title: Kim Novak

text: In 1989, Novak appeared along with James Stewart as a presenter at the 61st Academy Awards. Asked in the press room about a possible comeback, Novak said that if someone sent her a script she really wanted to do, with a part she felt she could not turn down, she would be happy to go back to work on the big or little screen. At the same time, Novak turned down plenty of offers for movies, as well as an opportunity to appear in a second season of "Falcon Crest", to write her autobiography, tentatively titled "Through My Eyes". Novak decided to re-establish contact with her agent and seek challenging roles after she realized she was not satisfied artistically. She said at the time, "I feel that I didn't live up to what I should have done with it. In other words, I'm glad I made the move away from Hollywood: I don't regret that. I know that was a major thing and a good thing. But by the same token, it was like unfinished business." She returned to film with the leading role of Rose Sellers in "The Children" (1990) opposite Ben Kingsley. A British-German coproduction, the film premiered at the London Film Festival and received good reviews. Leonard Maltin praised the acting and felt Novak's performance was "excellent". However, following disputes between the director Tony Palmer and the distributor over editing and music, the film was pulled from release and never distributed.


title: Kim Novak

text: Director Mike Figgis offered Novak the role of a terminally ill writer with a mysterious past in his thriller "Liebestraum" (1991) opposite Kevin Anderson and Bill Pullman. Novak loved the script and thought it was going to be an important picture. However, her collaboration with Figgis was tense and the two had conflicts from the beginning. Novak agreed to do the film under the impression she was going to play the whole character, but Figgis felt she was unable to play the flashback role the way he wanted, and hired actress Sarah Fearon for those scenes. The two clashed on the set, as their visions of the script differed and were in many ways diametrically opposed. Although she considered him to be a brilliant director, she felt the story was too personal for him, as it was about his own life, and Novak was playing his mother. She was also unhappy, as she felt he wanted her to act like a puppet. "He wanted what he thought Hitchcock had made over. But Hitchcock didn’t do that. Figgis didn’t know Hitchcock. So he treated me the way he thought Hitchcock must have, tried to manipulate me into doing exactly... I went crazy." Novak later said she was hurt and distraught, as "It was such a painful thing for me because it took me right back to Harry Cohn and all that time. And back into saying, Look, for God’s sake, haven’t you heard it enough? We don’t want you to do anything. Just be 'Kim Novak.' That movie pained me more than any movie in the world could do." Novak later told "Movieline" in 2005 she felt she had been "unprofessional" not to obey her director. "I know he thinks I'm a total bitch. That role was fabulous, full of depth. When I interpreted it the way I thought was evident in the incredible script, he said, 'We're not making a Kim Novak movie, just say the lines. If you continue to play the role this way, I'm going to cut you out of the movie,' and he pretty much did that."


title: Kim Novak

text: Novak was supposed to do a comedy with the French director Claude Berri, also starring Peter Falk, and a remake of "Bell, Book and Candle" with Sharon Stone. Neither film was made, and following the difficult experience with "Liebestraum," she has usually cited that experience as the reason for her decision to retire from the film industry. In 2004, she told the Associated Press:I got so burned out on that picture that I wanted to leave the business, but then if you wait long enough you think, "Oh, I miss certain things." The making of a movie is wonderful. What's difficult is afterward when you have to go around and try to sell it. The actual filming, when you have a good script—which isn't often—nothing beats it.


title: Kim Novak

text: After her retirement from acting, Novak made only rare public appearances and turned down most offers she received. In 1996, "Vertigo" was given a restoration by Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz and re-released to theaters. Novak enjoyed their work so much, she agreed to make appearances at screenings of the film, something she had refused when Universal asked her in 1984. She also took part in "Obsessed with Vertigo," a documentary retracing the making and restoration of the film. In 1997, Novak received an Honorary Golden Bear Award for lifetime achievement at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2003, Novak was presented with the Eastman Kodak Archives Award for her major contribution to film. Prior honorees include Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, James Stewart, Martin Scorsese, and Meryl Streep. During that time, Novak received several offers to do some major films and to appear on high-profile television shows. She made an appearance on "Larry King Live" in 2004, where she stated she would consider returning to the screen "if it was the right role." In 2010, Novak was the recipient of a special tribute from the American Cinematheque in Hollywood, where her films were shown at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. She made a rare personal appearance with a Q&A onstage between showing of "Pal Joey" and "Bell, Book and Candle", earning a two-minute-long standing ovation upon her entrance.


title: Kim Novak

text: In April 2012, Novak was honored at the TCM Classic Film Festival, where she introduced a screening of "Vertigo". She joined in conversation with Robert Osborne for a Q&A session in which she discussed her career and personal life. The hour-long interview aired on TCM as "Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival" on March 6, 2013. Novak broke down in tears while discussing "Liebestraum." As she nearly sobbed in front of the audience, Novak said, "I couldn't do a movie after that. I've never done a movie after that. I just couldn't do a movie after that." The interview was an eye-opener for many fans who had wondered why Novak made so few films. Acknowledging that she never reached her potential as an actress, Novak revealed to the audience that she was bipolar and explained, "I was not diagnosed until much later. I go through more of the depression than the mania part." "I don't think I was ever cut out to have a Hollywood life," Novak also commented. "Did I do the right thing, leaving? Did I walk out when I shouldn't have? That's when I get sad." On the possibility of acting again, Novak said in another interview, with the fashion website "LifeGoesStrong," "Who knows what the future holds? It would take an awful lot to lure me out there, but I would never say never." Also during the TCM Festival, Novak was honored in a handprint and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. That same year, Novak received the San Francisco Cinematic Icon Award from the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.


title: Kim Novak

text: After years of seclusion, Novak started to make public appearances more frequently as she felt her body of work was being more appreciated.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2013, she was recognized as the guest of honor by the Cannes Film Festival and attended the 2013 Festival, where she introduced a new restored version of "Vertigo". She also took part in the festival's closing ceremony as a presenter, earning a standing ovation upon her entrance.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2014, she was a presenter at the 86th Academy Awards. That same year, she appeared at the TCM Classic Film Festival, where she unveiled her painting "Vertigo / Vortex of Delusion" commissioned by the TCM network as part of their 20th anniversary. Novak also introduced a screening of her 1958 movie, "Bell Book and Candle", during the Festival. Also in 2014, Novak was invited by Cunard Line to be a speaker on board during a New York-to-London cruise on "RMS Queen Mary 2". She introduced screenings of "Vertigo" and "Bell, Book and Candle," and did a Q&A session with Hollywood expert Sue Cameron, who is also her manager. That same year, Novak appeared with both of her art mentors, Harley Brown and Richard McKinley, for a solo show of her paintings at the Butler Institute of American Art.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2015, Novak attended the 22nd Febiofest international film festival, where she received the Kristián Award for her contribution to world cinema and also had an exhibition of her paintings at the Strahov Monastery. She hosted special screenings of "Vertigo" featuring live performances of Bernard Herrmann's score by members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and by members of the San Francisco Symphony at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in 2016. Also in 2016, Novak was invited by Turner Classic Movies to be a guest on their Caribbean Cruise where she sold five of her paintings and was able to raise nearly $7,000 for the prevention of teenage suicide with the auction of a framed giclée of her.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2018, Novak joined in conversation with Larry King for a Q&A session at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, in celebration of "Vertigo"'s 60th Anniversary. That same year, she was the recipient of a special sold-out tribute from the Castro Theatre.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 1955, Novak won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female. Two years later she won another Golden Globe for World Favorite Female Actress. On February 8, 1960, Novak was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6332 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1995, Novak was ranked 92nd by "Empire Magazine" on a list of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Novak was honored with a Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival in 1997 and was presented with the Eastman Kodak Archives Award for her major contribution to film in 2003. In 2012, Novak was honored in a handprint and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. That same year, she received the "S.F. Cinematic Icon Award" from the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for her screen contributions in San Francisco with "Pal Joey" and "Vertigo". Her contribution to world cinema was also rewarded with the "Kristián Award" she was given at the 22nd Febiofest international film festival in 2015.


title: Kim Novak

text: Novak influenced many actors, as well as fashion designers with the roles she played. Naomi Watts stated that her character interpretation in "Mulholland Drive" (2001) was influenced by the look and performances of Novak in "Vertigo". Renée Zellweger said that Novak was "pure magic" and dressed up as her character from "Vertigo" for a photo shoot for the March 2008 issue of "Vanity Fair". Nicole Kidman wrote Novak a letter saying she was "an inspiration to me and to women everywhere. Your cinematic body of work speaks for yourself, but so does the other side of Kim Novak – the free spirit who left Hollywood to live atop the hills of Big Sur. Kim Novak the painter and llama farmer. You are an icon whose screen presence is unmatched, and yet you’ve lived your life with dignity and authenticity, and the courage to follow your heart wherever it takes you." In 2005, British fashion designer Alexander McQueen named his first It Bag "The Novak," saying, "I'm drawn to Kim Novak in the same way that Hitchcock was. She had an air of uptightness you wouldn't want to cross."


title: Kim Novak

text: In the mid-1950s, Novak had relationships with Ramfis Trujillo, the son of the Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, and with Sammy Davis, Jr. A BBC documentary claimed that to end her relationship with a black man, Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn had mobsters threaten Sammy Davis, Jr., with blinding or having his legs broken if he did not marry a black woman within 48 hours. Novak also dated Michael Brandon, Wilt Chamberlain, David Hemmings, and Porfirio Rubirosa. She was engaged to director Richard Quine in 1959.


