exhibited tunnel vision in their approach to doing business in emerging markets, such as China, India, Brazil, and Russia. Some have seen them purely as venues for low-cost sourcing; others have considered them rapidly expanding pools of customers who are attracted to imported goods. But a new breed of company that we call global supply chain integrators (GSCIs) has recognized that these markets are more than just low-cost source markets or the mega-growth markets of our age: At a minimum, they are both.

About six months ago I received an email from Jamie Carstairs, a Digitisation Assistant at the University of Bristol. The subject header was ‘Rare historical photos cast light on life in China’. Further enquiry revealed that the images in question are a remarkable collection of photographs of China in the late 19th and early 20th century brought together by researchers from the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Bristol, as part of their ongoing ‘Historical Photographs of China’ project.