4 Comments

Dear Mr Kuroda, I am awed by your focus and clarity of purpose. The results of your efforts are there to see. Congratulations!

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What is it like to sit in a gilded cage?

To be chauffeur driven and to not have to do the daily or weekly shop as the average Japanese person?

Surely, that is the life of the current BOJ governed;as divorced from everyday life as sushi is from ramen.

Does Kuroda really believe that companies will willingly pass on their profits to their workers in Japan?

Japan Inc just needs to travel down south to Vietnam, Thailand or Myanmar and reap lower labor costs.

Of course, it has done this and continues to do so at an increasing rate.

Japan’s inflation at 4% is absolutely meaningless when taxed food (imported mostly) is not included in the mix.

Arguably, it is the biggest expense for the average Japanese and ‘shrinkflation’ is an art in Japan where the bonbons in a pack can often be counted on one hand.

What are the effects of the lost decades?

Looking at 2022 suicide rates for males in Japan we can see that the trend is up!

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When you want to measure the pain to consumers, of course you must include food and energy. but, when you are trying to judge the future inflation trend, then it helps to eliminate volatile items.

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What is it like to sit in a gilded cage?

To be chauffeur driven and to not have to do the daily or weekly shop as the average Japanese person?

Surely, that is the life of the current BOJ governed;as divorced from everyday life as sushi is from ramen.

Does Kuroda really believe that companies will willingly pass on their profits to their workers in Japan?

Japan Inc just needs to travel down south to Vietnam, Thailand or Myanmar and reap lower labor costs.

Of course, it has done this and continues to do so at an increasing rate.

Japan’s inflation at 4% is absolutely meaningless when taxed food (imported mostly) is not included in the mix.

Arguably, it is the biggest expense for the average Japanese and ‘shrinkflation’ is an art in Japan where the bonbons in a pack can often be counted on one hand.

What are the effects of the lost decades?

Looking at 2022 suicide rates for males in Japan we can see that the trend is up!

Expand full comment