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Japan: Deficits, Demography, and Deflation
by Richard H.K. VietorBy 2005, Japan's debt had risen to 163% of GDP. For more than a decade, the government had run huge deficits, trying unsuccessfully to stimulate economic growth. Interest rates, meanwhile, had been zero for years. But with slow growth and banks in crisis, nothing had worked very well until some recovery in 2004. Now, the government is trying to repair its fiscal damage in the face of continuing slow growth and huge pension and health care obligations to a population that is aging fast. Hezio Takenaka, the minister for economy and postal privatization, faces a imposing agenda--to restart the economy while lowering the deficits and reforming social security.
Japan: Betting on Inflation?
by Julio J. RotembergThe case focuses on the challenges still confronting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of 2013, a year after he has been in office. It also gives an overview of Japan's earlier economic performance, focusing primarily on the period after it suffered a stock market and real estate crash in 1989-1992. During his first year in office, Abe introduced three sets of policies designed both to reverse the deflation that had plagued Japan since around 2000 and to increase the Japanese growth rate. The first of this three-pronged approach consisted of appointing a central bank governor who committed himself to raising the inflation rate and who vastly expanded the Bank of Japan's balance sheet in an effort to accomplish this. The second involved a fiscal policy plan whose initial thrust was expansionary, but which also sought to reduce future budget deficits. The last one involved a series of microeconomic reforms aimed at expanding GDP and labor productivity. These included initiatives aimed at increasing female labor force participation to compensate for Japan's aging population, reforms of the electric power sector directed at reducing electricity costs, and efforts designed to promote the "health and longevity sector." The case ends by discussing Abe's foreign policy challenges, including Korea's and China's reactions to visits by Japanese officials to the Yasukuni shrine.
Japan
by Patrick SmithThe Japanese are in the process of re-creating themselves--an endeavor they have undertaken at intervals throughout history, always prompted by a combination of domestic and global forces. In this landmark book, Patrick Smith asserts that a variety of forces--the achievement of material affluence, the Cold War's end, and the death of Emperor Hirohito--are now spurring Japan once again toward a fundamental redefinition of itself. As Smith argues, this requires of the West an equally thorough reevaluation of the picture we have held of Japan over the past half-century. He reveals how economic overdevelopment conceals profound political, social, and psychological under-development. And by refocusing on "internal history" and the Japanese character, Smith offers a new framework for understanding Japan and the Japanese as they really are. The Japanese, he says, are now seeking to alter the very thing we believe distinguishes them: the relationship between the individual and society.Timely, measured, and authoritative, this book illuminates a new Japan, a nation preparing to drop the mask it holds up to the West and to steer a course of its own in the world.Jacket image: The Great Wave of Kanagawa, from 36 Views of Mount Fuji (detail) by Katsushika Hokusai. Private collection.From the Hardcover edition.
Japan: The Miracle Years
by Louis T. Wells Jr.Japan experienced rapid growth in the 1950s and 1960s while following a set of policies that differ from current policies in fashion. Although some observers believe that Japanese growth occurred in spite of the policies rather than because of them, several countries have looked to Japan's approach during this period as a way to accelerate their own growth. This case provides data on performance and describes the important institutions, policies, and control tools that were used in Japan. A rewritten version of two earlier cases.
Japan After Japan: Social and Cultural Life from Recessionary 1990s to the Present
by Tomiko Yoda Harry HarootunianThe prolonged downturn in the Japanese economy that began during the recessionary 1990s triggered a complex set of reactions both within Japan and abroad, reshaping not only the country's economy but also its politics, society, and culture. In Japan After Japan, scholars of history, anthropology, literature, and film explore the profound transformations in Japan since the early 1990s, providing complex analyses of a nation in transition, linking its present to its past and connecting local situations to global developments. Several of the essayists reflect on the politics of history, considering changes in the relationship between Japan and the United States, the complex legacy of Japanese colonialism, Japan's chronic unease with its wartime history, and the postwar consolidation of an ethnocentric and racist nationalism. Others analyze anxieties related to the role of children in society and the weakening of the gendered divide between workplace and home. Turning to popular culture, contributors scrutinize the avid consumption of "real events" in formats including police shows, quiz shows, and live Web camera feeds; the creation, distribution, and reception of Pokmon, the game-based franchise that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon; and the ways that the behavior of zealous fans of anime both reinforces and clashes with corporate interests. Focusing on contemporary social and political movements, one essay relates how a local citizens' group pressed the Japanese government to turn an international exposition, the Aichi Expo 2005, into a more environmentally conscious project. Another essay offers both a survey of emerging political movements and a manifesto identifying new possibilities for radical politics in Japan. Together the contributors to Japan After Japan present much-needed insight into the wide-ranging transformations of Japanese society that began in the 1990s. Contributors. Anne Allison, Andrea G. Arai, Eric Cazdyn, Leo Ching, Harry Harootunian, Marilyn Ivy, Sabu Kohso, J. Victor Koschmann, Thomas LaMarre, Masao Miyoshi, Yutaka Nagahara, Naoki Sakai, Tomiko Yoda, Yoshimi Shunya, Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
Japan and a New World Economic Order (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Kyoshi KojimaPresident Nixon’s new economic policy of August 1971, aggravated by the oil problem since October 1973 caused chaos and uncertainty in the international trade and currency system. There were fears of another 1930s style depression. In addition, a world food shortage and strident claims by developing countries for perpetual sovereignty over resources added another set of difficulties. This volume, written from Japan’s standpoint, suggests a new direction for the world and regional economic order. The book tackles two major issues in international economics: Firstly, traditional international trade theory aims only at static maximization in the use of world human and material resources, but, the author stresses more attention should be paid to such dynamic or developmental elements as population growth, immigration, natural resource development, improvement in transfer of technology, economies of scale, direct foreign investment and economic integration in order to create development centres or sectors in the world economy. Secondly, the author discusses how to combine a global and regional approach to economic integration.
Japan and a Pacific Free Trade Area
by Kiyoshi KojimaThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.
Japan and Asia: Business, Political and Cultural Interactions (Advances in Japanese Business and Economics #29)
by Mariko TanigakiThis book aims to review the postwar interactions of Japan with Asia. The Japanese factory production system, kaizen, has been shared in Asia. This book collects more diverse topics from Japan’s interactions with China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Each chapter provides details on how the business, political, and cultural interactions enrich both sides. The findings are then used to suggest the possibility of a de-facto Asian Community and Japan’s role in the present and post-COVID-19 world.
Japan and China: The Meeting of Asia's Economic Giants
by Erdener Kaynak Kazuo. J FukudaJapan and China: The Meeting of Asia’s Two Economic Giants analyzes the new and changing relationship between the two nations and the rest of the world that may shape a new economic landscape for Asia in the 21st century. Managers and employees of multinational firms, as well as students interested in international business, will learn about the cultural ties between the two countries and how traditions have shaped management methods and work ethics. Understanding the cultures and traditions of each country will help you improve business relations with Japanese or Chinese firms. It will also help you compete with these firms in the international business arena. Japan and China: The Meeting of Asia’s Two Economic Giants is based on an extensive survey of current literature, personal observations, and case studies researched by the author. Containing first-hand information on the interworkings of old and new Japanese and Chinese business practices, this book unveils some of the myths behind Japanese-style management and Chinese business methods. In light of increased cooperation between the nations, Japan and China: The Meeting of Asia’s Two Economic Giants discusses some of the barriers to business between the two countries and what effects these barriers can have individually on China, Japan, and other nations. In addition, the text contains suggestions for further improvement of business relations between China and Japan by examining: China’s current drive to learn and adapt some of the West’s modern management knowledge and technology and to re-examine ancient military strategies relating to business ways to improve working relations between Japanese managers and Chinese workers how to make Japanese-style Human Resource Management (HRM) understandable to other countries the effect that disappearing Japanese style management practices, such as lifetime employment and seniority-based promotion/pay systems, have on Japanese businesses societal differences that add difficulty to business relations between China and JapanFeaturing unique, first-hand accounts and insights into Japanese and Chinese business practices, Japan and China: The Meeting of Asia’s Two Economic Giants will keep you informed of the changing world of international business as it approaches the 21st century.
Japan and China in the World Political Economy (Politics in Asia)
by Saadia M. Pekkhanen Kellee S. TsaiTwo powers in East Asia today stand to define the region's economic and commercial future: Japan, which rose in a spectacular industrial burst to become at present the world's second largest economy; and China, which is rapidly advancing towards a market economy under the watchful eye of the world. While much has been made of Japan and China’s particular economic institutions and developmental paths, few works analyze them in a comparative framework. Including contributions from leading academics, the text focuses on the period from the 1980s to the onset of the 2000s, reviewing the experiences of Japan and China across the areas of development, trade, investment, finance and technology. Drawing on a combination of official documents, economic statistics, case studies and original fieldwork, this book will give political scientists, political economists, business concerns, and policy analysts a firmer grasp of the role Japan and China stand to play in the world political economy.