title: Kim Novak

text: Novak's first marriage was to English actor Richard Johnson from March 15, 1965, to May 26, 1966. The two remained friends afterwards.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 1966, Novak left Hollywood for Big Sur, where she raised horses and painted, making an occasional film. In 1974, she met her second husband, equine veterinarian Robert Malloy, when he made a house call after one of her Arabian mares suffered colic. They married on March 12, 1976. As a result of her marriage, she has two adult stepchildren.


title: Kim Novak

text: The couple built a log home along the Williamson River near Chiloquin, Oregon. Malloy died on November 27, 2020.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 1997, Novak bought a 43-acre ranch in Sams Valley, Oregon, which the couple made into their home. Novak took classes in painting with pastels from artists Harley Brown and Richard McKinley. In July 2000, their home burned to the ground, and she lost all her art and the only draft of the autobiography she had been working on for 10 years.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2006, Novak was injured in a horse-riding accident. She suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs, and nerve damage, but made a full recovery within a year.


title: Kim Novak

text: In October 2010, her manager, Sue Cameron, reported that Novak had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Cameron also noted that Novak was "undergoing treatment" and "her doctors say she is in fantastic physical shape and should recover very well." She did recover well.


title: Kim Novak

text: In 2014, after Novak's rare public appearance at the 86th Academy Awards, the media and social commentary indicated she was hardly recognized, which resulted in speculation that she had undertaken substantial cosmetic surgery; Donald Trump tweeted "Kim should sue her plastic surgeon!" Novak was devastated by the criticism—"It really did throw me into a tailspin and it hit me hard," and wrote an open letter in which she stood up to all of her Oscar-night "bullies." Novak admitted that she "had fat injections in my face" as she felt "they seemed far less invasive than a face-lift," but later regretted it, "So why did I do it? I trusted somebody doing what I thought they knew how to do best. I should have known better, but what do you do? We do some stupid things in our lives."


title: Kim Novak

text: Novak continued her creative endeavors as a photographer, poet, and visual artist painting in watercolor, oil, and pastel. Her paintings are impressionistic and surrealistic. The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio hosted a retrospective of her work from June until October 2019. Novak was present at the opening on June 16. In 2021 The Butler Institute also published a book with a selection of her paintings titled "Kim Novak: Her Art and Life".


title: NF (rapper)

text: Nathan John Feuerstein (born March 30, 1991), known by his initials NF (stylized as ИF), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released two EPs, "I'm Free" (2012), and a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. His first major-label album, "Mansion", was released on March 31, 2015. His second studio album, "Therapy Session", was released on April 22, 2016, and peaked at number 12 on the US "Billboard" 200. His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include: the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year ("Therapy Session").


title: NF (rapper)

text: NF achieved mainstream popularity in 2017 with "Perception"; the album charted at number one in the United States and was certified platinum, while its third single, "Let You Down", reached number twelve on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100, and was a top-ten hit internationally. He achieved similar commercial success with his follow up "The Search" (2019).


title: NF (rapper)

text: Nathan John Feuerstein was born in Gladwin, Michigan, on March 30, 1991. His parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother until his father had to take him away when her boyfriend abused him. His mother died from an overdose in 2009 which led to him dedicating the song "How Could You Leave Us" to her. He graduated from Gladwin High School in 2009, and was on the school's basketball team. NF started his career at the Fine Arts Festival organized by Connection Church in Canton, Michigan.


title: NF (rapper)

text: Feuerstein stated that, during his childhood, rap was an escape for him. He would record songs on a karaoke machine, recording instrumentals on one microphone and his raps on the other. On November 29, 2010, Feuerstein independently released his debut studio album "Moments" under his real name. On August 2, 2011, he released his debut single "Alone". The song featured songwriter and producer Tommee Profitt and Brooke Griffith. In 2012, Feuerstein's work attracted the attention of Xist Music. On May 2, 2012, he released his debut extended play "I'm Free" with production work from Profitt. The tracklist consisted of nine songs including "Alone". The EP also included an exclusive version of "Alone" featuring Sean Simmonds. Xist teased for the release of the self-titled extended play, "NF", but Feuerstein parted ways with the label after a dispute and the production of "NF" was postponed. Despite this, NF featured a song, "Only One", featuring Shuree Williams, in the label's compilation album, "Move Vol 1". He released a single, "Beautiful Addiction", on November 4, 2013. The song again featured an appearance from Profitt, as well as vocals from Brady Schmitz and Danielle Swift.


title: NF (rapper)

text: Feuerstein signed to Capitol Christian Music Group in 2014, before the release of the EP, "NF". This project was his breakthrough release on the "Billboard", as it charted on the Christian Albums chart at No. 12, on the Top Gospel Albums at No. 4, and on the Top Rap Albums at No. 15. This extended play was reviewed by Jesus Freak Hideout and New Release Tuesday, receiving two three-and-a-half-star reviews. "CCM Magazine" reviewed the EP and awarded it four stars. His first studio album, "Mansion", was released on March 31, 2015, by Capitol CMG.


title: NF (rapper)

text: "Intro", the lead single from "Mansion", is included in the video game "Madden NFL 16". NF's songs have been played on ESPN, VH1, Showtime, NBC's "Chicago P.D.", "Grimm", "Shades of Blue", a trailer for an Apex Legends update and in the season finale trailer of Fox's "Empire". His music video for "Intro" premiered on MTV.com's homepage, and the video has also appeared on MTVU, AbsolutePunk, 2DOPEBOYZ, Raps & Hustles and The College Dropouts.


title: NF (rapper)

text: NF's songs "I Just Wanna Know" and "Real" were released on April 8, 2016, and on April 22, 2016, respectively, as singles from his second studio album "Therapy Session", released on April 22, 2016. "Warm Up" was released as a non-album single on September 8, 2016.


title: NF (rapper)

text: On October 6, 2017, NF released his third studio album, "Perception". The album debuted at No. 1 on the "Billboard" 200, making it his first chart-topping album and the second artist in 2017 to release a No. 1 album without having charted on the Hot 100. The next week, "Let You Down" became his first single to chart on the Hot 100, debuting at 87. It became a sleeper hit, taking 17 weeks to reach its peak at No. 12. After the success of "Perception", he announced he would begin touring mid-2018 with rappers Logic and Kyle. It was certified platinum—selling over 1,000,000 units—by the RIAA on January 11, 2019.


title: NF (rapper)

text: In 2018, NF released the non-album single "No Name" on January 19. Later, he would release the song "WHY", the first single preceding his fourth studio album.


title: NF (rapper)

text: On May 30, 2019, he released the title track of the album, "The Search". He would later release two more singles, "When I Grow Up" on June 27, and "Time" on July 12. "The Search" was released on July 26.


title: NF (rapper)

text: On December 3, 2019, Feuerstein released the single "Paid My Dues", as well as a music video for the song.


title: NF (rapper)

text: In October 2020, NF returned with the non-album single, "Chasing_(Demo)", after sharing a snippet of it online. The song features 15-year-old Australian fan Mikayla Sippel, who uploaded a cover of it, which inspired NF to officially release the song after being "blown away" by her version.


title: NF (rapper)

text: On February 18, 2021, NF released the single "Clouds", alongside a music video, and announced his mixtape of the same name, which was scheduled for a March 26, 2021, release. The mixtape included "Paid My Dues", as well as guest appearances from rappers Hopsin (Lost/LOST) and Tech N9ne (Trust/TRUST), followed by a third single, "Lost" featuring Hopsin, released on March 11, 2021. On March 26, 2021, "Clouds (The Mixtape)" was released.


title: NF (rapper)

text: Feuerstein has credited Eminem as his prime influence in hip hop, claiming that at one point that was all he listened to. NF's style has also been compared to Logic and Machine Gun Kelly. Although he found his musical upbringing in Christian hip-hop, Feuerstein has denied his label as a Christian rapper, saying "I'm a Christian, but I don't make Christian music. You're not going to reach everyone with just one point of view. I write about things I'm actually dealing with. You don't have to be Christian to relate to them."


