Synopses & Reviews
This volumes examines how should Japan cope with its daunting fiscal challenges. As the Japanese economy finally emerges from a long period of weak growth and falling prices burdened by record-high public debt, fiscal adjustment has taken centre stage in the policy agenda and the public debate. Growing demands on the budget from a rapidly ageing society have added urgency to the need to reign in public indebtedness and revamp the pension and healthcare systems. This book combines insights from academic research with the points of view of policymakers to distill key issues that need to inform public debate.
Review
"[T]he book does an excellent job of providing thoughtful analysis of some of the thorniest aspects of Japan's fiscal situation, such as the extent to which the existing debt burden may limit future policy options, the difficulties of achieving a central government surplus given the structure of intergovermental transfers, and the many unknowns plaguing efforts to predict the budgetary consequences of Japan's aging population." —Jennifer H. Dwyer, Hunter College
Synopsis
This book examines how Japan should cope with fiscal challenges, as demands on the budget from an ageing society have necessitated the reigning in of public debt and the revamp of the pension and healthcare systems. It combines insights from academic research with the views of policymakers to distil key issues that need to inform public debate.
Synopsis
This volume explores the main causes and challenges of Japan's fiscal imbalances and key policies and strategies for restoring financial discipline.
About the Author
ANNE O. KRUEGER is First Deputy Managing Director at the IMF. KEIMEI KAIZUKA is President of the Policy Research Institute (Ministry of Finance), and Chuo University, Japan.
Table of Contents
Overview of the Japanese Deficit Question--R.G.Hubbard & T.Ito * Comments on 'Overview of the Japanese Deficit Question'--D.E.Weinstein * Comments on 'Overview of the Japanese Deficit Question'--N.Yoshino * Public Debt and Economic Growth in an Ageing Japan--T.Ihori, R.R.Kato, M.Kawade & S.Bessho * Comments on 'Public Debt and Economic Growth in an Ageing Japan--R.Dekle * Comments on 'Public Debt and Economic Growth in an Ageing Japan--T.Tomita * Medium-term Strategies for Long-term Goals--H.J.Aaron * Comments on 'Medium-term Strategies for Long-term Goals'--H.Ishi * Comments on 'Medium-term Strategies for Long-term Goals'--K.N.Kuttner * Fiscal Decentralization in Japan: Does It Harden the Budgets of Local Governments? E.Tajika & Y.Yui * Comments on 'Fiscal Decentralization in Japan: Does It Harden the Budgets of Local Governments?'--D.Citrin * Comments on 'Fiscal Decentralization in Japan: Does It Harden the Budgets of Local Governments?'--M.Hayashi * Managing Public Costs in the Japanese Health and Nursing Care Sector--Y.Imai & H.Oxley * Managing Social Costs: Challenges in Creating a Cohesive System for Health Care, Pensions, and the Needs of the Elderly--K.Kaizuka * Avoiding a Fiscal/Demographic/Economic Debacle in Japan--L.J.Kotlikoff * Comments on 'Managing Public Costs in the Japanese Health and Nursing Care Sector', 'Managing Social Costs: Challenges in Creating a Cohesive System for Health Care, Pensions, and the Needs of the Elderly' and 'Avoiding a Fiscal/Demographic/Economic Debacle in Japan'--P.S.Heller * Comments on 'Managing Public Costs in the Japanese Health and Nursing Care Sector', 'Managing Social Costs: Challenges in Creating a Cohesive System for Health Care, Pensions, and the Needs of the Elderly' and 'Avoiding a Fiscal/Demographic/Economic Debacle in Japan'--Y.Iwamoto * Concluding Remarks--A.O.Krueger