Nobel-winning U.S. economist Paul Krugman has baffled the government by revealing an off-the-record conversation with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been making a show of meeting with prominent economists in preparation for the Group of Seven summit.
The private chat also saw the prime minister ask Krugman for advice on how to rally Germany to greater fiscal mobility.
The chat was published online when Krugman posted a link to a document titled, "Paul Krugman: Meeting with Japanese officials, 22/3/16," on his Twitter account last month.