title: NF (rapper)

text: In 2013, Feuerstein appeared on Christian hip-hop artist Flame's album "Royal Flush" on the track "Start Over". In 2015, his features on TobyMac's "This Is Not a Test" track "Til the Day I Die" and Marty's "Marty For President" track "The One With My Friends" gained him fame and recognition in the Christian hip-hop genre. Feuerstein's 2017 collaboration with Futuristic, "Epiphany", enhanced his career in the secular rap industry.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The economy of Japan is a highly developed social market economy, often referred to as an East Asian model. It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It is the world's second-largest developed economy. Japan is a member of both the G7 and G20. According to the World Bank, the country's per capita GDP (PPP) was at $40,193 (2020). Due to a volatile currency exchange rate, Japan's GDP as measured in dollars fluctuates sharply. Accounting for these fluctuations through the use of the Atlas method, Japan is estimated to have a GDP per capita around $39,048. The Japanese economy is forecast by the Quarterly Tankan survey of business sentiment conducted by the Bank of Japan. The Nikkei 225 presents the monthly report of top blue chip equities on the Japan Exchange Group, which is the world's fifth-largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. In 2018, Japan was the world's fourth-largest importer and the fourth-largest exporter. It has the world's second-largest foreign-exchange reserves, worth $1.4 trillion. It ranks 5th on the Global Competitiveness Report. It ranks first in the world in the Economic Complexity Index. Japan is also the world's fourth-largest consumer market.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan is the world's second-largest automobile manufacturing country. It is often ranked among the world's most innovative countries, leading several measures of global patent filings. Facing increasing competition from China and South Korea, manufacturing in Japan currently focuses primarily on high-tech and precision goods, such as integrated circuits, hybrid vehicles, and robotics. Besides the Kantō region, the Kansai region is one of the leading industrial clusters and manufacturing centers for the Japanese economy.<ref name="Profile of Osaka/Kansai"></ref> Japan is the world's largest creditor nation. Japan generally runs an annual trade surplus and has a considerable net international investment surplus. Japan has the third-largest financial assets in the world, valued at $12 trillion, or 8.6% of the global GDP total as of 2020. As of 2017, 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies are based in Japan, down from 62 in 2013. The country is the third-largest in the world by total wealth.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan formerly had the second-largest assets and wealth, behind only the United States in both categories, until it was surpassed by the People's Republic of China in both assets and wealth. Japan also had the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP behind the United States. In 2010, it was surpassed by the People's Republic of China.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's asset price bubble collapse in 1991 led to a period of economic stagnation known as the "lost decade", sometimes extended to a "lost 20 years" or greater. From 1995 to 2007 GDP fell from $5.33 trillion to $5.04 trillion in nominal terms. From the early 2000s, the Bank of Japan set out to encourage economic growth through a novel policy of quantitative easing. Debt levels continued to rise in response to the national crises, such as the Great Recession in 2008, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, and with COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. As of 2021, Japan has significantly higher levels of public debt than any other developed nation at approximately 260% of GDP. 45% of this debt is held by the Bank of Japan. The Japanese economy faces considerable challenges posed by an aging and declining population, which peaked at 128 million in 2010 and has fallen to 125.5 million as of 2022. Projections show the population will continue to fall, potentially to below 100 million by the middle of the 21st century.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In the three decades of economic development following 1960, rapid economic growth referred to as the Japanese post-war economic miracle occurred. By the guidance of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, with average growth rates of 10% in the 1960s, 5% in the 1970s, and 4% in the 1980s, Japan was able to establish and maintain itself as the world's second-largest economy from 1978 until 2010, when it was surpassed by the People's Republic of China. By 1990, income per capita in Japan equaled or surpassed that in most countries in the West.


title: Economy of Japan

text: During the second half of the 1980s, rising stock and real estate prices created an economic bubble. The economic bubble came to an abrupt end as the Tokyo Stock Exchange crashed in 1990–92 and real estate prices peaked in 1991. Growth in Japan throughout the 1990s at 1.5% was slower than global growth, giving rise to the term Lost Decade. After another decade of low growth rate, the term became the Lost 20 Years. Nonetheless, GDP per capita growth from 2001 to 2010 has still managed to outpace Europe and the United States.


title: Economy of Japan

text: With this low growth rate, the national debt of Japan has expanded due to its considerable social welfare spending in an aging society with a shrinking tax-base. The scenario of "Abandoned homes" continues to spread from rural areas to urban areas in Japan.


title: Economy of Japan

text: A mountainous, volcanic island country, Japan has inadequate natural resources to support its growing economy and large population, and therefore exports goods in which it has a comparative advantage such as engineering-oriented, research and development-led industrial products in exchange for the import of raw materials and petroleum. Japan is among the top-three importers for agricultural products in the world next to the European Union and the United States in total volume for covering of its own domestic agricultural consumption. Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market is the largest wholesale market for primary products in Japan, including the renowned Tsukiji fish market. Japanese whaling, ostensibly for research purposes, has been sued as illegal under international law.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Although many kinds of minerals were extracted throughout the country, most mineral resources had to be imported in the postwar era. Local deposits of metal-bearing ores were difficult to process because they were low grade. The nation's large and varied forest resources, which covered 70 percent of the country in the late 1980s, were not utilized extensively. Because of political decisions on local, prefectural, and national levels, Japan decided not to exploit its forest resources for economic gain. Domestic sources only supplied between 25 and 30 percent of the nation's timber needs. Agriculture and fishing were the best-developed resources, but only through years of painstaking investment and toil. The nation, therefore, built up the manufacturing and processing industries to convert raw materials imported from abroad. This strategy of economic development necessitated the establishment of a strong economic infrastructure to provide the needed energy, transportation, communications, and technological know-how.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Deposits of gold, magnesium, and silver meet current industrial demands, but Japan is dependent on foreign sources for many of the minerals essential to modern industry. Iron ore, copper, bauxite, and alumina must be imported, as well as many forest products.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Compared to other industrialized economies, Japan is characterized by its low levels of exports relative to the size of its GDP. From the period 1970-2018, Japan was either the least or second least export-dependent economy in the G7, and one of the least export-dependent economies in the world. It has also been one of the least trade-dependent economies in the 1970-2018 period.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan receives exceptionally low levels of foreign investment. Its inward FDI stock was by far the smallest in the G7 as of 2018, and less than those of much smaller economies such as Austria, Poland, and Sweden. Relative to GDP, its ratio of inward FDI stock is probably the lowest in the world.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan lags behind other developed countries in labor productivity. From 1970 to 2018 Japan has consistently had the lowest labor productivity in the G7. In 2020, Japan ranked 23rd in labor productivity among OECD nations. A particularity of the Japanese economy are very long-established businesses ("shinise"), of which some are over a thousand years old and enjoy great prestige. In contrast, startup culture is not as prominent in Japan as elsewhere. As of December 2021, Japan had just 6 i.e. less than 0.64% of world's total unicorn startups. One of the reasons for lagging behind in the startup scene has been the traditional cultural value systems, which conflict with the startup culture.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The economic history of Japan is one of the most studied. First was the foundation of Edo (in 1603) to whole inland economic developments, second was the Meiji Restoration (in 1868) to be the first non-European power, third was after the defeat of World War II (in 1945) when the island nation rose to become the world's second largest economy.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan was considered as a country rich in precious metals, mainly owing to Marco Polo's accounts of gilded temples and palaces, but also due to the relative abundance of surface ores characteristic of a massive huge volcanic country, before large-scale deep-mining became possible in Industrial times. Japan was to become a major exporter of silver, copper, and gold during the period until exports for those minerals were banned.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Renaissance Japan was also perceived as a sophisticated feudal society with a high culture and a strong pre-industrial technology. It was densely populated and urbanized. Prominent European observers of the time seemed to agree that the Japanese ""excel not only all the other Oriental peoples, they surpass the Europeans as well"" (Alessandro Valignano, 1584, "Historia del Principo y Progresso de la Compania de Jesus en las Indias Orientales).


title: Economy of Japan

text: Early European visitors were amazed by the quality of Japanese craftsmanship and metalsmithing. This stems from the fact that Japan itself is rather rich in natural resources found commonly in Europe, especially iron.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The cargo of the first Portuguese ships (usually about 4 smaller-sized ships every year) arriving in Japan almost entirely consisted of Chinese goods (silk, porcelain). The Japanese were very much looking forward to acquiring such goods, but had been prohibited from any contacts with the Emperor of China, as a punishment for Wakō pirate raids. The Portuguese (who were called "Nanban", lit. Southern Barbarians) therefore found the opportunity to act as intermediaries in Asian trade.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The beginning of the Edo period coincides with the last decades of the Nanban trade period, during which intense interaction with European powers, on the economic and religious plane, took place. It is at the beginning of the Edo period that Japan built her first ocean-going Western-style warships, such as the "San Juan Bautista", a 500-ton galleon-type ship that transported a Japanese embassy headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga to the Americas, which then continued to Europe. Also during that period, the "bakufu" commissioned around 350 Red Seal Ships, three-masted and armed trade ships, for intra-Asian commerce. Japanese adventurers, such as Yamada Nagamasa, were active throughout Asia.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In order to eradicate the influence of Christianization, Japan entered in a period of isolation called sakoku, during which its economy enjoyed stability and mild progress. But not long after, in the 1650s, the production of Japanese export porcelain increased greatly when civil war put the main Chinese center of porcelain production, in Jingdezhen, out of action for several decades. For the rest of the 17th century, most Japanese porcelain production was for export, mostly in Kyushu. The trade dwindled under renewed Chinese competition by the 1740s, before resuming after the opening of Japan in the mid-19th century.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Economic development during the Edo period included urbanization, increased shipping of commodities, a significant expansion of domestic and, initially, foreign commerce, and a diffusion of trade and handicraft industries. The construction trades flourished, along with banking facilities and merchant associations. Increasingly, "han" authorities oversaw the rising agricultural production and the spread of rural handicrafts.


title: Economy of Japan

text: By the mid-eighteenth century, Edo had a population of more than 1 million and Osaka and Kyoto each had more than 400,000 inhabitants. Many other castle towns grew as well. Osaka and Kyoto became busy trading and handicraft production centers, while Edo was the center for the supply of food and essential urban consumer goods.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Rice was the base of the economy, as the daimyō collected the taxes from the peasants in the form of rice. Taxes were high, about 40% of the harvest. The rice was sold at the "fudasashi" market in Edo. To raise money, the daimyō used forward contracts to sell rice that was not even harvested yet. These contracts were similar to modern futures trading.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan reopened its economy to the West after being pressured by the United States of America. During the period, Japan progressively studied Western sciences and techniques (called "rangaku", literally "Dutch studies") through the information and books received through the Dutch traders in Dejima. The main areas that were studied included geography, medicine, natural sciences, astronomy, art, languages, physical sciences such as the study of electrical phenomena, and mechanical sciences as exemplified by the development of Japanese clockwatches, or wadokei, inspired from Western techniques.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Since the mid-19th century, after the Meiji Restoration, the country was opened up to Western commerce and influence and Japan has gone through two periods of economic development. The first began in earnest in 1868 and extended through to World War I; the second began in 1945 and a very rapid economic growth took place till 1973, slowed down a bit but continued till 1991.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Economic developments of the prewar period began with the "Rich State and Strong Army Policy" by the Meiji government. During the Meiji period (1868–1912), leaders inaugurated a new Western-based education system for all young people, sent thousands of students to the United States and Europe, and hired more than 3,000 Westerners to teach modern science, mathematics, technology, and foreign languages in Japan (Oyatoi gaikokujin). The government also built railroads, improved road, and inaugurated a land reform program to prepare the country for further development.


