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A comment on Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations.

Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by raverbashing on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @03:58AM (#11578568)
10 yrs of recession, or is it 20 yrs already?

Failure to compete in high-tech areas (when was the last time you got a mobile phone made in Japan)

Which is funny because Japan was very strong in the modern days of computing and videogames. What happened? My guess is that software got more complex and their vertical way of working is not productive for the complexity expected today

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Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by icelancer on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @04:04AM (#11578579)
Japan has SERIOUS issues with NIH syndrome. They were on the cutting edge of technology when they led it. Not so much when it would require adoption from American and Chinese suppliers and service exporters.
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Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by _delirium on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @05:37AM (#11578924)
There's a significant U.S.-Japan language gap as well, which tends to work to the disadvantage of whichever side is not currently ahead technologically. Very few American engineers read Japanese-language journals or trade press, and very few (though somewhat rising) Japanese engineers read English-language journals or trade press.
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Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by adrianN on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @05:21AM (#11578861)
GDP per capita hasn't changed all that much since the late 90's. I wouldn't call that a recession.
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Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by tonyedgecombe on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @06:22AM (#11579151)
Unemployment has remained very low as well, considering their demographic changes Japan is doing quite well.
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Re:Japan's Growing Poverty Defies Glib Explanations by jazzyk on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:21AM (#11580636)
Yes, but low unemployment comes at a price.

Most domestic companies are shielded from competition, and can employ many more people than they should. These companies are backed by the central bank (BoJ), which has been printing money left and right, and now owns more than half of the nation’s market for exchange-traded stock funds[1].

[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-28/owning-hal...

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