I’ve not read anything by Project Itoh yet, but he (along with Enjou Tou) was a writer that you can’t help having on your radar if you’ve followed Japanese SF for the last couple of years. Though he only had time in his life to write three books (Harmony, Genocidal Organ, and a Metal Gear Solid novelization), he seemed to be generating a lot of excitement, and winning a lot of awards.

Having lived in Japan for more than five years, I’ve had a bit of experience dealing with their health care system, but nothing on the scale that Project Itoh must have had. As one of those folks who isn’t exactly comforted by the idea of our government running the health care system, I want to see what he had to say about it. My experience in Japan hasn’t been bad overall. With (and even without) the mandatory social insurance, costs seem quite low compared to the USA. I do worry about sustainability if prices start rising, though, and also personal liberty. I had to get a checkup at work recently, and it was not voluntary. I found the law where it was mandated. Had I refused to cooperate…well, I don’t think I would have felt a pink glove on my shoulder, but I would have had to pay some fines at the very least.

So, in short, looking forward to this one.