Eiichi Shibusawa did not believe his eyes

Eiichi Shibusawa did not believe his eyes. The father of Japanese capitalism, founder in the 19th century of some 500 businesses, could not accept that in the last quarter of 2008 the Japanese economy declined three times over that of the US. On an annualized basis, the Japan GDP contracted 12.7 compared to 3.8 for the United States. What fragility can produce such effects

It is first strategy of enterprises in recent years which led to the impasse. Force to relocate its production in China, Japan Inc. has, since the end of the 1990s, amended its export flows to develop into provider materials, high-end components and semi-finished products shipped in areas with low wage costs that ensure the Assembly and shipment to the final recipient.

To work around the lack of dynamism of the internal market, the Toyota, Sony and other Toshiba had choice but to turn at the Walnut export. The United States and China are virtually tied as first commercial opportunities of the Japan. At these two, they consumed, the last year, more than 35 of the exports of the archipelago.

In addition, enjoying an advantage of real exchange, Japanese firms have embarked in a race to unprecedented volumes. Without taking care to a possible reversal of the market. This is precisely the reading of the results of the last quarter, where external demand dried up, exports plunge of 13.9. The adjustment is that most brutal. Even restructure, industry take advantage of the crisis to surréagir and clean up their balance sheets to be prepared the day where growth will return. The phenomenon is particularly net in the car, where stocks were beginning to accumulate. It is less in consumer electronics, although 27 plant closure announced by Panasonic good questions. The group, which is buying Sanyo, may be, under the pretext of crisis management, attempted to eliminate duplicates and therefore to close some facilities in this context.

Political leaders bear a large share of responsibility for the stagnation in which they maintain the country and that consumes small firearms. They had constantly, since the departure of Junichiro Koizumi in 2006, to put a systematic snuffer on all the reforms launched by the Prime Minister out of standards since 2001. Until the reform of the post, its flagship project, which is challenged by the current Prime Minister, Taro Aso. Stagnation was accentuated by the bureaucrats, real power conceals the archipelago.

The Ministry of finance is often shown the finger for refusing to take the Government fiscal reforms. The site of the relaunch of the consumption tax could not be opened. Similarly to the consolidation of the industries never occurred.

In distribution, the air or the pharmacy, the authorities have never given the impetus towards a group of entities. No more that they have really helped in the funding of the economy by improving access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises, which provide 70 of employment.

If the industrial groups have sinned focusing too abroad at the expense of the internal market, policies do nothing helped. The observation of failure now is scathing and will be very expensive in the country. Because companies, trapped by the fall of export, all fell into the red in the third quarter, as a result, it is true, solid food. Worse, they have announced massive layoff plans, affecting more than 100,000 people for only large companies. Temporary workers, or one-third of the active population, are in the front line and lose at the same time that their job well often their housing, loaned by the company. The unemployment rate continues to climb. After 3.9 to 4.4 in the last quarter, it approximates its record for 2002 (5.5). Household confidence is low and consumption do not again. Policies, they have lost their credibility. Less than six months after the beginning of his mandate, the Prime Minister, Taro Aso, sees popularity fall under the... 10. The Liberal Democratic Party that he leads is spent fifty years in power almost continuously.

With the crisis, it is the break that.

Companies such as NEC began to relocate to notably reduce their cycle of production and transportation costs. For many, the political alternation may occur this summer with the parliamentary elections. What allow the archipelago from more later to a good start. When growth will be returned. Then Eiichi Shibusawa may again be happy.