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Neil Irwin
For Neil Irwin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 4, 2014
How we scored on calling 2013
A year ago, we brought you an analysis of the forces that appeared likely to shape the U.S. economy, for better and worse, in 2013. So, what did we get right and what did we get wrong? And of the things we posed as open questions, what did the answers turn out to be? Here, in the interest of pundit accountability, is a look at our 2013 economic outlook, with the lovely benefit of hindsight:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2013
How the Federal Reserve was created
A century ago this week, Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act, creating a central bank for a nation that was only beginning its economic ascendance. This is the story of how it came to be, from a nearly catastrophic financial panic to secret meetings of plutocrats on the Georgia coast to the pitched battle in the halls of Congress, excerpted from "The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2013
Yellen aims to take over Herculean effort at Fed
President Barack Obama formally nominated Janet Yellen as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, ensuring that the powerful U.S. central bank will be led for the next four years by someone who shares the basic philosophy of the current chairman, Ben Bernanke.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2013
Challenges are just beginning for central banks
The global financial crisis is for all practical purposes over, but the world's top central bankers think their problems are just beginning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2013
Time of reckoning approaching, Legarde warns
The world's central banks have spent the past several years propping up the global economy and rescuing the world from crisis. Now, argues the head of the International Monetary Fund, it is time to grapple with the consequences.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2013
King's legacy at BOE: a broken economy
It is the end of an era on Threadneedle Street, the narrow street in the City of London from which the Bank of England has for centuries lorded over the British economy. When the bank's Monetary Policy Committee announced no change to its policies Thursday morning, it marked the end of a remarkable run for the most consequential shaper of Britain's economic policy of the last generation, Sir Mervyn King.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2013
Technology already on table will drive economic future
Most of the writing you see about the economy speaks to narrow questions: What will growth be this year? When will the unemployment rate get back to normal? And so on. But the things that will determine standards of living a generation from now have almost nothing to do with this month's jobs report or the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting. Those determinants, instead, depend on companies' innovations — in particular, whether those innovations turn out to have major economic consequences.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 22, 2013
Yahoo's Tumblr deal carries risks, rewards
Yahoo has concluded that Tumblr, the social blogging service, is worth a whopping $1.1 billion. Will the bet prove a good one?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 20, 2013
What the Bloomberg terminal scandal reveals about the media and its money-making ways
The chatter across the world of financial journalism over the last few days has been the story of Bloomberg reporters accessing information about subscribers of the firm's financial data service that those customers thought should remain secret. The episode contains some important lessons for how the media business is evolving.
WORLD
May 18, 2013
Before tea party scandal, IRS harassed gay groups
Before there was the tea party, there was Big Mama Rag, Inc.
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2013
Austerity era appears over (for now)
Something remarkable has happened in the last few weeks. It looks like world financial leaders are focusing on too few jobs instead of the risks from government debt.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2013
Japan: a most interesting story in economics
Regardless of whether the Japanese economy makes a Keynesian recovery or enters a gargantuan sovereign debt crisis, there will be lessons for all.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2013
Setting the odds on the next Fed chairmanship
Ben Bernanke has another 10 months in his term as Federal Reserve chairman, but that hasn't stopped the economic punditocracy from obsessing over who will replace him.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2013
How three central bankers made today's world in three days
The BlackBerrys all started buzzing, just before dinner was to begin at the Palacio da Bacalhoa, a 15th-century estate outside Lisbon. The 21 men and one woman charged with charting the course of Europe's economy looked down to find startling news that evening of May 6, 2010.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 26, 2013
Is the U.S. near a tipping point for government debt?
How much debt can America handle? The question is one of the most fundamental the nation faces, and the answer should determine how the United States handles the delicate task of reducing budget deficits without walloping economic growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 31, 2012
2013: Beginning of the U.S. economic recovery?
There is good reason to think that 2013 will finally be the year that the U.S. economic recovery really feels like a recovery: The biggest forces that have been holding the economy back finally seem to be subsiding.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Dec 20, 2012
'Fiscal cliff' deal could carry long-term risks for economy
Now that's what a negotiation looks like.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world