Welcome to 2025. My blog recorded its 20th year of existence on December 24, 2024 which I suppose is something to celebrate. But when I look out the window and try to find optimism I fail. Who knows what the year holds and global uncertainty is dominating the narratives surrounding economic developments. We have a…
Japan
Last week I noted in my review of the Australian government’s Mid-Year Economic and Financial Outlook (MYEFO) – Australian government announces a small shift in the fiscal deficit and it was if the sky was falling in (December 19., 2024) – that the forward estimates were suggesting the federal government’s fiscal deficit would be 1…
It’s Wednesday and as usual I cover a few topics briefly rather than provide a deeper analysis of a single issue. Today, I consider yesterday’s RBA monetary policy decision which held interest rates at elevated levels despite the inflation rate dropping towards the lower range of its targetting band. The RBA has lost credibility and…
My colleagues and I at Kyoto University met the night before I flew back to Australia this year to discuss the on-going research collaboration, which will define part of my work over the next few years. I hope we can announce a major event in Kyoto or Tokyo in October or November 2025 to disseminate…
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. This is my final report for 2024 as my working time at the university is completed for another year and we will resume these reports in 2025 when I return.…
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. Nara I took last Friday off as a holiday and we took the train to Nara which is about an hour away from Kyoto. The motivation was to do the…
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. 秋まつり – Sunday, November 3, 2024 The ‘event’ highlight of the week just gone was the – Aki Matsuri – or 秋まつり (Autumn Festival) last Sunday at the Buddhist –…
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. Stick man Every night around 21:10 I hear the sounds of sticks or wooden blocks being hit together like a percussionist might do. A fairly old man walks the streets…
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. Tourism blight I rarely go down into the tourist areas of Kyoto, that is the most popular areas around Gion and the Yasaka Shrine. I live in North Kyoto and…
The – Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security Research – is the go-to place for understanding demographic trends in Japan. The latest revisions to the population estimates (as at 2023) show that the current population of 125.5 million will shrink to 96 odd million by 2060 and then 87 million a decade later.…