Presentation for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) tailored to a delegation from the Papua New Guinea education ministry visiting western Japan for technical training subsidized by the Japanese government. Focus on Japanese people, society, economics, energy and other issues.

1. 1

2.  Geography & climate
 Regions of Japan (photos)
 Population (demographics) & foreigners in Japan
 Family structure & religions
 Economic issues:
 The yen, cost of living, saving vs. consuming
 International trade, exports vs. imports
 Taxes and distribution of wealth
 Deflation vs. inflation expectations
 Abenomics: monetary, fiscal, structural policies
 Energy issues
 More deeply into Japanese society
 Ways of thinking
 Social behavior & relationships
 Conclusion: Japan’s lessons for developing countries / Q&A

3. Geography and Climate

4. KYOTO spring:
Kiyomizu Temple
Summer:
Gion Festival

5. KYOTO fall

6. OSAKA
Big Issue Stall – Osaka Station by GanMed64,
2011, CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/aGkhiz

7. HIROSHIMA: Peace Memorial by
Stripy T-Shirt, 2004, CC BY-SA 2.0
https://flic.kr/p/2fuzj
NORTHEAST JAPAN
earthquake/tsunami:
Volunteer at Kesencho,
Rikuzentakata by Hajime
Nakano, 2011, CC BY 2.0
https://flic.kr/p/aGC8ia

8. SHIKOKU island
DSCF0752.JPG by Kazu Letokyoite, 2007,
CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/LcWcC

10. Japanese Society - 1
• Population structure
• Family structure
• Religions

11. Demographic shift, its reasons, & difficulty of solutions
“6 out of 10 respondents said the biggest reason for
having fewer children than they really want is that
‘it costs too much money to raise & educate children’.”
From https://japanforum.nbr.org/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind1307&L=list&F=&S=&P=70494

12. Attitudes and policies concerning
immigration and foreigners in Japan

13. 伊勢神宮 外宮別宮 月讀宮 - Tsukiyomi no miya (Geku of Ise Grand Shrine)
by Tamago Moffle, 2010, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/7QLJKP

14. NARA: 法隆寺 Horyuji temple by ume-y, 2013, CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/eSekCB

16. Japan and the global economy
 Stable cost of living, saving vs. consuming
 Employment, working conditions, part-timers increasing
 International trade, exports vs. imports
 Distribution of wealth, social safety net, taxes
 Inflation policy and consumption tax increase discussed at:
http://www.etftrends.com/2013/08/wisdomtree-japanese-inflation-the-yen-and-tax-policies
 Deflation vs. inflation expectations. Who benefits from which?
 Low interest rate policy, yen carry trade, investing abroad
 Overseas Development Assistance (ODA): http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda
Next slides:
 What is the role of the yen in the world money supply?
 Is Japan a huge debtor or a huge creditor nation?
 Does weakening the yen help the overall economy?
 Abenomics: financialization of the Japanese economy?

17. The total amount of Japanese yen in the world money supply
is nearly as much as the US dollar or the euro, so yen flows
have a major impact on the global economy. See the chart at:
http://dollardaze.org/blog/?page_id=00023

18. Although Japan’s national debt is the world’s largest, very little
of it is owed to the outside world. Japan continues to be the
world’s largest creditor country, earning steady income. From:
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/05/28/japan-worlds-largest-creditor-nation-for-22nd-straight-year

19. Weakened yen & purchasing power
“The yen has fallen nearly 25% against the US dollar since
November 2012, as policymakers unveiled a series of aggressive
measures to revive growth.”
“A weak yen has its advantages as well, the biggest one being that
it makes Japanese goods cheaper for foreign buyers. That helps to
boost exports - one of the key drivers of Japan's economic growth.”
“… shipments from Japan rose 12.2% in July, from a year ago,
the fastest pace of growth since December 2010.”
“Exports to China, Japan's biggest trading partner, rose by 9.5%
from a year earlier, compared with 4.7% growth in June.”
“Meanwhile shipments to the US jumped by 18.5% from a
year ago, up from a 14.6% rise in the previous month.”
BBC News, 19 August 2013, from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23751029

20. Abenomics: 3 arrows of monetary, fiscal, and structural policy.
It has started mostly by having the central Bank of Japan print
more money, weakening the yen. Are leaders giving up on the
real economy in favor of financialization, or will fiscal stimulus
work, and will structural reforms overcome special interests?

22. Japan still depends on imported non-renewable energy.
Increased fossil fuel consumption since 2011 nuclear shutdowns.

23. Japan has avoided energy shortages even after 2011, but its energy
efficiency ranking has dropped to 4th: http://japanfocus.org/data/scorecard_dewit.JPG
Can government policy successfully promote renewable energy?
Source: Ministry
of Economy,
Trade & Industry
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/energy_environment/renewable/ref1002.html

24. Japanese Society
• Traditions & new attractions
• Gradually changing values
• The Lonely Crowd
–Difficult to meet strangers

25. Japanese ways of thinking
• Other-oriented values
• Individual and peer group
• Concept of time
• Environment and nature
• Status and hierarchy
• Male-female differences
• Importance of age
• Reasons for many suicides
• Human relations most important

26. Social behavior & relationships
• Levels of social distance
– Intimate circle, face relations, strangers
• Politeness, indirectness, formality
– Avoiding confrontation
• Inside and Outside
– uchi & soto, honne & tatemae
– Private self (reserve) & public self (restraint)
• Many Obligations: gimu, on, giri
• Balancing give & take of gifts & favors
– Symbolism of gifts and objects