I may not have been clear in my earlier reply, but I am not really talking about inflation. Rather, I am providing an example that demonstrates the futility of

I may not have been clear in my earlier reply, but I am not really talking about inflation. Rather, I am providing an example that demonstrates the futility of expansionary monetary policy when an economy hits the liquidity trap. I agree that Japan's economy is not deregulated in the sense that there is a high degree of nepotism between politically-connected families (especially those that have ties to organized crime or right-wing nationalist groups) and elected officials.