Japanese Economic Policy puts U.S. to Shame?

[WhipperSnapper]

I thought this was an interesting article. How does a nation with almost no natural resources other than fish and a tiny landmass outdo the United States?

http://www.economyincrisis.org/articles/show/2112

 

[her209]

Because Japanese companies have 100 year outlooks?

 

[JS80]

I thought this was an interesting article. How does a nation with almost no natural resources other than fish and a tiny landmass outdo the United States?

http://www.economyincrisis.org/articles/show/2112

That sounds like a pretty damn good incentive to do well and innovate to survive don't you think? But "outdo" us?

The author of the article (and the OP) doesn't understand trade. Trade surplus just means that they are receiving paper (money) when they ship out their PS3s. So who's the stupid one? The people receiving Sony Bravia TVs and in return sending toilet paper or the ones sending PS3s and accepting toilet paper?

Guess what, trade is called trade for a reason - you have to trade stuff. Sure you can amass a mountain of IOUs but one day it will decrease in value. Guess where they have to spend US dollars? In the US buying US goods and services. They are taking a huge gamble with their trade surplus game and it will bite them in the ass as we spend ourselves into oblivion.

 

[LegendKiller]

It's pretty easy. Concentrate the wealth to a larger extent, have industrials control the banks, have the industrials control the government, and allow a few people control everything outside the government.

Then, instead of foreclosing on properties, allow the banks to carry the loans forever without collecting. Combine that with unlimited "government" intervention in the private sector with 180%+ debt/GDP, you get a nice little mix of a screwed up country.

Ohh, don't forget over a decade of zero interest rates to stave off a huge deflationary spiral.

 

[First]

Japan is a model of economic prosperity? Their equity return since 1990 has been disastrous, something like 2% total return.

 

[Mursilis]

Combine that with unlimited "government" intervention in the private sector with 180%+ debt/GDP, you get a nice little mix of a screwed up country.

Seriously, that as always amazed me. If we're driving toward the cliff of fiscal disaster, they're miles ahead of us on the bullet train, heading off the same cliff. How much longer can they float that sort of debt?!?! It's just stunning.

 

[Moonbeam]

The average IQ in America used to be 100. It is 107 for Japan.

 

[JS80]

The average IQ in America used to be 100. It is 107 for Japan.

What is the average IQ of Japanese Americans to Japs in Japan? That's a better comparison.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Are the Japanese doing better than we are? I don't know but they're doing well considering the amount of land and resources they have in addition to a high population density. They also have a less expensive and working health care system which is much more than you can say for the U.S.

 

[nageov3t]

Are the Japanese doing better than we are? I don't know but they're doing well considering the amount of land and resources they have in addition to a high population density. They also have a less expensive and working health care system which is much more than you can say for the U.S.

and how are they actually paying for any of it?

 

[Woofmeister]

Don't forget Japan's probably fatal demographic problems caused by increased lifespans, declining birth rates and xenophobic imigration policies. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/53050/milton-ezrati/japans-aging-economics

Aside from Japan's long term demographic issues, anybody who would point to Japan's economic policies as exemplars for the rest of the World knows virtually nothing about economics or recent events. Google "Japan's Lost Decade" to find out how the Japanese Government's massive deficit spending in order to counteract a burst real estate bubble worked out. Sound familiar? Here's a brief discussion from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/business/economy/13yen.html

 

[jonks]

Because the effects of the nuclear bombs, while initially killing tens of thousands, ultimately created two generations later a race of superior beings with mental and physical attributes heretofore unknown on this planet.

duh.

 

[nageov3t]

Because the effects of the nuclear bombs, while initially killing tens of thousands, ultimately created two generations later a race of superior beings with mental and physical attributes heretofore unknown on this planet.

duh.

wait... are you saying that the Japanese are all x-men?

 

[Slew Foot]

The US is going down the same economic path as Japan. Prepare for a lost decade here as well.

 

[PricklyPete]

wait... are you saying that the Japanese are all x-men?

I think that is exactly what he is saying.

 

[jonks]

I think that is exactly what he is saying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74vM7zp4pHI&feature=player_embedded

 

[Genx87]

It's pretty easy. Concentrate the wealth to a larger extent, have industrials control the banks, have the industrials control the government, and allow a few people control everything outside the government.

Then, instead of foreclosing on properties, allow the banks to carry the loans forever without collecting. Combine that with unlimited "government" intervention in the private sector with 180%+ debt/GDP, you get a nice little mix of a screwed up country.

Ohh, don't forget over a decade of zero interest rates to stave off a huge deflationary spiral.

Sadly this is sounding like our country more and more by the day.

 

[0marTheZealot]

The US is going down the same economic path as Japan. Prepare for a lost decade here as well.

We've already had 15 years of basically lost development. The stock market hit 10k around 2000 or so. When it comes to actual gains, such as employment, median salary, we've actually fallen behind drastically when compared over the last 20 years. In retrospect, our sustained growth post-Cold War was nothing but a giant bubble.

 

[her209]

What is the average IQ of Japanese Americans to Japs in Japan? That's a better comparison.

Why would it be a better comparison? Besides, doesn't Japan have a 100% literacy rate?

 

[OutHouse]

Because Japanese companies have 100 year outlooks?

yip, same with the Chinese. our outlook pretty much what we think the stock market may do tomorrow....

 

[Patranus]

Japan has been in a currency crisis for decades.
They are currently suffering from crippling deflation after a period of crippling inflation.
Japan has run it economy so that it is one extreme or another and is unable to regulate its way out of it.

A simple google search would have proved you wrong before you posted this thread but I guess that is too much to ask.

 

[blackangst1]

Whats so special about Japan? https://news.fidelity.com/news/news...MBINED_TRE5AF0YY_1&cat=Top.Investing.RT&IMG=N

REUTERS — 11/16/09
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government could agree as much as $30 billion in new stimulus measures on Monday as economic growth is likely to slow next year due to sluggish personal spending and rising inventories.
Economists doubt whether that amount will be enough to push up growth significantly as the Democratic Party-led government will fund the stimulus with money cut from a budget compiled by the previous administration.



And their budget is 1/3 ours.

 

[BladeVenom]

Japan's debt to GDP ratio is worse than ours, and they have an aging population.

Unfortunately Obama is even worse than Bush when it comes to spending, so our debt situation might be worse in a few years.

 

[dsity]

what is the average iq of japanese americans to japs in japan? That's a better comparison.

ouch

 

[theflyingpig]

ouch

This is anandtech, friend. Here the word jap is simply an shortening of japanese and is therefore acceptable to use in casual conversation. Everyone knows this.