Reply #11: As Mark Twain might say, [View All]

[Art_from_Ark]

"the news of the demise of the Japanese economy is greatly exaggerated".

The problem with Westerners trying to understand the Japanese economy is that they view it in terms of all the economic claptrap they learn in the West. I have never once read a work by a Western economist that shows any real understanding about what makes the world's #3 economy tick. Japan has cobbled together an economy that serves its purpose but would never be able to work in the US. So what if it doesn't keep growing at breakneck speed? Most people have what they need, and the national and local governments do make an effort to make sure that no one is left behind (although there will always be people slipping through the cracks). Much better to have Japan's economy than the Republicans' I've-got-mine-and-to-hell-with-you economy.

Art from Ark
Contributor to the Japanese economy since 1981