That is because the Japanese currency has been moribund for about 15 years. There have been many periods where you could actually make a profit by lending some

That is because the Japanese currency has been moribund for about 15 years. There have been many periods where you could actually make a profit by lending someone money at 0%. A 1% interest rate in the US would not even keep up with inflation; the lender would lose money on every loan.