title: Economy of Japan

text: To promote industrialization, the government decided that, while it should help private business to allocate resources and to plan, the private sector was best equipped to stimulate economic growth. The greatest role of government was to help provide good economic conditions for business. In short, government was to be the guide and business the producer. In the early Meiji period, the government built factories and shipyards that were sold to entrepreneurs at a fraction of their value. Many of these businesses grew rapidly into the larger conglomerates. Government emerged as chief promoter of private enterprise, enacting a series of pro-business policies.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In the mid-1930s, the Japanese nominal wage rates were "10 times less" than the one of the U.S (based on mid-1930s exchange rates), while the price level is estimated to have been about 44% the one of the U.S.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The size and industrial structure of cities in Japan have maintained tight regularities despite substantial churning of population and industries across cities overtime.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Government control and influence over businesses is widespread than most other countries. Instead of taking legislation action, their control is exercised through constant consultation with businesses and through the government's deep involvement in banking.


title: Economy of Japan

text: From the 1960s to the 1980s, overall real economic growth was extremely large: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and a 4% average in the 1980s. By the end of said period, Japan had moved into being a high-wage economy.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Growth slowed markedly in the late 1990s also termed the Lost Decade after the collapse of Japanese asset price bubble. As a consequence Japan ran massive budget deficits (added trillions in Yen to Japanese financial system) to finance large public works programs.


title: Economy of Japan

text: By 1998, Japan's public works projects still could not stimulate demand enough to end the economy's stagnation. In desperation, the Japanese government undertook "structural reform" policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Unfortunately, these policies led Japan into deflation on numerous occasions between 1999 and 2004. The Bank of Japan used quantitative easing to expand the country's money supply in order to raise expectations of inflation and spur economic growth. Initially, the policy failed to induce any growth, but it eventually began to affect inflationary expectations. By late 2005, the economy finally began what seems to be a sustained recovery. GDP growth for that year was 2.8%, with an annualized fourth quarter expansion of 5.5%, surpassing the growth rates of the US and European Union during the same period. Unlike previous recovery trends, domestic consumption has been the dominant factor of growth.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Despite having interest rates down near zero for a long period of time, the quantitative easing strategy did not succeed in stopping price deflation. This led some economists, such as Paul Krugman, and some Japanese politicians, to advocate the generation of higher inflation expectations. In July 2006, the zero-rate policy was ended. In 2008, the Japanese Central Bank still had the lowest interest rates in the developed world, but deflation had still not been eliminated and the Nikkei 225 has fallen over approximately 50% (between June 2007 and December 2008). However, on 5 April 2013, the Bank of Japan announced that it would be purchasing 60–70 trillion yen in bonds and securities in an attempt to eliminate deflation by doubling the money supply in Japan over the course of two years. Markets around the world have responded positively to the government's current proactive policies, with the Nikkei 225 adding more than 42% since November 2012. The Economist has suggested that improvements to bankruptcy law, land transfer law, and tax laws will aid Japan's economy. In recent years, Japan has been the top export market for almost 15 trading nations worldwide.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In December 2018, a free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union was cleared to commence in February 2019. It creates the world's largest free trade zone valued at 1/3rd of global gross domestic product. This reduces tariffs on Japanese cars by 10%, duties by 30% on cheese and 10% on wines and opens service markets.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Since early January 2020, Japanese economy began to suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic as several countries reported a significant increase in cases by March 2020. However, in early April, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he declared state of emergency, citing gave the nation its worst economic crisis since the end of World War II. Jun Saito of the Japan Center for Economic Research stated that the pandemic delivered the "final blow" to Japan's long fledging economy, which also resumed slow growth in 2018.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In October 2020 during the pandemic, Japan and the United Kingdom formally signed the first free-trade agreement post-Brexit, which will boost trade by approximately £15.2 billion. It enables tariff-free trade on 99% of exports to Japan.


title: Economy of Japan

text: On 15 February 2021, the Nikkei average breached the 30k benchmark, the highest since November 1991. It is due to strong corporate earnings, GDP data and optimism over COVID-19 vaccination program in the country.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In the year ending of March 2021 despite COVID-19 spreading, SoftBank Group made a record net profit of 45.88 billion, which is largely due to the debut of e-commerce company Coupang. However, this is the largest annual profit by a Japanese company in the nation's history.


title: Economy of Japan

text: As of result, Japanese economic impact of COVID-19 was officially ended by early October 2021 as the country ahead of the endemic phase.


title: Economy of Japan

text: At the end of March 2022, the Ministry of Finance announced that the national debt reached precisely 1.017 million billion yen. The total public debt of the country, which includes debts contracted by local governments, represents 1.210 million billion yen (9,200 billion dollars) which is nearly 250% of Japan’s GDP. Economist Kohei Iwahara said such an exceptional debt to GDP level is only possible because Japanese hold most of the debt: "“Japanese households hold most of their savings in bank accounts (48%) and these sums are used by commercial banks to buy Japanese government bonds. Thus, 85.7% of these bonds are held by Japanese investors.” However, an aging population could decrease savings.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2018, Japan ranked 5th overall in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index, and 2nd in the infrastructure category.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2005, one half of Japan's energy was produced from petroleum, a fifth from coal, and 14% from natural gas. Nuclear power in Japan made a quarter of electricity production but due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster there has been a large desire to end Japan's nuclear power program. In September 2013, Japan closed its last 50 nuclear power plants nationwide, causing the nation to be nuclear free. The country has since then opted to restart a few of its nuclear reactors.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's spendings on roads has been considered large. The 1.2 million kilometers of paved road are one of the major means of transportation. Japan has left-hand traffic. A single network of speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities and are operated by toll-collecting enterprises. New and used cars are inexpensive, and the Japanese government has encouraged people to buy hybrid vehicles. Car ownership fees and fuel levies are used to promote energy-efficiency.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Rail transport is a major means of transport in Japan. Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; for instance, 6 passenger JR enterprises, Kintetsu Railway, Seibu Railway, and Keio Corporation. Often, strategies of these enterprises contain real estate or department stores next to stations, and many major stations have major department stores near them. The Japanese cities of Fukuoka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo and Yokohama all have subway systems. Some 250 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities. All trains are known for punctuality, and a delay of 90 seconds can be considered late for some train services.


title: Economy of Japan

text: There are 98 passenger and 175 total airports in Japan, and flying is a popular way to travel. The largest domestic airport, Tokyo International Airport, is Asia's second busiest airport. The largest international gateways are Narita International Airport (Tokyo area), Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto area), and Chūbu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya area). The largest ports in Japan include Nagoya Port, the Port of Yokohama, the Port of Tokyo and the Port of Kobe.


title: Economy of Japan

text: About 84% of Japan's energy is imported from other countries. Japan is the world's largest liquefied natural gas importer, second largest coal importer, and third largest net oil importer. Given its heavy dependence on imported energy, Japan has aimed to diversify its sources. Since the oil shocks of the 1970s, Japan has reduced dependence on petroleum as a source of energy from 77.4% in 1973 to about 43.7% in 2010 and increased dependence on natural gas and nuclear power. In September 2019, Japan will invest 10 billion on liquefied natural gas projects worldwide, in a strategy to boost the global LNG market and reinforce the security of energy supply. Other important energy source includes coal, and hydroelectricity is Japan's biggest renewable energy source. Japan's solar market is also currently booming. Kerosene is also used extensively for home heating in portable heaters, especially farther north. Many taxi companies run their fleets on liquefied natural gas. A recent success towards greater fuel economy was the introduction of mass-produced Hybrid vehicles. Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who was working on Japan's economic revival, signed a treaty with Saudi Arabia and UAE about the rising prices of oil, ensuring Japan's stable deliveries from that region.


