# Japan Economy Information

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 19, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736 "2002-12-19T03:47:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736/1 "2002-12-19T03:47:56Z")

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Can anyone help me find a site that gives a good, non-dumbed-down explanation of Japan’s current economy, and the causes behind both the good and bad points, maybe over the last decade? I searched on Google, but it’s very difficult to find exactly what I’m looking for with all the pages for children and pages for communists that I keep finding. I’m hoping for something akin to the Economist’s articles, but I can’t get an online subscription to them yet.

Thanks!

(Note that this is not homework. I read the Economist every week or so in the library, and found the information available interesting, thus fueling a desire to research more.)

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736/2 "2002-12-19T04:20:45Z")

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To eliminate the pages for children and communists, the secret Google word appears to be “overview”, as in “japan economy overview”.

[http://www.asiaondemand.com/money/economics/japan.htm](http://www.asiaondemand.com/money/economics/japan.htm)

[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/lo/countries/jp/jp\_overview.html](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/lo/countries/jp/jp_overview.html)

Government Page O’ Links.  
[http://www.fe.doe.gov/international/japan.html](http://www.fe.doe.gov/international/japan.html)

Somebody’s lecture notes. If you read The Economist, you might like it. 😃  
[http://econ.ucsc.edu/faculty/hutch/Econ149/ItoLecture.pdf](http://econ.ucsc.edu/faculty/hutch/Econ149/ItoLecture.pdf)

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**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736/3 "2002-12-19T04:40:50Z")

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Paul Krugman has also devoted some time to this…go to Japan section of the pkarchive:  
[http://www.pkarchive.org/](http://www.pkarchive.org/)

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**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-economy-information/143736/4 "2002-12-19T04:49:40Z")

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If you would like to see an analysis of what has happened to Japan’s economy over the past decade or so (e.g. the Nikkei 225 just hit a _20-year low_ earlier today), I would suggest you take a look at a recent publication from the Federal Reserve Board titled [Preventing Deflation: Lessons from Japan’s Experience in the 1990s](http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/ifdp/2002/729/default.htm).

If you are looking for current news with regard to Japan’s economy, you really can’t beat _The Economist_, IMO. Also, [_The Financial Times_](http://news.ft.com/world/asiapacific) is a very good source.