| 回 | 項目 | 内容 |
| 第1回 | Course introduction and information for students | Overview of the course. Explanation about the textbook, grading, and participation. Self-introduction of the instructor and students. |
| 第2回 | Japan in the World Today - current status of the Japanese economy | Statistical facts about the Japanese economy: life expectancy, natural disaster, criminal records, demography, growth rate and per capita GDP. |
| 第3回 | Understanding the Japanese economic history - The High Growth Epoch (1) | The lecture focuses on the High-Speed Growth Period of 1960-1973 (高度経済成長期).
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. What are the factors, exogenous and endogenous, for the high growth? Can they be repeated in other times and in other regions of the world? |
| 第4回 | Understanding the Japanese economic history - The High Growth Epoch (2) | The lecture focuses on the High-Speed Growth Period of 1960-1973 (高度経済成長期).
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. What are the factors, exogenous and endogenous, for the high growth? Can they be repeated in other times and in other regions of the world? |
| 第5回 | Understanding the Japanese economic history - The Bubble Economy and Its Aftermath (1) | The Japanese in the late 1980s and the early 1990s experienced unprecedented economic boom, the "bubble economy".
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Why did asset prices rise so sharply while consumer price index stayed stable, leading to a big misjudgement by Bank of Japan? What was the aftermath of the bubble burst in financial market regulations and real growth rate? |
| 第6回 | Understanding the Japanese economic history - The Bubble Economy and Its Aftermath (2) | The Japanese in the late 1980s and the early 1990s experienced unprecedented economic boom, the "bubble economy".
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Why did asset prices rise so sharply while consumer price index stayed stable, leading to a big misjudgement by Bank of Japan? What was the aftermath of the bubble burst in financial market regulations and real growth rate? |
| 第7回 | Understanding the publicly-debated issues - The Fiscal Reconstruction and Public Sector Reforms (1) | The heaviest debtor sector today is the government, national and local combined. Fiscal debt accumulated over the 15 years of slow economic growth. With ageing population, social security and health care demand are climbing.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. How can we reconcile the fiscal austerity and the increasing demand for public services? |
| 第8回 | Understanding the publicly-debated issues - The Fiscal Reconstruction and Public Sector Reforms (2) | The heaviest debtor sector today is the government, national and local combined. Fiscal debt accumulated over the 15 years of slow economic growth. With ageing population, social security and health care demand are climbing.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. How can we reconcile the fiscal austerity and the increasing demand for public services? |
| 第9回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - What Has Happened to Japan's Household Saving? (1) | The household saving rate came down from 15% in the 60's to a mere 3% in 2007.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Where has the Japanese virtue of thriftness gone? What are the implications of the low household saving rate for financial markets, government deficit, and social insurance program? |
| 第10回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - What Has Happened to Japan's Household Saving? (2) | The household saving rate came down from 15% in the 60's to a mere 3% in 2007.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Where has the Japanese virtue of thriftness gone? What are the implications of the low household saving rate for financial markets, government deficit, and social insurance program? |
| 第11回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - The Aging Population and Growing Disparity (1) | Ageing population and the declining younger cohort will significantly affect the mandatory pension plan, public health program, and the productivity growth.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Will a slower growth inevitably bring about disparities between generations, between sectors of labor market and between megalopolises and rural areas? |
| 第12回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - The Aging Population and Growing Disparity (2) | Ageing population and the declining younger cohort will significantly affect the mandatory pension plan, public health program, and the productivity growth.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Will a slower growth inevitably bring about disparities between generations, between sectors of labor market and between megalopolises and rural areas? |
| 第13回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - The Life-time Employment Gone Forever? (1) | The Life-time employment system was once believed to be a cornerstone of the Japanese business strengths, but the employment system is changing.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Will the new labor market for temporary workers and NEET be a transitory phenomenon? Or, does it reflect some deeper change? |
| 第14回 | Analyzing important issues for the future - The Life-time Employment Gone Forever? (2) | The Life-time employment system was once believed to be a cornerstone of the Japanese business strengths, but the employment system is changing.
PREPARATION: Read the textbook chapter and think about the following questions. Will the new labor market for temporary workers and NEET be a transitory phenomenon? Or, does it reflect some deeper change? |
| 第15回 | Wrap up | Review of what we have learned. Discussion: how we can analyze the current situation. |