Japan and Malaysian Economic Development: In the Shadow of the Rising Sun
by Jomo K. S.The Japanese presence in Southeast Asia is treated variously with either suspicion or encouragement. Japan and Malaysian Development critically assesses different dimensions of Japan-Malaysia economic relations. The work presents a balanced collection of essays examining Japanese involvement in Malaysia. The volume also discusses the impact and consequences of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir's 'Look East' policy, which advocated greater emphasis on trading relations with Japan.
Japan and Singapore in the World Economy: Japan's Economic Advance into Singapore 1870-1965 (Routledge Studies In The Modern History Of Asia Ser.)
by Hitoshi Hirakawa Hiroshi ShimizuThis pioneering work examines Japan's economic activities in Singapore from 1870 to 1965. Drawing upon a wide range of published and unpublished sources, the authors shed new light on issues such as:* prostitution* foreign trade by Kobe's overseas Chinese* fishermen in the inter-war period* Japanese economic activities during the Pacific War* Japan
Japan and the Global Automotive Industry
by Koichi Shimokawa"In this important book, Koichi Shimokawa presents new insights into the reasons for Japan's automotive industry success and describes crucial phases of its development. Looking ahead into the future of the industry, he makes a powerful argument for a turn towards ecological sustainability. A masterpiece by the doyen of Japan's academic automotive research community!"
Japan and the Global Economy: Issues and Trends in the 1990s
by Jonathan MorrisFirst published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Japan and the Great Divergence
by Penelope FrancksThis text offers an accessible guide to the ways in which our growing knowledge of development in early-modern and modernising Japan can throw light on the paths that industrialisation was eventually to take across the globe. It has long been taken as read that the industrial revolution was the product of some form of 'European superiority' dating back to at least early-modern times. In The Great Divergence, Kenneth Pomeranz challenged this assumption on the basis of his evidence that parts of eighteenth-century China were as well placed as northern Europe to achieve sustained economic growth, thus igniting what has been called 'the single most important debate in recent global history'. Japan, as the only non-Western country to experience significant industrialisation before the Second World War, ought to provide crucial - and intriguing - evidence in the debate, but analysis of the Japanese case in such a context has remained limited. This work suggests ways of re-interpreting Japanese economic history in the light of the debate, so arguing that global historians and scholars of Japan have in fact much to say to each other within the comparative framework that the Great Divergence provides.
Japan and the Growth-Equity-Small Government Impossible Triangle: Lessons from the United States and the Nordic Economies (Europa Economic Perspectives)
by Jun SaitoThis volume examines and analyzes the current situation of, and the future prospects for, the Japanese economy, particularly in the context of inequality. The country's economy is facing the ageing and the shrinking of its population, both of which will reduce the potential growth rate, which has already become very low. By introducing a new policy framework, namely the `Equity-Growth-Small Government Impossible Triangle', based on reviewing, comparing and contrasting the policies of the United States, the Nordic economies and Japan, the book proposes a policy direction that could be pursued by Japan. If Japan wants to sustain growth while preventing inequality to widen and preserve an egalitarian society, there is no other choice but to further promote globalization and innovation and, at the same time, surrender preserving a small government by reforming itself to become a dynamic and resilient welfare state. The volume will be an invaluable resource for students, professionals and researchers with an interest in economics, inequality, the Japanese economy and comparative economic policies.
Japan and the Middle East: Foreign Policies and Interdependence (Contemporary Gulf Studies)
by Satoru Nakamura Steven WrightThe book provides a comprehensive analysis of the emergence, political economy and foreign relations of Japan’s relations with the Middle East, with an emphasis on its relations with the states in the Gulf Region. It offers both country specific case studies and thematic chapters, providing comprehensive study on Japan’s relations with the Gulf and the wider Middle East. Japan enjoys a strategic partnership with the Arab Gulf countries in terms of its energy trade, yet this has morphed into a wider trading relationship with the wider Middle East. The book studies Japan’s relations with Israel, Egypt and Turkey, covering security, the oil sector and the LNG sector Middle East. This will allow this book to go beyond its rich analytical and empirical content.
Japan And The United States: Economic And Political Adversaries
by Leon HollermanThe current economic policy debate between the United States and Japan, increasingly assuming the attributes of an adversary proceeding, has roots in divisive issues that have simmered for years. In this first book to specifically address these issues, U.S. and Japanese scholars, government officials, and business executives provide a basis for und
Japan: Betting on Inflation?
by Julio J. RotembergThe case focuses on the challenges still confronting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of 2013, a year after he has been in office. It also gives an overview of Japan's earlier economic performance, focusing primarily on the period after it suffered a stock market and real estate crash in 1989-1992. During his first year in office, Abe introduced three sets of policies designed both to reverse the deflation that had plagued Japan since around 2000 and to increase the Japanese growth rate. The first of this three-pronged approach consisted of appointing a central bank governor who committed himself to raising the inflation rate and who vastly expanded the Bank of Japan's balance sheet in an effort to accomplish this. The second involved a fiscal policy plan whose initial thrust was expansionary, but which also sought to reduce future budget deficits. The last one involved a series of microeconomic reforms aimed at expanding GDP and labor productivity. These included initiatives aimed at increasing female labor force participation to compensate for Japan's aging population, reforms of the electric power sector directed at reducing electricity costs, and efforts designed to promote the "health and longevity sector." The case ends by discussing Abe's foreign policy challenges, including Korea's and China's reactions to visits by Japanese officials to the Yasukuni shrine.
Japan Decides 2014: The Japanese General Election
by Robert J. Pekkanen Ethan Scheiner Steven R. ReedCollecting original and high-quality analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Europe, this volume analyzes the results of the 2014 election, examining each of the major political parties, central policy issues, campaign practices, and considers how the results were used as a mandate for massive policy reform.
Japan In Crisis
by Bong Youngshik T. J. PempelThis volume, stemming from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, observes that for Japan to 'rise again' would mean recovery not only from the triple disaster--the March, 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown--but from 20-plus years of economic stagnation, political fumbling, and deterioration in Japan's regional and global influence.
Japan in the 1960s: Ten Years of Turning Points (Inside East Asia)
by Robert D. Eldridge Jason M. MorganEldridge and Morgan set a new paradigm for East Asian contemporary historiography by viewing the decade of the 1960s as hermeneutically powerful. From street battles over Japan’s security treaty with the United States, to a peace treaty with the former Japanese territory of South Korea, to Japan’s hosting the 1964 Summer Olympics, the 1960s in Japan was a decade of turning points. This book is the first to see the 1960s as a historical subject in its own right and argues that the specificity and internal complexity rooted in East Asia during this period showed how East Asians were dynamic agents in shaping the decade. In this volume, contributors consider Japanese responses to a 1961 coup in the Republic of Korea; the Satō Eisaku administration’s approach to nuclear deterrence and to the question of Okinawa’s return from American control; U.S.-Japan intellectual exchange during the Cold War; support by Japanese businesspeople for the Self-Defense Forces; the “soft power” of Japanese cinema in the 1960s; Japan’s understanding of 1960s United Nations peacekeeping operations; changes in “national polity” discourse in the 1960s; the Dalai Lama’s 1967 visit to Japan; economic development in and cultural exchange between 1960s Japan and Spain; Japan’s science and technology interactions with the United States; and the earliest known, and suspected, cases of North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens. Much of the information in this volume has never appeared in English before.This is an important volume for historians, political scientists, sociologists, and other scholars specializing in the twentieth century and those interested in cutting-edge history-writing about a transformative 10-year period in East Asia.
Japan Inc. on the Brink
by Susan CarpenterThis book contends that structural reforms, the essential third arrow in Abe's 'Abenomics', will not happen. As a result, Abenomics is merely a combination of reckless monetary policy and ambiguous fiscal policies which will fail to regenerate Japan's fragile economy and cut sovereign debt.
Japan Post Bank: Current Issues and Prospects
by Akira UnoThis book provides a comprehensive view on how regional financial institutions should be operated in order to restore Japan’s fiscal health. It points out that, even though the Japan Post Bank has been partially privatized, the old mandatory deposit system still virtually exists between the bank and the government. This makes the bank’s asset portfolio heavily weighted toward Japanese government bonds and creates a bottleneck to restoring fiscal health. The book also demonstrates how this system and the low interest rate policy keep the bank’s return on assets (ROA) low and expose the bank to an interest rate risk and credit risk. While shedding light on the true nature of these problems, this work looks into the best ways regional financial institutions can be operated for the sake of regional economic revitalization. The process would involve integrating the three privatized public financial institutions (i.e., the Japan Post Bank, the Shoko Chukin Bank, and the Development Bank of Japan) and splitting their operations into different businesses and regional companies as well as reorganizing more than 100 regional banks. The author analyzes total assets and ROA of different types of financial institutions (public and private financial services) in Japan to obtain an overall view. Then, using ROA as an assessment indicator, he looks into ways to optimize their portfolios to make the most of individual financial assets, especially deposits, from a welfare economics point of view and formulates a theory for optimization. Financial institutions can optimize their ROA by using individual deposits and savings for total optimization to maximize their return on investment. If the share of total assets by type of financial institution is optimized through mergers or vertical integration between different types of financial institutions, and if ROA is optimized overall as a result, the structure of financial institutions by type in Japan can be optimized.