James Moore: Expect more wonders from the Far East

Outlook Amazing what you can do with Japanese managers. Thanks to the small matter of an £8m bung from the Government, more than 1,000 desperately needed jobs are going to be created in the North-east, where Nissan will build some new cars.

David Cameron's tour of the Far East has certainly got off to a good start. The Prime Minister will be hoping for a few more goodies, though, and will dangle carrots such as Britain's low level of corporate taxation, its flexible labour market compared with European rivals and various sweeteners available from various regional development funds. So he might yet come home with a few more announcements.

That's the life of the modern politician: singing for your supper in front of international businessmen and financiers in a corporate version of Britain's Got Talent. Sometimes you wonder why so many people still want to do it.