title: Economy of Japan

text: This is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Japan at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund with figures in millions of Japanese Yen. See also


title: Economy of Japan

text: The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2021 (with IMF staff stimtates in 2022–2027). Inflation under 5% is in green.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The Japanese agricultural sector accounts for about 1.1% (2017) of the total country's GDP. Only 12% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation. Due to this lack of arable land, a system of terraces is used to farm in small areas. This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit area, with an overall agricultural self-sufficiency rate of about 50% on fewer than 56,000 km (14 million acres) cultivated.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's small agricultural sector, however, is also highly subsidized and protected, with government regulations that favor small-scale cultivation instead of large-scale agriculture as practiced in North America. There has been a growing concern about farming as the current farmers are aging with a difficult time finding successors.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Rice accounts for almost all of Japan's cereal production. Japan is the second-largest agricultural product importer in the world. Rice, the most protected crop, is subject to tariffs of 777.7%.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Although Japan is usually self-sufficient in rice (except for its use in making rice crackers and processed foods) and wheat, the country must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops and relies on imports for half of its supply of meat. Japan imports large quantities of wheat and soybeans. Japan is the 5th largest market for the European Union's agricultural exports. Over 90% of mandarin oranges in Japan are grown in Japan. Apples are also grown due to restrictions on apple imports.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan ranked fourth in the world in 1996 in tonnage of fish caught. Japan captured 4,074,580 metric tons of fish in 2005, down from 4,987,703 tons in 2000, 9,558,615 tons in 1990, 9,864,422 tons in 1980, 8,520,397 tons in 1970, 5,583,796 tons in 1960 and 2,881,855 tons in 1950. In 2003, the total aquaculture production was predicted at 1,301,437 tonnes. In 2010, Japan's total fisheries production was 4,762,469 fish. Offshore fisheries accounted for an average of 50% of the nation's total fish catches in the late 1980s although they experienced repeated ups and downs during that period.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Coastal fishing by small boats, set nets, or breeding techniques accounts for about one third of the industry's total production, while offshore fishing by medium-sized boats makes up for more than half the total production. Deep-sea fishing from larger vessels makes up the rest. Among the many species of seafood caught are sardines, skipjack tuna, crab, shrimp, salmon, pollock, squid, clams, mackerel, sea bream, sauries, tuna and Japanese amberjack. Freshwater fishing, including salmon, trout and eel hatcheries and fish farms, takes up about 30% of Japan's fishing industry. Among the nearly 300 fish species in the rivers of Japan are native varieties of catfish, chub, herring and goby, as well as such freshwater crustaceans as crabs and crayfish. Marine and freshwater aquaculture is conducted in all 47 prefectures in Japan.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch, prompting some claims that Japan's fishing is leading to depletion in fish stocks such as tuna. Japan has also sparked controversy by supporting quasi-commercial whaling.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japanese manufacturing and industry is very diversified, with a variety of advanced industries that are highly successful. Industry accounts for 30.1% (2017) of the nation's GDP. The country's manufacturing output is the third highest in the world.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Industry is concentrated in several regions, with the Kantō region surrounding Tokyo, (the Keihin industrial region) as well as the Kansai region surrounding Osaka (the Hanshin industrial region) and the Tōkai region surrounding Nagoya (the Chūkyō–Tōkai industrial region) the main industrial centers. Other industrial centers include the southwestern part of Honshū and northern Shikoku around the Seto Inland Sea (the Setouchi industrial region); and the northern part of Kyūshū (Kitakyūshū). In addition, a long narrow belt of industrial centers called the Taiheiyō Belt is found between Tokyo and Fukuoka, established by particular industries, that have developed as mill towns.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan enjoys high technological development in many fields, including consumer electronics, automobile manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, optical fibers, optoelectronics, optical media, facsimile and copy machines, and fermentation processes in food and biochemistry. However, many Japanese companies are facing emerging rivals from the United States, South Korea, and China.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan is the third biggest producer of automobiles in the world. Toyota is currently the world's largest car maker, and the Japanese car makers Nissan, Honda, Suzuki, and Mazda also count for some of the largest car makers in the world.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's mining production has been minimal, and Japan has very little mining deposits. However, massive deposits of rare earths have been found off the coast of Japan. In the 2011 fiscal year, the domestic yield of crude oil was 820 thousand kiloliters, which was 0.4% of Japan's total crude processing volume.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2019, Japan was the 2nd largest world producer of iodine, 4th largest worldwide producer of bismuth, the world's 9th largest producer of sulfur and the 10th largest producer of gypsum.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's service sector accounts for 68.7% (2017) of its total economic output. Banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation, and telecommunications are all major industries such as Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, NTT, TEPCO, Nomura, Mitsubishi Estate, ÆON, Mitsui Sumitomo, Softbank, JR East, Seven & I, KDDI and Japan Airlines counting as one of the largest companies in the world. Four of the five most circulated newspapers in the world are Japanese newspapers. The Koizumi government set Japan Post, one of the country's largest providers of savings and insurance services for privatization by 2015. The six major keiretsus are the Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Fuyo, Mitsui, Dai-Ichi Kangyo and Sanwa Groups. Japan is home to 251 companies from the Forbes Global 2000 or 12.55% (as of 2013).


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2012, Japan was the fifth most visited country in Asia and the Pacific, with over 8.3 million tourists. In 2013, due to the weaker yen and easier visa requirements for southwest Asian countries, Japan received a record 11.25 million visitors, which was higher than the government's projected goal of 10 million visitors. The government hopes to attract 40 million visitors a year by the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Some of the most popular visited places include the Shinjuku, Ginza, Shibuya and Asakusa areas in Tokyo, and the cities of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, as well as Himeji Castle. Hokkaido is also a popular winter destination for visitors with several ski resorts and luxury hotels being built there.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's economy is less dependent on international tourism than those of other G7 countries and OECD countries in general; from 1995 to 2014, it was by far the least visited country in the G7 despite being the second largest country in the group, and as of 2013 was one of the least visited countries in the OECD on a per capita basis. In 2013, international tourist receipts was 0.3% of Japan's GDP, while the corresponding figure was 1.3% for the United States and 2.3% for France.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the third largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, as well as the 2nd largest stock market in Asia, with 2,292 listed companies. The Nikkei 225 and the TOPIX are the two important stock market indexes of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Stock Exchange, another major stock exchange in Japan, merged on 1 January 2013, creating one of the world's largest stock exchanges. Other stock exchanges in Japan include the Nagoya Stock Exchange, Fukuoka Stock Exchange and Sapporo Securities Exchange.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The unemployment rate in December 2013 was 3.7%, down 1.5 percentage points from the claimed unemployment rate of 5.2% in June 2009 due to the strong economic recovery.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2008 Japan's labor force consisted of some 66 million workers—40% of whom were women—and was rapidly shrinking.


title: Economy of Japan

text: One major long-term concern for the Japanese labor force is its low birthrate. In 2005, the number of deaths in Japan exceeded the number of births, indicating that the decline in population had already started. While one countermeasure for a declining birthrate would be to increase immigration, Japan has struggled to attract potential migrants despite immigration laws being relatively lenient (especially for high-skilled workers) compared to other developed countries. This is also apparent when looking at Japan's work visa programme for "specified skilled worker", which had less than 3,000 applicants, despite an annual goal of attracting 40,000 overseas workers, suggesting Japan faces major challenges in attracting migrants compared to other developed countries regardless of its immigration policies. A Gallup poll found that few potential migrants wished to migrate to Japan compared to other G7 countries, consistent with the country's low migrant inflow.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 1989, the predominantly public sector union confederation, SOHYO (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan), merged with RENGO (Japanese Private Sector Trade Union Confederation) to form the Japanese Trade Union Confederation. Labor union membership is about 12 million.


title: Economy of Japan

text: As of 2019 Japan's unemployment rate was the lowest in the G7. Its employment rate for the working-age population (15-64) was the highest in the G7.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan has one of the smallest tax rates in the developed world. After deductions, the majority of workers are free from personal income taxes. Consumption tax rate is 10%, while corporate tax rates are high, second highest corporate tax rate in the world, at 36.8%. However, the House of Representatives has passed a bill which increased the consumption tax to 10% in October 2015. The government has also decided to reduce corporate tax and to phase out automobile tax.


title: Economy of Japan

text: In 2016, the IMF encouraged Japan to adopt an income policy that pushes firms to raise employee wages in combination with reforms to tackle the labor market dual tiered employment system to drive higher wages, on top of monetary and fiscal stimulus. Shinzo Abe has encouraged firms to raise wages by at least three percent annually (the inflation target plus average productivity growth).


title: Economy of Japan

text: Shareholder activism is rare despite the fact that the corporate law gives shareholders strong powers over managers. Under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, corporate governance reform has been a key initiative to encourage economic growth. In 2012 around 40% of leading Japanese companies had any independent directors while in 2016 most all have begun to appoint independent directors.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The government's liabilities include the second largest public debt of any nation with debt of over one quadrillion yen, or 8,535,340,000,000 in USD. Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has called the situation 'urgent'.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japan's central bank has the second largest foreign-exchange reserves after the People's Republic of China, with over one trillion US Dollars in foreign reserves.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Nemawashi (根回し), or "consensus building", in Japanese culture is an informal process of quietly laying the foundation for some proposed change or project, by talking to the people concerned, gathering support and feedback, and so forth. It is considered an important element in any major change, before any formal steps are taken, and successful "nemawashi" enables changes to be carried out with the consent of all sides.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japanese companies are known for management methods such as "The Toyota Way". Kaizen (改善, Japanese for "improvement") is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers. By improving standardized activities and processes, Kaizen aims to eliminate waste (see Lean manufacturing). Kaizen was first implemented in several Japanese businesses during the country's recovery after World War II, including Toyota, and has since spread to businesses throughout the world. Within certain value systems, it is ironic that Japanese workers labor amongst the most hours per day, even though kaizen is supposed to improve all aspects of life. According to the OECD, annual hours worked per employee is below the OECD average and in the middle among G7 countries.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Some companies have powerful enterprise unions and "shuntō". The Nenko System or Nenko Joretsu, as it is called in Japan, is the Japanese system of promoting an employee based on his or her proximity to retirement. The advantage of the system is that it allows older employees to achieve a higher salary level before retirement and it usually brings more experience to the executive ranks. The disadvantage of the system is that it does not allow new talent to be combined with experience and those with specialized skills cannot be promoted to the already crowded executive ranks. It also does not guarantee or even attempt to bring the "right person for the right job".


