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> might signal the end of the government prioritizing corporate profit over the well being of the populace Can you say more words about this? I've googled, an

> might signal the end of the government prioritizing corporate profit over the well being of the populace Can you say more words about this? I've googled, and it looks like the Corporate Tax Rate for Japan (30%) is higher than the US (21%), and basically all the other developed countries (mostly around 25%), so from that it seems like it's prioritizing corporate profit less than other countries. My image of Japan is that it has well-functioning social services (healthcare and pension which are working, despite a largely aging population), that it has generally high standard of living and invests in infrastructure, and that corporate profits are quite low compared to other highly developed countries. It's also "common knowledge" (thought possibly wrong) that Japan's CEOs are paid less than those of, say, the US. In what way does the government prioritize corporate profits more than other governments?

creakingstairs 2y ago
Govt has been intentionally weakening yen (perhaps too much) so that big companies can export more thanks to cheaper prices. This also introduced inflation which would be fine if wage went up as well. But wage has remained stagnant while corporate profit / nikkei soared. It also doesn’t help that foreigners are flooding into the country while yelling “omg everything is so cheap!”
- TheDong 2y ago
  My naive googling shows me that Japan imports more than it exports, so it would seem like a weak yen would reduce corporate profits too, so weakening the yen being proof that Japan prioritizes corporate profits more than other countries seems pretty weak to me. How has the government been intentionally weakening the yen? Zero interest rates? Was the US doing zero interest rates a ploy to weaken the dollar? Have they specifically said they're trying to weaken then yen? This really sounds like it's ascribing too much control and intention to the japanese government to me, when in reality hanlon's razor seems like it might apply to me
  - bamboozled 2y ago
    When you say Japan imports more than it exports, for who? Corporations? Because major Japanese corporations export, Toyota, Honda, Sony, Nintendo etc. We're talking about favorable conditions for corporations here. Personally, I didn't say the government is "intentionally" weakening the yen, but when the yen is weak, the people who "matter", don't complain or try improve the situation because it's good for exports. If the biggest companies in Japan are happy, I'm sure those who keep them happy are well looked after too. If you care about a poor old lady in her house, you wouldn't want to see the price of everything go up.

creakingstairs 2y ago

Govt has been intentionally weakening yen (perhaps too much) so that big companies can export more thanks to cheaper prices. This also introduced inflation which would be fine if wage went up as well. But wage has remained stagnant while corporate profit / nikkei soared. It also doesn’t help that foreigners are flooding into the country while yelling “omg everything is so cheap!”

TheDong 2y ago
My naive googling shows me that Japan imports more than it exports, so it would seem like a weak yen would reduce corporate profits too, so weakening the yen being proof that Japan prioritizes corporate profits more than other countries seems pretty weak to me. How has the government been intentionally weakening the yen? Zero interest rates? Was the US doing zero interest rates a ploy to weaken the dollar? Have they specifically said they're trying to weaken then yen? This really sounds like it's ascribing too much control and intention to the japanese government to me, when in reality hanlon's razor seems like it might apply to me
- bamboozled 2y ago
  When you say Japan imports more than it exports, for who? Corporations? Because major Japanese corporations export, Toyota, Honda, Sony, Nintendo etc. We're talking about favorable conditions for corporations here. Personally, I didn't say the government is "intentionally" weakening the yen, but when the yen is weak, the people who "matter", don't complain or try improve the situation because it's good for exports. If the biggest companies in Japan are happy, I'm sure those who keep them happy are well looked after too. If you care about a poor old lady in her house, you wouldn't want to see the price of everything go up.