Japan economy
TOE Alert: Is Japan's potential growth really just 0.5%?
written by Richard Katz on November 30, 2015
Japan’s productivity growth faces two challenges from the labor side: a demographic crunch in which each worker must finance the livelihood of more retirees and an erosion of the skills of the labor due to the rise of non-regular workers to 37% of the labor force.
TOE Alert: How does Japan's Growth Stack up in International Comparisons, Part 1
written by Richard Katz on September 29, 2015
Some economists claim that except for aging, Japan does not really have a problem with growth in GDP or productivity. And in this report Richard argues why that statement is incorrect.
CAPEX Shows life in Revised GDP Numbers
written by Richard Katz on June 12, 2015
Japan's Jan-March GDP was revised upwards from a 2.4% annual rate of growth to 3.9%, the biggest reason for the change was that, for the first time since the April 2014 tax hike, business investment grew substantially, at a 10% annual rate.
Export Tumble in May Raises Doubts
written by Richard Katz on June 24, 2015
The encouraging rise in Japan's exports seen in January-March seemed to fizzle out in April and May and real exports fell two months in a row.
TOE Alert: Consumption and Real Income Slowly Recovering, but Still Below Pre-Tax Hike Levels
written by Richard Katz on June 26, 2015
Japan's household spending is rebounding from its post-tax hike bottom, but at a very slow pace and in a zig-zag fashion.
Japan's Nominal Wages up Almost 1% in April
written by Richard Katz on June 04, 2015
While April may have been cruel to Japan in many regards (see Alert of May 29), it was very kind on wage front. Nominal wages per worker were up 0.9% from last April—three times as much as the consensus forecast.
Can Cheap Yen Drive GDP Growth, Part 2?
written by Richard Katz on May 03, 2015
In this report Richard analyzes why the yen’s weakness might not trigger a surge in the trade surplus that drives GDP growth as in the mid-2000s.
GDP Risks Contraction in Jan.-March, Part 1
written by Richard Katz on April 02, 2015
Richard analyzes the reason behind Japan's GDP may contract in Jan-March based on the February data.
Toyota the Exception On Wage Hikes, Part 1
written by Richard Katz on March 23, 2015
There is a lot of crowing in the Japanese press about wages rising in Japan because Toyota Motor Co. and some other big firms offered the biggest wage hikes in years, partly due to pressure from the Abe administration.
I Shot My Arrow in the Air
written by Richard Katz on March 09, 2015
This is the March issue of Richard's the Oriental Economist Report covering a range of political and economic issues in Japan.