title: Economy of Japan

text: Relationships between government bureaucrats and companies are often close. is the institutionalised practice where Japanese senior bureaucrats retire to high-profile positions in the private and public sectors. The practice is increasingly viewed as corrupt and a limitation on efforts to reduce ties between the private sector and the state that prevent economic and political reforms. Lifetime employment ("shūshin koyō") and seniority-based career advancement have been common in the Japanese work environment. Japan has begun to gradually move away from some of these norms.


title: Economy of Japan

text: An office lady, often abbreviated OL (Japanese: オーエル "Ōeru"), is a female office worker in Japan who performs generally pink collar tasks such as serving tea and secretarial or clerical work. Like many unmarried Japanese, OLs often live with their parents well into early adulthood. Office ladies are usually full-time permanent staff, although the jobs they do usually have little opportunity for promotion, and there is usually the tacit expectation that they leave their jobs once they get married.


title: Economy of Japan

text: , which can be translated quite literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress.


title: Economy of Japan

text: , (sometimes also translated as "corporate bouncers", "meeting-men", or "corporate blackmailers") are a form of specialized racketeer unique to Japan, and often associated with the yakuza that extort money from or blackmail companies by threatening to publicly humiliate companies and their management, usually in their . is a Japanese term for moneylender, or loan shark. It is a contraction of the Japanese words for salaryman and cash. Around 14 million people, or 10% of the Japanese population, have borrowed from a "sarakin". In total, there are about 10,000 firms (down from 30,000 a decade ago); however, the top seven firms make up 70% of the market. The value of outstanding loans totals 100 billion. The biggest "sarakin" are publicly traded and often allied with big banks.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The first "Western-style" department store in Japan was Mitsukoshi, founded in 1904, which has its root as a kimono store called Echigoya from 1673. When the roots are considered, however, Matsuzakaya has an even longer history, dated from 1611. The kimono store changed to a department store in 1910. In 1924, Matsuzakaya store in Ginza allowed street shoes to be worn indoors, something innovative at the time. These former kimono shop department stores dominated the market in its earlier history. They sold, or rather displayed, luxurious products, which contributed for their sophisticated atmospheres. Another origin of Japanese department store is that from railway company. There have been many private railway operators in the nation, and from the 1920s, they started to build department stores directly linked to their lines' termini. Seibu and Hankyu are the typical examples of this type. From the 1980s onwards, Japanese department stores face fierce competition from supermarkets and convenience stores, gradually losing their presences. Still, "depāto" are bastions of several aspects of cultural conservatism in the country. Gift certificates for prestigious department stores are frequently given as formal presents in Japan. Department stores in Japan generally offer a wide range of services and can include foreign exchange, travel reservations, ticket sales for local concerts and other events.


title: Economy of Japan

text: A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. It is a type of business group. The prototypical "keiretsu" appeared in Japan during the "economic miracle" following World War II. Before Japan's surrender, Japanese industry was controlled by large family-controlled vertical monopolies called "zaibatsu". The Allies dismantled the "zaibatsu" in the late 1940s, but the companies formed from the dismantling of the "zaibatsu" were reintegrated. The dispersed corporations were re-interlinked through share purchases to form horizontally integrated alliances across many industries. Where possible, "keiretsu" companies would also supply one another, making the alliances vertically integrated as well. In this period, official government policy promoted the creation of robust trade corporations that could withstand pressures from intensified world trade competition.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The major "keiretsu" were each centered on one bank, which lent money to the "keiretsu's" member companies and held equity positions in the companies. Each central bank had great control over the companies in the "keiretsu" and acted as a monitoring entity and as an emergency bail-out entity. One effect of this structure was to minimize the presence of hostile takeovers in Japan, because no entities could challenge the power of the banks.


title: Economy of Japan

text: There are two types of "keiretsu": vertical and horizontal. Vertical "keiretsu" illustrates the organization and relationships within a company (for example all factors of production of a certain product are connected), while a horizontal "keiretsu" shows relationships between entities and industries, normally centered on a bank and trading company. Both are complexly woven together and sustain each other.


title: Economy of Japan

text: The Japanese recession in the 1990s had profound effects on the keiretsu. Many of the largest banks were hit hard by bad loan portfolios and forced to merge or go out of business. This had the effect of blurring the lines between the keiretsu: Sumitomo Bank and Mitsui Bank, for instance, became Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in 2001, while Sanwa Bank (the banker for the Hankyu-Toho Group) became part of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, now known as MUFG Bank. Additionally, many companies from outside the keiretsu system, such as Sony, began outperforming their counterparts within the system.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Generally, these causes gave rise to a strong notion in the business community that the old keiretsu system was not an effective business model, and led to an overall loosening of keiretsu alliances. While the keiretsu still exist, they are not as centralized or integrated as they were before the 1990s. This, in turn, has led to a growing corporate acquisition industry in Japan, as companies are no longer able to be easily "bailed out" by their banks, as well as rising derivative litigation by more independent shareholders.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Japanese companies have been involved in 50,759 deals between 1985 and 2018. This cumulates to a total value of 2,636 bil. USD which translates to 281,469.9 bil. YEN. In the year 1999 there was an all-time high in terms of value of deals with almost 220 bil. USD. The most active year so far was 2017 with over 3,150 deals, but only a total value of 114 bil. USD (see graph "M&A in Japan by number and value").


title: Economy of Japan

text: Among the top 50 deals by value, 92% of the time the acquiring nation is Japan. Foreign direct investment is playing a much smaller role than national M&A in Japan.


title: Economy of Japan

text: Agriculture – Products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish


title: Economy of Japan

text: Imports – Commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)


title: Economy of Japan

text: "Japanese Yen per US$1" – 88.67 (2010), 93.57 (2009), 103.58 (2008), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 109.69 (2005), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001), 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995)


title: Bruges

text: Bruges ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.


title: Bruges

text: The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares (138.4 km; 53.44 sq miles), including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (from , meaning 'Bruges by the Sea'). The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval in shape and about 430 hectares in size. The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of whom around 20,000 live in the city centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008.


title: Bruges

text: Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam and St Petersburg, it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North. Bruges has a significant economic importance, thanks to its port, and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities. Bruges is a major tourism destination within Belgium, and is well known as the seat of the College of Europe, a university institute for European studies.


title: Bruges

text: The earliest mention of the location's name is as , or in AD 840–875. Afterwards, it appears as and (892); as (late ninth century); as (); as (1012); as in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1037); as (1046); as in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1049–1052); as (1072); as (1080–1085); as (); as (1089); and as (1116).


title: Bruges

text: The name probably derives from the Old Dutch for 'bridge': . Also compare Middle Dutch , (or , , , ), and modern Dutch ('bridgehead') and ('bridge'). The form would be a southern Dutch variant. The Dutch word and the English "bridge" both derive from Proto-Germanic .


title: Bruges

text: Bruges was a location of coastal settlement during prehistory. This Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement is unrelated to medieval city development. In the Bruges area, the first fortifications were built after Julius Caesar's conquest of the Menapii in the first century BC, to protect the coastal area against pirates. The Franks took over the whole region from the Gallo-Romans around the fourth century and administered it as the "Pagus Flandrensis". The Viking incursions of the ninth century prompted Count Baldwin I of Flanders to reinforce the Roman fortifications; trade soon resumed with England and Scandinavia. Early medieval habitation starts in the ninth and tenth century on the Burgh terrain, probably with a fortified settlement and church.


title: Bruges

text: In 1089, Bruges became the capital of the County of Flanders. Bruges received its city charter on 27 July 1128, and new walls and canals were built. By the 12th century, the city had gained an autonomous administration. Het Zwin (Golden Inlet), the tidal inlet of Bruges, was crucial to the development of local commerce. Since about 1050, gradual silting had caused the city to lose its direct access to the sea. A storm in 1134, however, re-established this access, through the creation of a natural channel at the Zwin. The new sea arm stretched all the way to Damme, a city that became the commercial outpost for Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges had a strategic location at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic League trade and the southern trade routes. Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish and French cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century, but when the old system of fairs broke down the entrepreneurs of Bruges innovated. They developed, or borrowed from Italy, new forms of merchant capitalism, whereby several merchants would share the risks and profits and pool their knowledge of markets. They employed new forms of economic exchange, including bills of exchange (i.e. promissory notes) and letters of credit. The city eagerly welcomed foreign traders, most notably the Portuguese traders selling pepper and other spices.


title: Bruges

text: With the reawakening of town life in the twelfth century, a wool market, a woollens weaving industry, and the market for cloth all profited from the shelter of city walls, where surpluses could be safely accumulated under the patronage of the counts of Flanders. The city's entrepreneurs reached out to make economic colonies of England and Scotland's wool-producing districts. English contacts brought Normandy grain and Gascon wines. Hanseatic ships filled the harbor, which had to be expanded beyond Damme to Sluys to accommodate the new cog-ships.


title: Bruges

text: In 1277, the first merchant fleet from the Republic of Genoa appeared in the port of Bruges, first of the merchant colony that made Bruges the main link to the trade of the Mediterranean. This development opened not only the trade in spices from the Levant, but also advanced commercial and financial techniques and a flood of capital that soon took over the banking of Bruges. The building that the Genoese Republic housed its commercial representation in the city still survives, now housing the Frietmuseum.


