> The problem is Japan has been in a deflationary environment for so long that they've forgotten how to bump up a price and turned into a nation of misers. My

> The problem is Japan has been in a deflationary environment for so long that they've forgotten how to bump up a price and turned into a nation of misers. My understanding is that the blame for this lies squarely with the Bank of Japan. The system was much more stable under the Finance Ministry.