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 Heizo Takenaka

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Heizo Takenaka
For Heizo Takenaka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2019
Meeting the Reiwa Era's challenges
As we brace for the Reiwa Era, we must be ready to take on structural reform of the economy as well as administrative and fiscal reforms of a much larger and broader scale than took place in Heisei.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 26, 2019
Elderly workers: Expectations and challenges
Labor system reforms have the potential to pave the way for greater roles for elderly workers in the workforce.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 29, 2019
Risks and chances for Japan's economy
2019 is a year in which Japan needs to be closely watched both politically and economically.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 27, 2018
2019: Reasons to be bullish or bearish
It was in September 2008 that the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered an economic shock leading to a global recession. Since then, most countries have gradually recovered, and in recent years what came to be called a Great Moderation permeated the world's economies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 28, 2018
Pursuing the creation of a supercity
Building a supercity that condensates the essence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution would be a great policy legacy for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2018
Three odd points about Abe's tax hike
Raising the consumption tax could once again hurt the economy more than help it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2018
Challenges of a long-running administration
To leave a legacy behind, the Abe administration should rise to the challenge of making the economy better for the next generation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 21, 2018
Lessons from the 30 years of the Heisei Era
Policy discussions during the Heisei Era had the characteristics of being molded by the opinions exchanged on TV news and variety shows.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2018
The trade war and Japan
In response to the burgeoning trade war, Japan should carry out structural reforms of its economy and take the lead in promoting multinational free trade pacts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2018
The season of economic policy
Fundamental structural reforms must be pursued with the leadership of the prime minister and his office.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2018
Time for Abe to take the offensive on scandals
Where to draw a line of defense is an important decision for any administration. Abe seems to have done a poor job of it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 20, 2018
Big expectations for the Tokyo megalopolis
Currently ranked as the world's No. 3 city, Tokyo could top the list if it improves in three key areas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2018
Making Japan a major force in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The government must do more to cope with the major wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 23, 2018
The lessons of Davos 2018 for Japan
The government needs to recognize the difference with other countries in its seriousness toward economic reforms and take much deeper steps.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 30, 2018
A prologue to work-style reforms
Japan needs to overhaul its labor market to make the most of its shrinking workforce.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 15, 2017
A midterm review of Abenomics
So far the report card is good, but expect better for the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2017
A standard approach to fiscal reconstruction
If it's really serious about rehabilitating its fiscal conditions, Japan should first get over deflation, even by expanding fiscal spending — and it still has room for fiscal expansion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2017
Two winds are blowing through Japan
From the 'turbulence' of external political developments to the gale-force Fourth Industrial Revolution, Japan needs to brace for the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2011
Minding the tensions over changes in China
The closing decade of the 20th century offered a crystal ball for anyone peering into the future of the Asia-Pacific region. Japan's economy, once the region's leader, was "lost" after its asset bubble burst, whereas China overcame the economic stagnation that followed the Tiananmen Square crisis of 1989 to achieve its current path of strong growth.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2000
Real reform is just beginning
The central government will be reorganized Jan. 6, 2001 with the number of ministries and agencies to be cut almost in half to 13 from the present 22. The shakeup is based on a program worked out with great difficulty by the Adminis trative Reform Council, an ad hoc panel created under the Hashimoto administration (Jan. 1996 - July 1998).

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores