I am travelling a lot today so I am typing this up in between segments. I met a journalist in Tokyo on Friday and we discussed various matters relating to the current policy debate in Japan. In addition, we discussed the latest situation for the Japanese banking sector and the fact that they are recording…
Japan
This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions. Sadly, this is my last Kyoto Report for 2025. My time…
Last Friday, I met a journalist in Tokyo and we discussed among other things, the results of the latest Nikkei/JCER ‘Economics Panel’, which was conducted between November 13 and November 18, 2025. The panel involves “questionnaires” being “sent to approximately 50 economists to gather their evaluations of various economic policies. The aim is to promote…
This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions. Friday – tea break – where else? Friday’s weather was again…
I am travelling today to Tokyo and have little time to write here. But with the latest national accounts data coming out on Monday (November 17, 2025), the discussions within the government are about the size of the fiscal stimulus that will be initiated in the next fiscal round. This The Japan Times article (November…
This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions. Xmas comes early in Japan For a mostly unchristian nation –…
This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions. Time is passing and the weather has now turned cold –…
This blog post continues my exploration of the available productive resources in Japan which would allow a nominal fiscal expansion to be accommodated without adding to the inflationary pressures. People consistently point to the low official unemployment rate as a proxy for a shortage of labour in Japan. It is good that the official unemployment…
The Prime Minister’s Office of Japan has now released the transcript of the – Policy Speech by Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae to the 219th Session of the Diet (October 24, 2025). This was her first major speech after taking on the office of Prime Minister and allows us to see some detail beyond the rather…
A few weeks ago I wrote this blog post – Japan – the challenges facing the new LDP leader – Part 2 (October 9, 2025) – documenting the viability of a fiscal expansion in Japan given the availability of idle labour resources, which are in short supply. I noted that the recent estimates from the…