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This paper assesses how Japanese economic performance affects the Indonesian economy for the 1988 to 2004 period. The empirical evidence provided here suggests that Japanese growth appreciates the local currency in real terms, decreases the inflation and increases growth. As a side issue, we also documented that real exchange rate depreciation accelerates inflation and decreases growth in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis remains undertreated in Japan, and bone fractures are the most frequent complications imposing heavy burden on individuals and the community. This paper investigates the clinical and economic burden of fractures among osteoporosis patients in Japan. The Japan National Health and Wellness Survey 2012-2014 database was used for analysis. Respondents aged ≥ 50 years and indicated a physician diagnosis of osteoporosis (N = 1107) were categorized into three subgroups: no prior fracture (N = 693), single fracture (N = 242), and multiple (≥ 2) fractures (N = 172). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), work productivity and activity impairment, healthcare resource utilization and associated direct and indirect costs were compared across three fracture subgroups adjusting for respondents' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics using generalized linear regression models. The estimated fracture prevalence among respondents with osteoporosis who were ≥ 50 years was 37.4%, of whom 41.5% had multiple fractures. Relative to osteoporosis respondents with no fracture and with single fracture, those with multiple fractures reported significant higher disability in HRQoL, more healthcare resource utilization, and were associated with higher direct costs. Improved treatment of fractures among osteoporosis patients is necessary and may help reduce the clinical and economic burden in this osteoporosis population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large areas of Northeast Asia experienced drought in 1939. Agricultural production in Korea decreased significantly, but the drought did not cause famine in Japan despite its dependence on rice imports from Korea. The paper analyses the impact of the 1939 drought on the markets for rice and electricity in Japan. The authorities were ill-prepared for such a disaster but willing to use it for the purpose of covering for other problems. The drought thus accelerated the move of Japan's economic system towards a managed economy. A lower total rainfall in Japan in 1940 did not generate similar problems, suggesting that the broader political, economic, and social context is crucial to the identification of short-term climatic fluctuations as crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The labor force in Japan is projected to fall from 64 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2100, signaling unprecedented tax/transfer adjustments to achieve fiscal sustainability. In this paper, we develop a quantitative overlapping generations model to measure the impact of guest worker programs in Japan. Against a baseline general equilibrium transition in which the consumption tax adjusts to achieve fiscal sustainability, we compute alternative transitions with guest worker programs. Depending on the size and skill distribution of guest workers, these programs may mitigate Japan's fiscal imbalance problem with a relatively manageable increase in the consumption tax. ( JEL E2, E6, H5, J11, J15) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Information and communication technology appears to have had a profound impact on language use in Japan. An important issue arising from this is said to be the increase in the use of Chinese characters (kanji) outside the official standard. This development has made a re-appraisal of the existing script policy necessary in order to accommodate the changes in kanji usage. To determine the nature and extent of the changes, it is necessary to compare the use of kanji in the information and communication technology era with that in the past. However, not many longitudinal surveys of texts have been done making it difficult to determine the extent to which kanji use has increased and deviated from the existing standard after the development of information and communication technology. This paper is based on a longitudinal study carried out to determine the changes in the proportions of kanji use during the information and communication technology era and before, with a special focus on the use of kanji outside the Joyo List (the current guide for kanji use in all public, non-specialist writing). The study examined the changes in kanji proportions by using topic-controlled news texts published in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun from the 1940s to the 2000s. The study found that the proportion of non-Joyo kanji was minimal right across the period that was investigated and that it remained stable after