Contemporary Japan’s Economy
OBJECTIVE:
1. Analyze various data sources to describe the state of Japan’s economy
2. Propose specific economic policies to stimulate economic growth.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Read this background article on Japan’s economy
2. Analyze the documents below using the organizer
3. On Google Classroom, answer the following question using support from the documents: What are thechallenges and opportunities facing Japan’s economy today? What policies should the government enact to help
the economy?
DOCUMENT A SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Economist Magazine

In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’seconomy, how could thegovernment address it?

1

DOCUMENT B SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Diplomat 2013

Japan has one of the largest gender gaps in the world. The 2013 Global Gender Gap Report by the World
Economic Forum, which captures national gender gaps on economic, political, education, and health-based
criteria, ranked Japan at 105th among 136 countries. 40 percent of women in Japan don’t work, which is amuch higher number than in other developed nations.
Abe’s proposal to implement practices that help close the gender gap includes expanding the eligibility ofwomen to use daycare centers. This will make it easier for women to return to work after childbirth. This,
however, is no easy task and has become a major obstacle to better integrating women in the workplace.
According to Japanese government statistics, the biggest reason women quit their jobs after childbirth isbecause “working hours make child care unfeasible.” 70 percent of Japanese women give up work after they
have their first child.
Currently, there is a shortage of day care spots and the waiting list is more than 25,000 places long. According
to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the waiting list is actually probably closer to 600,000-850,000people. This includes people who have given up waiting, and also those who have moved to private,unsubsidized day care centers which can turn out to be twice as expensive.
In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s economy,
how could the government
address it?

2

DOCUMENT C SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Economist 2014

KAREN KAWABATA represents the best of Japan’s intellectual capital. She has just graduated from theUniversity of Tokyo, the most prestigious in the country. In April she will join McKinsey, a consultancy thatshould give her immediate membership of a globe-trotting elite.
Yet Ms Kawabata sees obstacles in her path. She is acutely aware of the difficulties she would face attraditional Japanese companies, should she find herself joining one. Ferociously long working hours, often
stretching past midnight, are followed by sessions of “nominication”, a play on the Japanese word for
drinking, nomu, and the English word “communication”; these are where young hopefuls forge connections
and build reputations. Nowadays women trying to impress the boss are allowed to drink plum wine mixed
with plenty of soda instead of beer, says Ms Kawabata. But that is hardly a great improvement.
Above all, she worries that having a family will be nigh on impossible to combine with a demanding career.
When she met her boyfriend’s father for the first time this year, she reassured him about her intentions atMcKinsey. “I told him that I would rethink my career in a few years’ time,” she says.
In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

3

DOCUMENT D SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Economist 2014

NOTE: Male unpaid work suggests household chores and caretaking of children.
In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

4

DOCUMENT E SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BUSINESS INSIDER MAGAZINE

In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

5

DOCUMENT F SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Bloomberg

In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

6

DOCUMENT G SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: World Bank (2016)

In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

DOCUMENT H SOURCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION: World Bank (2016)

The term “Abenomics” refers to the policies advocated by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after hisvictory in the elections of 2012. These policies involve three arrows: fiscal stimulus, monetary easing andstructural reforms to boost Japanese competitiveness. Its goal was and is to stimulate the Japanese economy
which has remained stagnant over the last two decades, being characterised by low growth in output andwages as well as deflation. Abe’s structural policies as well as the sharp depreciation of the yen increased thecompetitiveness of the country’s exports resulting to a boost in corporate profits. More specifically, according
to changes in the EPS total corporate profit expectations have increased by approximately 100% since Abe’selection at 2012.
In one sentence what is the main ideaof the document?

What are 2-3 specific details that
support the main idea?

If the document presents achallenge to Japan’s
economy, how could thegovernment address it?

7