Statistics are more important in provoking people to think than they are confirming a development that few have any doubt about. When news comes that China's total economy is overtaking Japan's, there is little celebration in this land, not even on the often seemingly nationalistic young people's Internet forums.

According to data given by the Japanese authorities, it is reported that, in the second quarter of the year, Japan's GDP was worth 1.29 trillion dollars, while China's was 1.34 trillion dollars.

This means that, if the trend continues (and there doesn't seem any force to interrupt it), by the end of the year, the size of Chinese economy will replace Japan's as the world's second largest.