the development of information and communication technology. The study also found that the proportions of general kanji used in the information and communication technology era was higher than that in the past. However, there were also some unexpected results. Kanji use at the end of the era was lower than what it was at the beginning. Also, apart from an increased use in the 1980s, kanji use remained fairly stable from the 1960s to the 2000s. Although the findings in the study are limited to news texts written about a particular topic, they were generally supported by past research based on other topics and other types of media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the applicability of a multi-sector business cycle model to the Japanese economy. Through dynamic factor analysis, output fluctuations are broken down into aggregate and sectoral shocks. It is shown that independent sectoral shocks are more significant than common shocks, which is consistent with the model proposed by Long and Plosser (1983). In addition, the paper reveals that the importance of aggregate shocks increased during the so-called "Bubble" period in the late 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper summarizes the problems that Japan faces during a period of falling and stagnant population and discusses their remedies. The problem of a stagnant population is well recognized and has been studied from a broad perspective by the Japanese government. This paper, however, defines the problem of action under three headings: (1) buying time; (2) building a new relationship between men and women; and (3) the political economy of a stagnant population. JEL Classification Numbers: B1, H4, J1, O15, O50. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period of 2001-2006, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) adopted a market-oriented policy under the Koizumi cabinet. Using data covering the Koizumi and first Abe cabinets, the present paper attempts to examine whether the effects of relative income differ between supporters and non-supporters of the Koizumi cabinet. Key findings are as follows: within the Koizumi cabinet period, a relatively low-income position is negatively related to happiness for non-LDP supporters but not for LDP supporters. However, under the period of the first Abe cabinet, the difference in the effect of relative income for LDP supporters and others disappears. These results imply that an expectation of market outcomes leads to a difference in the effect of relative income position on happiness levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional wisdom that the devastation wrought by the 1995 Kobe (Great Hanshin-Awaji) earthquake did not have any long-term impact on the Japanese economy, or much impact on Kobe itself, is wrong. We reevaluate the evidence using a new methodology, synthetic control, and find a persistent and still continuing adverse impact of the quake on the economy of Kobe more than a decade after the event. Using the methodology developed by Abadie et al. (Journal of the American Statistical Association , 2010), we construct counterfactual dynamics for the Kobe economy. We identify a decline in per capita GDP that is attributable to the quake and is persistent, long-term, and clearly observable even 13 years after the quake. GDP per capita for 2008 was ¥400,000 per person lower (12% decrease) than it would have been had the earthquake not occurred. Importantly, this adverse long-term impact is identified in a wealthy region of a high-income country and with the backing of a deep-pocketed fiscal authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic policies of Japan's Finance Minister, Korekiyo Takahashi, during the Great Depression are more than a curious footnote in economic history. By 1932, Takahashi's interventionist policies had reversed Japan's economic decline. They also preceded similar measures adopted in other countries. Takahashi has even been characterized as Japan's Keynes, because of his use of deficit-financed, fiscal stimuli. He also has been blamed for his role in initiating in Japan the process of expanding military expenditures to stimulate the economy. This paper takes a second look at the Japanese economy during the early years of the Great Depression, with a particular reference to the policies of Takahashi. Two major questions addressed relate to the Keynesian origin of his ideas and the extent to which his policies contributed to the subsequent economic recovery. Takahashi lost little time in reversing the contractionary economic policies of the previous cabinet when he resumed office at the end of 1931. The result has been described as "one of the most successful combinations of fiscal, monetary, and foreign exchange rate policies, in an adverse international environment, that the world has ever seen." The recession that had begun in 1930 was reversed by late 1932, and Japan escaped most of the ravages of the Great Depression.

