Ep. 366: Mikihiro Matsuoka on Japan's Inflation, BOJ Policy Shifts, and the Weak Yen Challenge

Matsuoka-San is the Chief Economist of SBI Securities in Japan. Before that, he was the Chief Economist for Japan at Deutsche Bank. Overall, he has been involved in macroeconomic analysis at research institutions and financial institutions for the past 30 years. He is known to be one of the leading Japan economists with unique insights on structural issues. Over the years, he has been highly ranked in numerous surveys, including the Institutional Investor survey. In this podcast, we discuss:

1. The "Inconvenient Mix" of Inflation
2. Japan's Real Neutral Interest Rate
3. The Case for Nominal GDP Targeting
4. Consumption Tax: Regressive Relief?
5. Wage Growth Divergence
6. The Working Hours Trap
7. Fiscal Dominance and Vulnerability
8. The Enigma of Yen Weakness
9. Work-from-Home and Birth Rates
10. Erosion of the US Dollar's Premium
11. The AI/Semiconductor "Vertical Jump"
12. US vs. Japan: Labour Participation Trends