title: Bruges

text: The Bourse opened in 1309 (most likely the first stock exchange in the world) and developed into the most sophisticated money market of the Low Countries in the 14th century. By the time Venetian galleys first appeared, in 1314, they were latecomers. Numerous foreign merchants were welcomed in Bruges, such as the Castilian wool merchants who first arrived in the 13th century. After the Castilian wool monopoly ended, the Basques, many hailing from Bilbao (Biscay), thrived as merchants (wool, iron commodities, etc.) and established their own commercial consulate in Bruges by the mid-15th century. The foreign merchants expanded the city's trading zones. They maintained separate communities governed by their own laws until the economic collapse after 1700.


title: Bruges

text: Such wealth gave rise to social upheavals, which were for the most part harshly contained by the militia. In 1302, however, after the Bruges Matins (the night-time massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by the members of the local Flemish militia on 18 May 1302), the population joined forces with the Count of Flanders against the French, culminating in the victory at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, fought near Kortrijk on 11 July. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, the leaders of the uprising, can still be seen on the Big Market square. The city maintained a militia as a permanent paramilitary body. It gained flexibility and high prestige by close ties to a guild of organized militia, comprising professionals and specialized units. Militia men bought and maintained their own weapons and armour, according to their family status and wealth. Later, Bruges would be consumed in the Flemish revolts that occurred around the County of Flanders between 1323 and 1328.


title: Bruges

text: At the end of the 14th century, Bruges became one of the Four Members, along with Brugse Vrije, Ghent and Ypres. Together they formed a parliament; however, they frequently quarrelled amongst themselves.


title: Bruges

text: In the 15th century, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, set up court in Bruges, as well as Brussels and Lille, attracting a number of artists, bankers, and other prominent personalities from all over Europe. The weavers and spinners of Bruges were thought to be the best in the world, and the population of Bruges grew to at least 125,000 and perhaps up to 200,000 inhabitants at this time around 1400 AD.


title: Bruges

text: The new oil-painting techniques of the Flemish school gained world renown. The first book in English ever printed was published in Bruges by William Caxton. Edward IV and Richard III of England were then living in exile in Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: Starting around 1500, the Zwin channel, (the Golden Inlet) which had given the city its prosperity, began silting up and the Golden Era ended. The city soon fell behind Antwerp as the economic flagship of the Low Countries. During the 17th century, the lace industry took off, and various efforts to bring back the glorious past were made. During the 1650s, the city was the base for Charles II of England and his court in exile. The maritime infrastructure was modernized, and new connections with the sea were built, but without much success, as Antwerp became increasingly dominant. Bruges became impoverished and gradually faded in importance; its population dwindling from 200,000 to 50,000 by 1900.


title: Bruges

text: The symbolist novelist George Rodenbach made the city into a character in his novel "Bruges-la-Morte", meaning "Bruges-the-dead", which was adapted into Erich Wolfgang Korngold's opera, "Die tote Stadt" (The Dead City).


title: Bruges

text: In the second half of the 19th century, Bruges became one of the world's first tourist destinations, attracting wealthy British and French tourists. By 1909, the 'Bruges Forward: Society to Improve Tourist' association had come into operation.


title: Bruges

text: In World War I, German forces occupied Bruges. However, the city suffered virtually no damage and was liberated on 19 October 1918 by the Allies. The city was occupied by the Germans from 1940 during World War II and was again spared destruction. On 12 September 1944, it was liberated by the 12th Manitoba Dragoons' Canadian troops. The liberation of the city was facilitated by the bridge, now known as the , connecting the outer municipalities with the city centre.


title: Bruges

text: After 1965, the original medieval city experienced a "renaissance". Restorations of residential and commercial structures, historic monuments, and churches generated a surge in tourism and economic activity in the downtown area. International tourism has boomed, and new efforts resulted in Bruges being designated European Capital of Culture in 2002. It attracts some eight million tourists annually.


title: Bruges

text: The port of Zeebrugge was built in 1907. The Germans used it for their U-boats in World War I. It was greatly expanded in the 1970s and early 1980s and has become one of Europe's most important and modern ports.


title: Bruges

text: The medieval architecture in Bruges is mostly intact, making it one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. The "Historic Centre of Bruges" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Its medieval buildings include the Church of Our Lady, whose brick spire reaches , making it the world's second-highest brick tower/building. The sculpture "Madonna and Child", which can be seen in the transept, is believed to be the only of Michelangelo's sculptures to have left Italy within his lifetime.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges' best known landmark is the Belfry of Bruges, a 13th-century belfry housing a municipal carillon comprising 47 bells. The Belfry of Bruges, independent of the previously mentioned UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bruges, is included on the World Heritage Site of Belfries of Belgium and France. The city still employs a full-time carillonneur, who gives free concerts on a regular basis.


title: Bruges

text: In addition to the "Historic Centre of Bruges" and the tower included in the "Belfries of Belgium and France", Bruges is also home to a third UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Ten Wijngaerde Béguinage, a beguinage built in the 13th century, is included in the World Heritage Site of "Flemish Béguinages".


title: Bruges

text: Bruges is known for its lace, a textile technique. Moreover, the city and its lace would go on to inspire the "Thread Routes" film series, the second episode of which, shot in 2011, was partly set in Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: Several beers are named after the city, such as "Brugge Blond", "Brugge Tripel", "Brugs", "Brugse Babbelaar", "Brugse Straffe Hendrik", and "Brugse Zot". However, only the latter two—"Brugse Zot" and "Brugse Straffe Hendrik"–are brewed in the city itself, in the De Halve Maan Brewery.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges is home to many museums. Its art museums include the Arents House, as well as the Groeningemuseum, which has an extensive collection of medieval and early modern art. Members of the 15th century Early Netherlandish school of painters are represented, including works by Jan van Eyck. Van Eyck, as well as Hans Memling, lived and worked in Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: The preserved old city gateways: the "Kruispoort", the "Gentpoort", the "Smedenpoort" and the "Ezelpoort". The "Dampoort", the "Katelijnepoort" and the "Boeveriepoort" are gone.


title: Bruges

text: The Old St. John's Hospital (Hans Memling museum) and Our Lady of the Potteries are Hospital museums. The city is known for "Bruggemuseum" ("Bruges Museum"), the general name for a group of 11 different historical museums in the city, including:


title: Bruges

text: Bruges' non-municipal museums include the Brewery Museum, "Hof Bladelin", Choco-Story (chocolate museum), "Lumina Domestica" (lamp museum), Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí, Diamond Museum, Frietmuseum (museum dedicated to Belgian fries), Historium (museum of the medieval history of Bruges), Lace centre, St. George's Archers Guild, St. Sebastian's Archers’ Guild, St. Trudo Abbey, and the Public Observatory Beisbroek.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges, the patron saint of which is Andrew the Apostle, is also known for its religious landmarks. The Basilica of the Holy Blood (), in particular, houses the relic of the Holy Blood, which was brought to the city after the Second Crusade by Thierry of Alsace, and is paraded every year through the streets of the city. More than 1,600 inhabitants take part in this mile-long religious procession, many dressed as medieval knights or crusaders.


title: Bruges

text: Other religious landmarks and museums include the Church of Our Lady, English Convent, Jerusalem Church, Saint Salvator's Cathedral, St. Trudo's Abbey, Ten Wijngaerde Béguinage (), and Ter Doest Abbey () in Lissewege.


title: Bruges

text: Driving within the 'egg', the historical centre enclosed by the main circle of canals in Bruges, is discouraged by traffic management schemes, including a network of one-way streets. The system encourages the use of set routes leading to central car parks and direct exit routes. The car parks are convenient for the central commercial and tourist areas; they are not expensive.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges' main railway station is the focus of lines to the Belgian coast. It also provides at least hourly trains to all other major cities in Belgium, as well as to Lille, France. Further there are several regional and local trains.


title: Bruges

text: Bus links to the centre are frequent, though the railway station is just a 10-minute walk from the main shopping streets and a 20-minute walk from the Market Square.


title: Bruges

text: Plans for a north–south light rail connection through Bruges, from Zeebrugge to Lichtervelde, and a light rail connection between Bruges and Ostend are under construction.


title: Bruges

text: The national Brussels Airport, one hour away by train or car, offers the best connections. The nearest airport is the Ostend-Bruges International Airport in Ostend (around from the city centre of Bruges), but it offers limited passenger transport and connections. Recently there also started a direct bus line from Brussels South Charleroi Airport to Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges has an extensive web of bus lines, operated by "De Lijn", providing access to the city centre and the suburbs (city lines, ) and to many towns and villages in the region around the city (regional lines, ).


title: Bruges

text: In support of the municipal (see "Road" above), free public transport is available for those who park their cars in the main railway station car park.


title: Bruges

text: Cars are required to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Plans have long been under way to ban cars altogether from the historic center of Bruges or to restrict traffic much more than it currently is, but these plans have yet to come to fruition. In 2005, signs were changed for the convenience of cyclists, allowing two-way cycle traffic on more streets; however, car traffic has not decreased. Nevertheless, in common with many cities in the region, there are thousands of cyclists in the city of Bruges.


title: Bruges

text: On 6 March 1987, the British ferry MS "Herald of Free Enterprise" capsized after leaving the port, killing 187 people, in the worst disaster involving a British civilian vessel since 1919; it had set sail with its bow door open. The Herald of Free Enterprise was a passenger ship bound for the Port of Dover in Kent. Most of the occupants had taken advantage of a newspaper promotion offering a £1 return trip from Dover to Zeebrugge.


