Japan

Japan Is Used To Natural Disasters, But This One Is Man-Made

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Japan Is Used To Natural Disasters, But This One Is Man-Made

The dogfight over Japan’s biggest problem, its gargantuan government deficit, entered its annual ritual of leaks and pressure tactics that usually lead to a pre-Christmas draft budget with an even bigger deficit. But this time, it’s different. Very different.

Here Is Proof (Provided By Japan Inc.) Why Abenomics Fails The Real Economy

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The beneficiaries of Abenomics are now coming out of the woodwork with soaring profits – but they’re doing the opposite of what Abenomics promised they’d do: they’re diversifying away from Japan.

High-End Food-Fraud Scandal Deliciously Spirals Out of Control, Whacks Japanese Consumer Confidence

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on High-End Food-Fraud Scandal Deliciously Spirals Out of Control, Whacks Japanese Consumer Confidence

Today it was Hotel Okura Co., which operates landmark hotels across Japan. It confessed its restaurants had misrepresented 235 menu items. That followed confessions by leading department store chains, other high-end hotel chains, traditional ryokan hotels…. New revelations bubble up daily. And consumer confidence is taking a hit.

Bank of Japandemonium Killed And “Sacrificed” The JGB Market

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Bank of Japandemonium Killed And “Sacrificed” The JGB Market

“The JGB market is dead,” announced with finality Tetsuya Miura, chief bond strategist at Mizuho Securities, one of Japan’s 23 primary dealers that have to bid on government securities. It had been “sacrificed” by the Bank of Japan, said another industry heavyweight.

Japanese Banks Work with the Yakuza

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Japanese Banks Work with the Yakuza

As the scandal is spreading, Japan’s Financial Services Agency, which has been sleeping peacefully through this for years, will suddenly probe Japan’s megabanks, Mizuho, Mitsubishi UFJ, and Sumitomo Mitsui.

Japan’s Most Hated Outfit, TEPCO, Reports Fat Profit (From Taxpayer Bailout Money)

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Japan’s Most Hated Outfit, TEPCO, Reports Fat Profit (From Taxpayer Bailout Money)

TEPCO, the bailed-out owner of the Fukushima nuclear plant, famous for its lackadaisical handling of the fiasco and its parsimonious delivery of information, reported earnings today. It was a doozie! And a glimpse into what’s in store for Japanese taxpayers.

OMG, Those “Who Truly Rule The World”

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on OMG, Those “Who Truly Rule The World”

Most powerful person in the world? Putin! Sez Forbes. At least, it wasn’t Merkel, who has been throwing her weight around when she found out that her Handy had been bugged by the NSA, just like our cellphones. We have to take it; she gets to make a big stink and gripe to Obama on the (bugged) phone.

A Devastating Problem Japan Does NOT Have: Unemployment

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on A Devastating Problem Japan Does NOT Have: Unemployment

Unemployment in Japan dipped to 4.0%, a gloriously low rate for most developed countries. But there are real reasons for this low number – a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

What Will It Take To Blow Up The Entire Japanese Banking System? (Not Much, According To The Bank of Japan)

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on What Will It Take To Blow Up The Entire Japanese Banking System? (Not Much, According To The Bank of Japan)

Buried in the Bank of Japan’s Financial System Report is a gorgeous whitewash doozie: if interest rates rise by 1 percentage point, it would cause ¥8 trillion ($82 billion) in losses across the banking system. Banks would be able to digest it. The system is safe. But then the report tallied up the losses of a 3 percentage point rise.

Why I’m So Worried About Japan’s Ballooning Trade Deficit

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Why I’m So Worried About Japan’s Ballooning Trade Deficit

Trade is one of the critical elements in Abenomics. Devaluing the yen would boost exports and cut imports. The resulting trade surplus would goose the economy. But the opposite is happening. And it isn’t happening in small increments, with ups and downs, but rapidly and relentlessly. It’s not energy imports. They actually dropped! It’s a fundamental shift.