The article explains the essence of accounting for fear in assessing catastrophic events in terms of economic damage. Topics discussed include the 2012 Japanese government report on predicted damage of major earthquakes and tsunamis in the Nankai Trough (NT) area in Japan, the impact of the NT report towards land price function in Japan, and accuracy bias over land price data in the country.

The 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake affected dozens of coastal communities along the shore of Japan's Tohoku region. Following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns, utilities, businesses and schools in some towns have bounced back to pre-disaster capacity while other municipalities have lagged behind. The question of which factors accelerate the recovery of business, infrastructure and population after the disaster remains unanswered. This article uses a new dataset of roughly 40 disaster-affected cities, towns and villages in the area to identify the factors connected with recovery. More than tsunami damage, spending on disaster mitigation, population density, economic conditions or financial capability, the most powerful predictor of recovery for a given area is the number of powerful politicians representing the area in the national government. These findings bring with them important policy implications for residents, NGOs and government decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which labor market specification is better able to describe inflation dynamics, a widely used sticky wage model or a recently investigated labor market search model? Using a Bayesian likelihood approach, we estimate these two models with Japan's data. This article shows that the labor market search model is superior to the sticky wage model in terms of both marginal likelihood and out-of-sample forecast performance, particularly regarding inflation. The labor market search model is better able to replicate the cross-correlation among inflation, real wages, and output in the data. Moreover, in this model, real marginal cost is determined by both hiring cost and unit labor cost that varies with employment fluctuations, which gives rise to a high contemporaneous correlation between inflation and real marginal cost as represented in the New Keynesian Phillips curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the economic condition of Japan as of 2003. Description of the concept of deflation; Reason for the loss of confidence in the Japanese economy about the future; Socioeconomic conditions Japan need to be created for the public's confidence to be restored.

Comments on an article about the economic stagnation of Japan in the 1990s. Role of money in the stagnation of Japan in the 1990s; Definition of money; Reason the ability of Japanese banking system to create new credit weakened.

For much of the late twentieth century, the twenty-first was anticipated as the coming 'Asian Century'. Japan's economic woes and the broader financial crisis of 1997-98 put a dent in those expectations. The information revolution adds another complication; because of it, Asian economic development in this new century is likely to resemble a disorganised game of leapfrog. The information revolution makes 'leapfrogging' possible because it alters the conventional categories of 'developed', 'developing', and 'underdeveloped' nations. Rapid technological change can push yesterday's losers forward, and burden some more 'advanced' economies with the weight of yesterday's technological infrastructure. In social terms, a pernicious 'digital divide' is emerging. The significant growth in computer ownership and usage has been concentrated within certain income levels, educational backgrounds, demographic groups and geographical areas. This digital abyss is a daunting problem for India, China and Japan, despite their governments' continuing efforts to keep up with and exploit the opportunities offered by information technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study of the economic behavior of prewar corporate groups in Japan called zaibatsu, from 1915 to 1937. Types of prewar corporate groups in the country; Theories that have been advanced for the existence and growth of zaibatsu; Ways by which annual profitability was measured.

Examines the trade policies of Japan. Economic reform proposal by Japan's Economic Planning Agency; Impact of existing 1950s and 1960s structures, mental habits and policies on industrial production; Steady decline of major economic sectors; Disadvantages of import barriers.

Discusses the history of Japanese economic growth. Details of economic development in the country; Rate of public consumption; Prices of basic services and goods; Production output of manufacturing industries; Economic policy in the country after World War II.

The economics profession in Japan today is rapidly expanding although the number of economists is still relatively small, probably less than 2,000 altogether, if we exclude specialists in business administration. It is no exaggeration to say that close to one-half of the economists in Japan today are of Marxist orientation. The end of the war, naturally, saw extreme collaborator-economists purged from academic posts and the coining into the open, now with secured positions, of a large number of Marxist-economists from hiding that had been either enforced or voluntary. To all economists regardless of ideological orientation, the concrete problems of postwar Japan presented a challenge. Immediately there was a problem of inflation which, by the time it subsided in 1949, left the general price level at about 300 times that of 1934-36. Many of the tasks of adjustment which the defeated country was called upon to make were mainly economic in character: the need to absorb upwards of six million repatriates who were forced to return home from either civilian or military jobs in the countries which Japan had invaded; the need to reorient the structure of the economy from one which depended to a high degree on the international division of labor to one, at least for several years, of autarchic character; and so on.

Examines issues related to the economic development in Japan. Restrictions and restrictionism; Entitlements; Underclasses; Attenuations of property rights; Retaliations from abroad.