Why Japan's bond babes' sales pitch may backfire

Employing models to sell more government bonds will not help Japan's debt situation or improve its poor credit rating

Few creatures are more recognisable than Bond Girls. Those maddeningly beautiful ladies, who either slept with James Bond or tried to kill him, or both, have captivated men's imaginations for decades. Now, Japan has a new spin on the breed. It involves government bonds, something of which the world's number two economy has a surplus. Tokyo has hired model Norika Fujiwara, hoping her sex appeal will bolster bond sales. 'OK, I'll try government bonds!'' says the 30-year-old actress, whose role in advertisements for J-Phone helped make the mobile phone unit of Vodafone Group a hit with Japan...