Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 5, 2014
Fallout from the tax rise may hit in surprising ways
Prior to the consumption tax increase last Tuesday, from 5 percent to 8 percent, Japanese consumers were spending to beat the band. The local business magazine Economist (not to be confused with the English language newsweekly) reports that ¥4 trillion was spent on goods and services in recent months...
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2014
Banks see economy withstanding sales tax increase
The economy will probably withstand the consumption tax increase that took effect Tuesday as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares stimulus measures and companies raise wages, the new head of the bank lobby said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2014
A path to a decent lifestyle and empowerment in India
The McKinsey Global Institute has suggested a way in which India can meet the essential needs of its population through radical but practical economic, political and social reforms.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2014
'Abenomics' after the tax hike
Uncertainties are deepening with regard to the course of Japan's economy after the three-percentage-point sales tax hike takes effect in April. Meanwhile, 'Abenomics' appears to be losing steam.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2014
China no longer takes guff from U.S. about rebalancing
Just as China should be reducing savings and boosting domestic demand, it's equally important for the U.S. to be retooling its unbalanced economy. The big worry is denial in Washington.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2014
An economy resilient to political dysfunction
Recent analysis shows there is little correlation between America's highly publicized political dysfunction and its relative economic performance in serveral dimensions.
EDITORIALS
Mar 21, 2014
Rising land prices in big cities
For 2013, the megalopolises of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka showed rises in both residential and commercial land prices for the first time in six years.
COMMENTARY
Mar 20, 2014
Recent stimulus setting up debt crisis for China
The idea that China acted in economically rational ways that merit U.S. study and replication, as suggested by two Chinese economists, is just too much. Asia's biggest economy is merely delaying a debt crisis that will be much bigger and more spectacular than it had to be.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2014
Asia's tourism campaigns could benefit from a little cleaning up
As Asia welcomes more and more visitors, its leaders and policymakers must take steps toward a more sustainable tourism industry and supporting infrastructure. That includes cleaning up the beaches.
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2014
Will pay hikes become a trend?
The pay raises offered by leading Japanese firms this week are an encouraging sign that some companies, at least, are translating better corporate earnings posted the past year into higher wages for workers — thanks partly to unusual government pressures put on management.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 6, 2014
Japan's top chefs grapple with sustainable eating
After the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in Singapore last month, chef Yoshihiro Narisawa was in high spirits, despite the late hour and the tropical February heat. His Tokyo restaurant, the eponymous Narisawa in the Aoyama district, had been named Best Restaurant in Japan for the second...
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2014
Base salaries up for first time in 22 months in January
Salaries increased for the first time in nearly two years in January as companies boosted pay for part-timers, aiding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to end 15 years of deflation.
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2014
Taxing adjustments ahead
With the consumption tax hike set to rise in less than a month, the government must make sure the hike doesn't lead to unfair transaction practices between large firms and their subcontractors and suppliers.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2014
China fights dragon of credit-allocation reform
China needs to reforming the credit-allocation mechanism to provide more capital to well-performing projects and enforce hard budget constraints on poor-performing borrowers.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2014
Problems with 'Abenomics'
The economic recovery we see in Japan now is almost entirely due to the massive 30 percent depreciation of the yen. We are back to the 'structural reform' vicious circle of the Koizumi years.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2014
Olympic fanfare can't hide Russia's ills
Behind the swagger after the Winter Olympics lie serious doubts about Russia's future. Long-term price trends for the mineral resources upon which the economy depends, together with Russia's history, suggest that President Vladimir Putin's luck may well be about to run out.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 17, 2014
GDP growth sags below forecasts
Japan's economy grew at a feeble annualized rate of 1 percent in the October-December quarter, underscoring risks to the recovery, a preliminary report says.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2014
Reviving China's economic rebalancing act
As China remains among the world's poorest countries, with per capita income amounting to less than $7,000, its position as the world's largest exporter of capital signifies a gross misallocation of resources. It should adopt a float exchange-rate regime as soon as possible.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’