title: Bruges

text: Between 1998 and 2016, Bruges hosted the start of the annual "Tour of Flanders" cycle race, held in April and one of the biggest sporting events in Belgium.


title: Bruges

text: Football is also popular in Bruges; the city hosts two professional football teams, both of which play at the top level (Belgian First Division) Club Brugge K.V. are the current national champions, while the second team, Cercle Brugge K.S.V., was recently promoted to the first tier. Both teams play their home games at the Jan Breydel Stadium (30,000 seats) in Sint-Andries. There are plans for a new stadium for Club Brugge with about 45,000 seats in the north of the city, while the city council would renovate and reduce the capacity of the Jan Breydel Stadium for Cercle Brugge.


title: Bruges

text: In 2000, Bruges was one of the eight host cities for the UEFA European Football Championship, co-hosted by Belgium and its neighbour the Netherlands.


title: Bruges

text: Bruges is a centre for education in West Flanders. Next to the several common primary and secondary schools, there are a few colleges, like the VIVES (a fusion of the former KHBO (Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Oostende) and the KATHO (katholieke hogeschool) or the HOWEST ("Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen") and Sint-Leocollege. Furthermore, the city is home to the College of Europe, a prestigious institution of postgraduate studies in European Economics, Law and Politics, and of the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), a Research and Training Institute of the United Nations University specialising in the comparative study of regional integration.


title: Bruges

text: On principle, Bruges has to date never entered into close collaboration with twin cities. Without denying the usefulness of these schemes for towns with fewer international contacts, the main reason is that Bruges would find it difficult to choose between cities and thinks that it has enough work already with its many international contacts. Also, it was thought in Bruges that twinning was too often an occasion for city authorities and representatives to travel on public expense.


title: Bruges

text: This principle resulted, in the 1950s, in Bruges refusing a "jumelage" with Nice and other towns, signed by a Belgian ambassador without previous consultation. In the 1970s, a Belgian consul in Oldenburg made the mayor of Bruges sign a "declaration of friendship" which he tried to present, in vain, as a "jumelage".


title: Bruges

text: This does not mean that Bruges would not be interested in cooperation with others, as well in the short term as in the long run, for particular projects. Here follow a few examples.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by Timo Vuorensola (in his American debut) and written by Jake Seal and Sean-Michael Argo. The film is intended to serve as a sequel to Victor Salva's "Jeepers Creepers" trilogy, while setting up a new trilogy. Starring Sydney Craven and Imran Adams, with "special appearances" from Dee Wallace and Gary Graham, it was released worldwide by Screen Media Films (alongside 101 Films in the UK) on September 19, 2022, and was panned by critics. The film was the subject of a lawsuit by Myriad Pictures, who claim to having still owned the rights after producing the previous two films, and were not notified of the film's production.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: The Horror Hound festival is being held for the first time in Louisiana. Among the attendees are Chase and his girlfriend Laine, who begins to experience unexplained premonitions and disturbing visions associated with the town's past and the Creeper.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: An international co-production film between the United Kingdom, United States and Finland. Principal photography commenced for three days in Jackson, Louisiana, on location and at Orwo Studios. Soon after, the production was moved to the United Kingdom. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming in the UK was split into two parts. The first began on November 23, 2020, at Black Hangar Studios, and finished on December 19. The second took place for eight days between January and February 2021. The film's title was officially confirmed as "Jeepers Creepers: Reborn" in February 2021, when Screen Media Films acquired worldwide distribution rights, after previously releasing "Jeepers Creepers 3" (2017). At the 2021 European Film Market, Foresight Unlimited showed a promotional reel of footage for international sales.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: "Jeepers Creepers: Reborn" was released in select theaters in the United States from September 19 to September 21, 2022, by Screen Media Films, in partnership with Fathom Events. Screen Media also holds worldwide distribution rights, excluding the United Kingdom where 101 Films releases in partnership with Foresight Unlimited (owned by Screen Media) and released via video-on-demand and home media physical release.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: In March 16, 2021, Myriad Pictures, the production company behind "Jeepers Creepers 2" (2003) and "Jeepers Creepers 3", filed a property fraud lawsuit against Infinity Films Holdings, one of the film's production companies, for producing the film without Myriad's "knowledge or involvement" and selling the distribution rights to Screen Media Films.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: Critical response to "Jeepers Creepers: Reborn" has been almost universally negative, with critics and fans panning the film's production values, lack of scares, and performances.


title: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

text: Phil Hoad of "The Guardian" called the film a "shoddy, aesthetically ugly reboot", criticizing the film's poorly-written script and unconvincing production values. "The Sydney Morning Herald"s Paul Byrnes echoed Hoad's sentiment, noting the poor performances and complete lack of tension severely damaged the overall film, calling the film vastly inferior to the previous entries in the franchise. Joel Harley from "Starburst Magazine" rated the film two out of ten stars, calling it "dull and forgettable", further calling attention to the low production values and predictable script.


title: James Nesbitt

text: From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical "Up on the Roof" (1987, 1989) to the political drama "Paddywack" (1994). He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O'Donnell in "Hear My Song" (1991). He got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama series "Cold Feet" (1997–2003, 2016–present), which won him a British Comedy Award, a Television and Radio Industries Club Award, and a National Television Award.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt's first significant film role came when he appeared as pig farmer "Pig" Finn in "Waking Ned" (1998). With the rest of the starring cast, he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In "Lucky Break" (2001), he made his debut as a film lead, playing prisoner Jimmy Hands. The next year, he played Ivan Cooper in the television film "Bloody Sunday", about the 1972 shootings in Derry. A departure from his previous "cheeky chappie" roles, the film was a turning point in his career. He won a British Independent Film Award and was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt has also starred in "Murphy's Law" (2001–2007) as undercover detective Tommy Murphy, a role that was created for him by writer Colin Bateman. The role twice gained Nesbitt Best Actor nominations at the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA). In 2007, he starred in the dual role of Tom Jackman and Mr Hyde in Steven Moffat's "Jekyll", which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination in 2008. Nesbitt has since appeared in several more dramatic roles; he starred alongside Liam Neeson in "Five Minutes of Heaven" (2009), and was one of three lead actors in the television miniseries "Occupation" (2009). He also starred in the movies "Outcast" (2010) and "The Way" (2010). He portrayed Bofur in "The Hobbit" film series (2012–2014). In 2014, Nesbitt starred as Tony Hughes in the acclaimed BBC One drama series "The Missing".


title: James Nesbitt

text: William James Nesbitt was born on 15 January 1965 in Ballymena, County Antrim. His father, James "Jim" Nesbitt, was the headmaster of the primary school in Lisnamurrican (near Broughshane), while his mother, May Nesbitt, was a civil servant. He has three older sisters named Margaret, Kathryn, and Andrea, all of whom eventually became teachers. The family lived in the house adjoining the one-room school where Nesbitt was one of 32 pupils taught by his father, while the other pupils were all farmers' children. He grew up "completely" around women and spent a lot of time alone, "kicking a ball against a wall". He had ambitions to play football for Manchester United or to become a teacher like his father. His parents were Protestants, and Lisnamurrican was in "Paisley country". The family spent Sunday evenings singing hymns around the piano. Jim marched in the Ballymena Young Conquerors flute band and Nesbitt joined him playing the flute. After the Drumcree conflicts, they stopped marching with the band. The family's residence in the countryside left them largely unaffected by the Troubles, although Nesbitt, his father, and one of his sisters narrowly escaped a car bomb explosion outside Ballymena County Hall in the early 1970s.


title: James Nesbitt

text: When Nesbitt was 11 years old, the family moved to Coleraine, County Londonderry, where May worked for the Housing Executive. He completed his primary education at Blagh primary school, then moved on to Coleraine Academical Institution (CAI). In 1978, when he was 13, his parents took him to audition for the Riverside Theatre's Christmas production of "Oliver!" Nesbitt sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the audition and won the part of the Artful Dodger in his acting debut. He continued to act and sing with Riverside until he was 16, and appeared at festivals and as an extra in "Play For Today: The Cry" (1984). He got his Equity card when the actor playing Jiminy Cricket in "Pinocchio" broke his ankle two days before the performance, and Nesbitt stepped in to take his place. Acting had not initially appealed to him, but he "felt a light go on" after he saw the film "The Winslow Boy" (1948). When he was 15, he got his first paid job as a bingo caller at Barry's Amusements in Portrush. He was paid £1 per hour for the summer job and would also, on occasions, work as the brake man on the big dipper attraction.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt left CAI at the age of 18 and began a degree in French at Ulster Polytechnic (now Ulster University) in Jordanstown. He stayed for a year before leaving. In a 1999 interview, he said, "I had the necessary in my head, but I just couldn't be bothered. Being 18 is the worst age to expect people to learn things. There are other things to be bothered with, like girls and football." He made the decision to leave one morning when he was trying to write an overdue essay on existentialism in "Les Mains Sales" at 4 a.m. His father suggested that he should move to England if he wanted to continue acting, so Nesbitt enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD). He felt lost and misrepresented when he first arrived in London, because of his Northern Irish background: "When I first came to drama school I was a Paddy the minute I walked in. And I remember going to drama school and them all saying to me, 'Aww, yeah, Brits out,' and I was like 'It's a wee bit more complicated than that, you know.'" He graduated in 1987, at the age of 22.