An Analysis on the Country of Japan
Introduction: Japan, a relatively small nation in size, located in Eastern Asia between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan boasts a population of about 127,368,088 people; 10th most populated nation. It is quite hard to imagine how a country about the size of the state of California could have been positioned and was predicted to become the largest, most powerful economy in the world. Japan’s economy, in the years following World War II can be described as nothing short of a miracle. For three decades, the real GDP of the country grew at an unperceived rate: a 10% average in the 1960’s, a 5% average in the 1970’s, and a 4% average in the 1980’s (CIA World fact book,
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However, the economy contracted again in 2011 as the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake in March disrupted many business operations including manufacturing. Electricity supplies remain tight because Japan has temporarily shut down almost all of its nuclear power plants after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors were crippled by the earthquake and resulting tsunami. Estimates of the direct costs of the damage - rebuilding homes, factories, and infrastructure - range from $235 billion to $310 billion, and GDP declined almost 0.5% in 2011. Furthermore, there is doubt to whether government stimulus will have a lasting effect in helping the economy recover in the long run. First of all, there is uncertainty in the outlook for exports of Japanese products which is due largely in part to the strong yen against other currencies; encouraging imports of products to grow more quickly than exports. In addition, heavy reliance of the Japanese market on exports leaves them in a risky position as they have neglected the downward pressures created with domestic demand being extremely low. This situation is only worsened with unemployment in Japan continuing to rise and decreasing salaries. As a Canadian investor, I would be extremely concerned with Japan’s current economy situation and would be cautious in investment. First of all, one would be aware of the strong yen which translates to a decreased profit for Canadian producers. Secondly, there is the fact
The basic message of source one is that all persons must follow the given laws or face the full burden of the consequences. Source two’s message establishes the expectations for a wide variety of life - including morality, relationships, building, uprisings, mandatory visits to Edo, clothing, finances, and transportation. The overall message is to establish a firm society while removing the risks of rebellion or chaos.
How they are keeping up with the economy, technologies, sports, after WWII. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg because as a sociology student and future Ambassador I want to understand their mindset and what make them different from other countries. Their ability to grow exponentially and what is the cause? Personally, I’m also interested in some part of the country, especially northern japan because on the news, media. Most of what I heard are from the mainland, Kyoto and Tokyo, but Japan is way more than just Kyoto and
Although Japan changed in many ways from 1853 to 1941, there were also many factors that remained the same throughout the history of Japan. One such continuity was the maintained existence of a figurehead ruler controlled by other political authorities. The feudalistic emperor of Japan was the supposed “highest, most powerful authority” in the land, but was actually controlled by the military leaders- the shogun. Similarly, the militaristic emperor of Japan decades later continued to remain a figurehead ruler controlled by military and government officials. In addition, Japan continued to remain reliant on exports in order to maintain its economy. As a result of Japan’s small geographical size, the island nation had few natural resources and was forced to rely on exports to survive economically. The nation also grew increasingly reliant on other nations to provide materials and supplies that it could not provide for itself. This complete reliance on other nations was seen illustrated when the Japanese military was provoked to attacking another superpower- the United States, in response to the 1940 United States embargo
Japan, as known today, is a world powerhouse in technology and innovation. It currently ranks third in GDP, bringing in over $4.9 trillion dollars per year. However, this has not always been the case. Japan is well known for its period of “Sakoku,” a Japanese word literally meaning “closed country.” From 1600-1850s, that is indeed what Japan was; Japanese citizens were not allowed to leave the country and no foreigners were allowed to enter. The country was completely isolated from the rest of the world, even in regards to trade. This was changed in 1854 by Commander Matthew Perry and his Navy squadron. With the Kanagawa Treaty, Perry ended Japan’s period of isolationism and pushed them into their future as a world power.
and Japanese yen has been seen as a ‘safe haven’ currency – because Japan as a
The economies of the U.S. and Japan are very integrated in terms of trade in goods and services. As stated in the article the article, “Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress,” of the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. is the world’s largest economy and Japan is the world’s third-largest economy. This status makes the U.S. and Japan valuable trading partners, considering the U.S. was Japan’s second-largest source of imports and their largest export partner as of 2014 (Chanlett-Avery, Manyin, et.al). One can see through examining past economic crises in Okinawa and the U.S. that such incidences impede healthy global relationships. In the article, “U.S.-Japan Economic Relations: Significance, Prospects, and Policy Options,” William H. Cooper, specialist in international Trade and Finance, explains ways in which two specific Japanese economic crises affected global relations. One financial crisis occurred in 2008, when the economies of the U.S. and Europe were declining, leading to a decline in global demand for Japanese exports. Another occurred in 2011, following the tsunami, earthquake, and a nuclear incident in northeast Japan. These exigencies lead to great deficits, specifically in U.S. and European trade (Cooper, 2014). As previously mentioned, Okinawa has been unable to develop a self-sufficient economy. These past economic crises show that when Japan is economically
Japan’s unemployment rate of about 4% opposed to the U.S. unemployment rate of close to 10%. Even the financial debt to GDP ration is an advantage, and debt in the private sector has not increased unlike the U.S. and European countries, (Time, 2009). In addition, since Japan is a huge exporter and with the U.S. demand going downward, the international balances and growth declined especially as the dollar value dropped and the yen surged. •
A world-class manufacturing power was lead into a deep slump. Japan has traditionally possessed a remarkably high savings rate and a moderately low consumption rate. Throughout the previous two decades of recovery and high-speed growth, this ‘savings surplus’ provided greatly needed capital to private industry in the form of bank loans. This money was used to build and expand Japan’s industrial infrastructure power. However, during the 1990’s the ‘savings surplus’, once the essential fuel for high-speed development became a stern obstruction, leading to a severe collapse in demand and causing a heavy drag on Japan’s economic recovery.
China and Japan had fallen on hard times leading up to the 19th and 20th Century. Both China and Japan reigned as perhaps the two most successful countries in east Asia for most of their storied histories. China had been the center of trade between the west and east for hundreds of years, and economically was as wealthy as one could imagine. Japan, residing on an island off the coast of Korea, was traditionally rather isolated through its rule by Shoguns and Samurai. However, several factors led to their eventual downfalls before they could recover. For China, a corrupt Qing rule, unbalanced trade relations with the west, and a country-wide opium crisis had set China back tremendously. Japan’s
In 1945, Japan was devastated and lost a quarter of the national wealth after suffering a defect in the second world war. A majority of the commercial buildings and accommodation had been demolished, and massive machinery and equipment formerly used in production for the civil market were out of service to provide metal for military supplies (Miyazaki 1967). Despite the trash and ruins had left over in Japan, Japan was able to rebuilding its infrastructure and reconstruct their economy. It is revealed that the Japanese economy was on its way to recovery, which received a rapid development since the war, and the reconstruction of Japan had spent less than forty years to become the world’s second largest economy in the 1980s. This essay will explore the three factors account for the economic growth of post-war Japan: the financial assistance from the United States, the external environment, and the effective policy of Japanese government.
Over the past fifty years Japan has seen significant changes in all aspects of its society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For example, despite suffering a defeat in World War II, Japan soon became one of Asia’s greatest economic powers. In Japan in Transformation, 1952 - 2000, Jeffrey Kingston focuses on various aspects of change in Japanese society and politics in the period after World War II. These include the effect of the US occupation, analysis of postwar politics, the economic boom, changes in demographics, the treatment of women, and foreign policy and security issues.
The deregulation of financial markets catalysed by Globalisation worldwide has impacted on the amount of trade within the Japanese economy beneficially allowing easier access to foreign currencies, facilitating a higher flow of goods between nation, by relaxing laws that severely prevented foreign buying of currency, and floating the yen. These drivers have helped boost Japan's trade and recovery from its recession. Technology has allowed finances to be traded and communication to be near to instantaneous. This has increased dramatically the amount of FDI into Japan largely thanks to the numerous strategies the Japanese government has taken to promote economic growth and hence development. Finance and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have increased as a direct result of globalisation doubling from $63 billion in 2001 to $144 billion in
Japan ranks as the third largest economy in the world as of 2010. The GDP at current prices in US dollars in Japan was reported at 5068.06 billion in 2009, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Japan’s resurgence after World War II has however reached an inflection point in yearly 1989 after the burst of Japan’s asset price and real estate bubbles. As can be seen from the graph below, Japan’s GDP has hovered around the same level through more than 20 years of economic stagnation. The GDP’s slow growth has been exacerbated by the world financial crisis of 2008. A major landmark of Japan’s stagnation has been the BOJ’s fight against deflation.
While Japan’s economy may be contracting, the unemployment rate has lowered to 3.1 percent in October which came down from the 3.4 percent that is was at in January of 2015. The lowest value since July of 1995, but as the number of unemployment has declined sharply and employment has rose. The average of unemployment was 2.7 which was set in 1953. The unemployment rate for Japan is reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication.
Japan is the third largest economy by nominal GDP, $4.6 trillion, and fourth largest economy by purchasing power parity. In addition,