Curriculum Japan's Economy
Japan's Economy
The rise, stall and reinvention of the world's fourth-largest economy: the Meiji leap, the postwar miracle, company culture, the bubble, decades of deflation, the Bank of Japan's experiments, debt, an ageing workforce, womenomics, corporate reform, the yen and ties with India.
- The Meiji Leap: Japan Modernises How Japan went from a closed feudal society to an industrial power after 1868, and what made its catch-up so fast. 📄 Read-aloud
- Japan's Postwar Miracle How Japan rebuilt after 1945 and grew at extraordinary speed until the 1970s, and the role of exports, savings and industrial policy. 📄 Read-aloud
- Keiretsu and Lifetime Employment How Japanese companies were organised in business groups with long-term jobs and seniority pay, and the pros and cons of this model. 📄 Read-aloud
- The 1980s Bubble How cheap money, the Plaza Accord and speculation drove Japanese stock and land prices to extraordinary heights in the late 1980s, and how it burst. 📄 Read-aloud
- Living With Deflation Why Japan experienced years of falling prices, why deflation is harmful, and how deflationary expectations became entrenched. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Bank of Japan's Experiments How the Bank of Japan pioneered quantitative easing, negative rates and yield curve control, and how it began exiting these in 2024. 📄 Read-aloud
- Japan's Economy: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on Meiji modernisation, the postwar miracle, company culture, the bubble and deflation. 5 questions
- Japan's Mountain of Debt Why Japan's government debt exceeds 200 percent of GDP without a crisis so far, and what risks rising rates could bring. 📄 Read-aloud
- Robots, Immigration and a Shrinking Workforce How Japan copes with a falling working-age population through automation, older workers and cautious opening to foreign workers. 📄 Read-aloud
- Womenomics How Japan tried to raise women's participation in work, what changed, and why gaps in pay and leadership remain large. 📄 Read-aloud
- Corporate Reform and the Stock Market Revival How governance reforms pushed Japanese companies to use cash better, why foreign investors returned, and how the Nikkei hit record highs in 2024. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Weak Yen and Its Effects Why the yen fell sharply against the dollar after 2021, who gained and lost, and how Japan responded. 📄 Read-aloud
- Japan and India: Economic Partners How Japan became a key investor and lender in India, from Maruti Suzuki to the Delhi Metro, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud