Amplification of the Japanese language reaches its annual culmination every December when editors of Gendai Yougo no Kisochishiki (Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words) crown a word or a phrase as its "ryuko go taisho" — buzzword of the year.
The grand prize is chosen by the encyclopedia's editors, who pick a term from a nominee list compiled from readers' surveys. Past selections have reflected the times, including perestroika, the 1988 buzzword, and bubble "keizai" (bubble economy) a term that received a nomination in 1990.
But after the bubble burst, "Nihon retto so fukyo" (Recession in all of Japan), a phrase used by former Economic Planning Agency chief Taichi Sakaiya, made the list in 1998.