世界には親心しかない in KOBE

 ** Sometimes, I can't help but think that Japan might be experiencing a stock market bubble. Since the NISA (Nippon Individual Savings Account) system was revamped, even people who had no interest in investing before have started buying stocks. NISA allows individuals to invest without paying taxes under certain conditions. Currently, stocks and investment trusts including stocks are covered. For existing investors, this system is a boon as they no longer have to pay around 20% tax on profits. I think the promotion was very well done, leading many people to start investing using the NISA system. People who previously only saved their money in bank accounts have begun investing in stocks. This isn't a bad thing—in fact, it's quite healthy in times of inflation. But, as with anything, too much is never good. I don't know if there's a similar saying abroad, but in Japan, there's a market proverb that goes, "When housewives start buying stocks, the market will...

The Liberal Democratic Party suffered a major defeat. The resulting political instability may negatively impact the economy. In the short term, populist measures might be implemented to gain public favor, leading to a weaker yen and a subsequent rise in stock prices. However, this will not fundamentally revive the economy. In the longer term, I believe there is room for optimism. Until now, the ruling party has been too strong, holding a majority and implementing policies at will. While a genius leader could potentially improve the entire country, it is unrealistic to expect them to never make mistakes. Policies should be decided after listening to opposing views and engaging in discussions. Although Japan has not been a one-party dictatorship under the Liberal Democratic Party, it has felt close to that. With the ruling party weakened by the recent election, more debates are likely to occur. In the short term, political instability may slow policy implementation and reduce decisivenes...

An economic commentator once said that, in Japan, politicians seem to be in a weaker position compared to the Ministry of Finance. This ministry is reportedly focused solely on increasing tax revenue in the short term. Whether this is true or not, such an approach might be necessary to maintain the value of the Japanese yen. However, if the goal is to increase tax revenue in the long term, it might be necessary to consider temporarily reducing taxes to improve the economy, which in turn could lead to higher tax revenue as the economy recovers. This thought reminded me of the story of Emperor Nintoku. Emperor Nintoku, who ruled Japan from the 4th to 5th century, noticed that there was no smoke rising from the houses of his people, indicating that they could not cook rice. He decided to exempt them from taxes for a while. During this period, the imperial court became impoverished, and they could not repair their buildings. However, the lives of the people gradually improved. When they ha...

 I started a part-time job. In addition to my main job, I work at a warehouse at night. I thought that only people who couldn't work elsewhere would work in a warehouse at night, but that's not the case. Some people are office workers who finish their jobs at 5 PM and then come to work part-time at the warehouse. There are many such people. Due to the rising cost of living, they have to work part-time in addition to their main job. One woman is raising children and comes to work part-time after her husband returns from work. Hearing these stories, I feel that Japan has become quite poor, but on second thought, it's just that the way of working has changed. A generation ago, unpaid overtime was the norm. Working about 16 hours a day was normal. Thanks to that, Japan achieved high economic growth. With stricter laws protecting workers, companies can no longer make employees work long hours. Workers can no longer work long hours at one company, but instead, they have started p...

It seems like it was quite a while ago when monetary easing began with the goal of escaping deflation. Whether it was due to the effects of monetary easing or not, we are currently experiencing inflation. The Bank of Japan still seems unsatisfied and reportedly will not raise interest rates anytime soon. Nevertheless, inflation is severe for ordinary people. When shopping at the supermarket, it feels like prices have increased by about 1.5 to 2 times. I don't know the actual inflation rate, but looking at my household budget, it doesn't seem to be a low figure of just a few percent. AEON, a supermarket listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, used to be popular for its low prices. There were a few cheaper supermarkets, but they were not as favored due to lower quality or poor customer service. However, recently, they have become very popular. Supermarkets like Gyomu Super, operated by Kobe Bussan, are more popular than ever, with long lines at the registers on weekends....