Yoshio Nakamura - The Japan Times

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Feb 7, 2005

Amendment must be made easier to ensure prosperity for Japan

On Jan. 18, Keidanren released a report on basic national issues including constitutional revision and diplomatic and national security policies. It was the first time this business lobby had put together a set of proposals on these matters.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Dec 20, 2004

Consumption tax, reforms, incentives key to future growth

The Keidanren in September released a simulation of the medium- to longer-term prospects for Japan's fiscal policies and social security programs. The simulation made itclear that unless the fiscal structure of the Japanese government is reformed, Japan's outstanding public debt will likely expand to five times its gross domestic product, effectively putting the country in a state of bankruptcy.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Nov 22, 2004

Firms think little of government statistics, questionnaire shows

Among government statistics detailing the condition of the Japanese economy, the Cabinet Office's quarterly estimates of gross domestic product, the Finance Ministry's report on corporate activity, and the "tankan" survey by the Bank of Japan are widely known. But there are many other economic statistics that are compiled by government ministries and agencies, and not all of them are useful.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Nov 1, 2004

Antimonopoly Law reform amendment falls short of the mark

A proposed amendment to the Antimonopoly Law was submitted to the Diet on Oct. 15 -- as promised by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Sep 20, 2004

Despite reforms, future looks grim without consumption tax hike

In the "Okuda Vision (Japan 2025)" report released in January 2003, Keidanren used a simulation to present the medium to longer-term prospects for Japan's fiscal and social security systems. We made it clear that the measures which would be needed to maintain the sustainability of national and local government finances -- including social security programs -- would involve cuts in public spending and a hike in consumption tax to the upper half of the 10 to 20 percent range.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jul 26, 2004

Despite its luck, Japan must not shirk reform

In the July 11 House of Councilors election, the main opposition force -- the Democratic Party of Japan -- made big gains while the leader of the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party -- fell short of its modest target of a one-seat gain. Nevertheless, the LDP-led coalition government still has a comfortable majority in the upper chamber (only half of the seats were up for grabs), and the results are not expected to create serious political turmoil.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jun 21, 2004

Translating laws into English would make good business sense

Japan is pushing for judicial reform, and efforts to establish a judicial system that the public can clearly understand and feel familiar with -- including the recent enactment of a law introducing the so-called citizen judge system -- are fully under way.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

May 24, 2004

Making the shift from 'defensive' to 'offensive' restructuring

Most of the major Japanese corporations have released their earnings results for the latest business year ended in March. Many of them reported brisk earnings, including Toyota Motor Corp., whose net profit topped 1 trillion yen for the first time. According to the Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey and other estimates, Japanese businesses as a whole rang up higher profits for the second year in a row.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Apr 26, 2004

Antimonopoly Law must be reformed to fit 21st century

The Fair Trade Commission is contemplating making a revision to the Antimonopoly Law in hopes of being able to submit a bill to the Diet, which is now in session. However, the contents of the revision are still up in the air.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Mar 8, 2004

Speed key to making most of new tax pact

On Feb. 27, a new Japanese-U.S. treaty on taxation was finally submitted to the Diet for ratification by the legislature. The treaty, if approved, will make dividends and royalties earned by U.S. subsidiaries in which the Japanese parent firm has a stake of more than 50 percent tax-free, doing away with the current 10-percent tax imposed on such payments.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Feb 16, 2004

Judging our parties by policy is the best policy

In the United States, it is the routine work of think tanks and business organizations to examine the voting behavior of each legislator.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jan 19, 2004

Japan must preserve upswing by allaying public fear with reform

Expectations are growing that Japan will finally achieve a full-scale economic recovery this year.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Dec 8, 2003

Think carefully before embarking on tax and pension system reforms

With the House of Representatives election over and the roster for the policy panel of the ruling coalition set, discussions on tax reform for the next fiscal year have finally gotten under way -- half a month later than average. I would like to mention some points we would like to emphasize on this issue.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Nov 17, 2003

A proper accounting due for IASB's ways

Established in 2001, the International Accounting Standards Board is a body that is trying to develop a single set of high-quality global accounting standards, the ultimate goal being to have the world's other existing standards converge with it.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Oct 20, 2003

Japan must rethink trade policy

The outcome of the World Trade Organization's ministerial conference in Cancun, Mexico, in September was extremely regrettable and damaging to multilateral trade liberalization based on rules. However, we should not simply resent past failures. We should turn them into lessons for achieving the goals of Japan's future trade policy.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Sep 15, 2003

Antimonopoly Law faces problems with Constitution, implementation

As deregulation proceeds, a greater segment of the economy is being ruled by market principles, and this trend will accelerate with the implementation of structural reforms. Here, the Antimonopoly Law, the watchdog of market principles, will play an increasingly important role, and it must be enforced in ways that can win the public's trust.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Aug 25, 2003

What has your political party done for you lately?

The Nippon Keidanren is working on a set of guidelines aimed at encouraging member companies to donate to political parties and evaluate their policies. I would like to provide some background on the objectives of this ongoing effort.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jul 21, 2003

Will tax reform succeed at ensuring our social security?

The government has tackled tax reform as a means of beefing up Japan's economic vigor, cutting corporate tax rates and introducing cuts specifically aimed at promoting research and development projects.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

Jun 16, 2003

Stocks won't recover unless regulators get serious about oversight

Tokyo share prices are on shaky ground. While the Nikkei 225 Stock Average has managed to recover from the deep slump it was in from March to mid-May, spending the whole time below 8,000 but trading in the upper half of the 7,000 range -- the key index remains far below 14,000, the level it was at when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001.

BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

May 19, 2003

It's time to meet expectations by installing stock-market package

Japan managed to avoid the so-called March crisis as share prices picked up temporarily toward the end of the month. However, the stock market remained in a slump in April, with the Nikkei average dipping at one point to the 7,600 range.

author

Meta

Podcast

Longform

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox