Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

In Japan, policies and attitudes that took hold after the Second World War have repercussions

that still affect day-to-day life. This week the government at last apologized to tens

of thousands of people who were forcibly sterilized in a post-war eugenics push. Our

correspondent talks to one of them. And the rebuilding of Japan after the war took on an almost

military quality, as soldiers swapped uniforms for suits. That's made the country's work

ethic famous, notorious even. As a new emperor ascends next week, Japanese employees are getting

extra time off work to celebrate, but they're not all sure they want it.

First up though.

In 2017, Spain's wealthy semi-autonomous region of Catalonia made a push for independence.

In an unconstitutional referendum, it voted to break away from Spain.

Madrid soon crushed the secession bid, but the Catalan issue was far from over. It helped

to trigger this Sunday's general election, the third in little more than three years.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the snap pole in February.

After a crushing defeat in Parliament, his minority socialist government had depended on support

from small regional parties, including the Catalan nationalists. But they voted with Mr. Sanchez's

right-wing opposition to reject his 2019 budget plan. His government was paralyzed.

The coming election is supposed to break that impasse, but the political landscape remains

fractured. The simmering Catalan crisis looms large still, and Europe is looking for a

stabilizing force in uncertain times.

Spain goes to the polls on Sunday the 28th, and it's a very important election because

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