Japan has unusual people, and an unusual economy !

Japan is one of the most 

unusual places in the world.

Both the people,

and the economy.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

hit Japan in 2011.

People sat quietly outside 

their demolished homes 

waiting for the authorities 

to tell them what to do, 

with no apparent fear, while 

nearby nuclear reactors 

were melting down !

No panic.

No looting.

There are contradictions:

Tokyo streets are clean.

Yet women are 

routinely groped 

on crowded subways !

Many adults love cartoons 

and animated mascots.

Yet used panties are sold 

in vending machines !

Consider this 

true story:

-- November 14, 2017 

-- Japan Railways train #5255 

left Minami Nagareyama Station, 

on the outskirts of Tokyo,

at 20 seconds past 9:44am

-- It was scheduled to leave 

the station at 40 seconds 

past 9:44am. ( meaning the train 

left 20 seconds early )

-- The 20 second early 

departure led to a train 

company investigation !

-- The CEO issued 

a formal apology, 

explaining what steps 

the company was taking

to ensure this would not

happen again !

In addition 

to the trains

running on time, 

Japan is wealthy, 

but the economy 

has been stagnant 

for decades.

Japan’s main 

stock index, 

the Nikkei 225, 

is now 

around 21,000

-- a level it 

first exceeded 

in March 1987 !

Meaning the 

Nikkei 225 index 

has gone nowhere 

for three decades !

There’s minimal 

entrepreneurship

in Japan, and much

conformity.

Suicide among 

young workers reached 

a 30-year high in 2018.

Japan's central

government debt 

burden is the highest 

in the world, as a 

percentage of GDP,

at more than double 

their annual GDP

( GDP is the annual production

of goods and services )

Last year, it took 95% of 

government tax revenues 

to service the debt

and pay for their national

Social Security system. 

So only 5% of tax revenues 

were left for all other 

government spending.

That means the government 

has to keep borrowing.

The central bank "helped" 

by pushing interest rates down 

to NEGATIVE levels

( a negative -0.1% current yield 

on the Japanese 10-year 

government bond recently ).

Yet even at -0.1%,

and world record debt

as a % of GDP,

the government can 

borrow more money !

Major corporations, 

commercial banks,

individual investors,

and the central bank,

buy the bonds, which

are currently priced

to provide a small loss

at maturity,

and that loyalty keeps 

the government

"in business".

Japan is the only nation

where grossly excessive 

government borrowing hasn't 

destroyed the economy

... so far.

But ...

one problem is getting worse:

Japan's population is the oldest 

in the world, with the highest 

percentage of people over 

the age 65, and the longest 

life expectancy.

More adult diapers are sold

than baby diapers !

Most nations would react 

to those demographics

by encouraging immigrants

to move in -- but the Japanese

people do not want outsiders.

An investment banker I knew

worked in Japan for a few 

years, and married the 

Japanese translator

for the Sony CEO. 

He was tall, muscular,

had (real) blond hair, 

and understood the

Japanese language.

He told us that Japanese

people often made rude

comments about him,

assuming he would not

understand them, 

such as calling him 

a "barbarian", because 

of how he looked to them.

Japan's economy, 

and people,

are very unusual.