Noriko Hama - The Japan Times

May 02, 2024

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Noriko Hama

For Noriko Hama's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Dec 19, 2005

Time to remove life support: Government should heed BOJ

To end or not to end. That is the question. The Bank of Japan says yes. The government says no. The BOJ feels the time is ripe to do away with the policy of "quantitative easing." The govern- ment feels it is premature to do so. Dueling time is here again over the conduct of monetary policy.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Nov 21, 2005

Tweedle-George, tweedle-Jun and their futures in Wonderland

In Alice's world through the looking glass, Tweedledum has "Dum" embroidered on his collar and Tweedledee has "Dee" embroidered likewise. Alice assumes they both have "Tweedle" written on the backs of their collars as well. In our world of 2005, "Dum" would read "George W." and "Dee" would be "Junichiro," or, of course, vice versa. Heaven knows what is written on the backs of both collars. It may be better not to know.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Oct 31, 2005

Why should Japan's Pharaohs fear the locusts of change?

"God said to Moses, 'Extend your hand over Egypt to bring the locusts, and they will emerge on Egypt. They will eat all the foliage in the land . . . " (Exodus 10:12)

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Oct 3, 2005

Japan's GDP and GNP: How far will the domestic and the national spread?

Numerical targets are much in vogue these days. The post-election Koizumi government also seems to have caught the bug in light of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy's latest plans for managing the economy over the medium to longer term.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Aug 29, 2005

Choice is no longer choice when showbiz 'assassins' terminate voters' rights

When is a choice not a choice?

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jul 25, 2005

Right for the wrong reasons: deflation dilemma at the BOJ

What do you do when things turn out right for all the wrong reasons? Do you laugh? Do you cry? Do you do a bit of both, or none of either? This must be the kind of mental acrobatics that observers of consumer price developments at the Bank of Japan are going through at this particular moment.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jun 27, 2005

Economists, remember to mind your Ps and Qs

Children are told to mind their Ps and Qs when they go visiting. They must be on their best behavior. They have to be able to speak like well-educated young people. They have to know P from Q. Well, so do economists, actually.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

May 16, 2005

Climbing up the down escalator: Inflation still out of Japan's reach

Inflation is not about to return to Japan just yet. According to the Bank of Japan's latest "Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices" released at the end of last month, the BOJ Policy Board members' median forecast for consumer prices in fiscal year 2005 is a 0.1 percent decline over FY 2004. Their outlook for FY2006 is a miniscule increase of 0.3 percent. It may not be the cork-screwing down of prices that we grew accustomed to in recent years, but neither is it inflation as we have known it in the past.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Apr 18, 2005

Of mobile landings and staircases: Japan in the global school of wizardry

"Poised on the landing" is the way people have taken to talking about the Japanese economy lately. The English-language way of referring to the same thing is to call it "going through a soft patch."

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Mar 28, 2005

The 'Vision Thing' comes to Japan in blurry fashion

"Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old people shall dream dreams, and your young people see visions . . ." (Joel, 3:1). This particular daughter is not up to much in powers of prophecy, but this does seem to be the season for visions in Japan.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Feb 28, 2005

Beware of financial conglomerates in FSA's Wild Kingdom

Every year, the media trot out a list of Japan's most popular phrases. Last year's "phrase of the year" award went to "I feel ultra-fine!" -- the quote by swimmer Kosuke Kitajima who brought home multiple gold from the Athens Olympics.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Dec 6, 2004

Mixed-up policy mix links U.S. and Japan

Economic policy is all about mixing and matching. The trick is to get the mix just right between monetary policy and fiscal policy so that they match and complement each other nicely.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Nov 15, 2004

The importance of questioning fearlessly and answering honestly

"Any damn fool can answer a question. The important thing is to ask one."

BUSINESS

Oct 4, 2004

Buoyant Koizumi makes mad dash for the pole -- but which one?

He was supposed to go to the north pole, but changed directions on the way and ended up discovering the south pole. A connoisseur of polar-expedition literature would immediately say this is a description of Roald Amundsen, the great Norwegian explorer of the early 20th century.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Sep 6, 2004

End-of-summer thoughts

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" (Jeremiah 8:22).

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Aug 16, 2004

A fairy tale warning for financial giants

Oscar Wilde is the spinner of some of the finest tales in literary history. He wrote for a very wide-ranging public, including children. His fairy tales are truly fine. It is a characteristic of Wilde's fantasy tales for children that they contain profound insights into the very real world of adult folly and shortsightedness. "The Selfish Giant" is a prime example.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jul 5, 2004

Apprentice Fukui and the prisoner of the Bank of Japan

As any sorcerer's apprentice will tell you, it is always easier to start something than to finish it. Exit strategies are by far the most difficult part of any game plan. The most recent and graphic case in point is, of course, the Americans in Iraq. But the same is equally applicable to monetary policy, as Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui will know all too well.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jun 7, 2004

Kanebo's rescue: cosmetic surgery or a new lease on 'beautiful life'?

"Kanebo, for beautiful human life."

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

May 17, 2004

The yes and no of inflation revival -- how far downstream are you?

Once upon a time, there was this epidemic that people were suffering from all over the world. People called it "inflation." Three causes were determined for its emergence. One was demand-pull. This happened when too many people were wanting too much of everything at the same time. The other was cost-push. This happened when everything was costing everyone too much. The third cause of the ailment was excess liquidity. This was when your central bank was printing too many notes too quickly.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Mar 29, 2004

Hooked on China's seven percent solution

For Mr. Sherlock Holmes, a seven percent solution provides solace in times of intellectual inactivity, when the game's not afoot, and his brain craves for stimulus. On those occasions, he turns to a seven percent solution of cocaine injected into the forearm to compensate for the lack of vibrant mental activity.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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