I've just read the freshly stolen Pelevin
I'd hardly read him before because he's not really my thing. But, basically, he's cool. The heaps of internet (and even LiveJournal) allusions are amusing. But overall it's rather gloomy, and the ending is muddled.
Most likely, though, the stolen version really does differ considerably from the one that will be published, while the "theft" itself is an artificially created viral marketing campaign.
Those who still happen not to know what that is should head to the Media Virus Laboratory
And here's another funny thing
As far back as 1981, the Policy Research Committee of Japan's National Defense Agency conducted studies into the possibility of developing the country's own nuclear weapons, but at the time concluded that such a project was unfeasible because of the colossal burden it would place on the country's industry and infrastructure.
Monstrously impoverished North Korea is capable of making nuclear weapons, but one of the world's most industrially developed countries isn't.
Apparently, though, only the aforementioned committee thinks so, while everyone else is still of sound mind:
According to military experts, Japan has the technical capability to produce nuclear weapons on its own in no more than one month.
Now that sounds more like the truth.
Pelevin
2006-10-16