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”…………..Productivity has become a unifying theme for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) work in recent years. Productivity determines wage growth and living standards, and as populations in many developed countries have found, the only real source of growth is productivity growth. Today, I would like to look at recent trends in productivity, the causes of declining productivity, and some ideas on how to revive productivity growth.
Sharp’s head office in Abeno Ward, Osaka
”………………TOKYO — Sharp decided Thursday to accept a takeover offer from Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry, becoming the first major Japanese electronics maker to be acquired by a foreign company.
While Sharp will seek to resurrect itself under the umbrella of the Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer also known as Foxconn, the key to successful rehabilitation will be the ability of the Osaka-based company to drop its arrogant stance.
”The outcome of the acceptance by Japanese electronics giant Sharp of a USD $4.3bn takeover bid by Taiwanese multinational Foxconn remains to be seen. Its symbolic significance however could be quite extraordinary: will Japan’s notoriously insular economy, notably its notoriously ultra-insular electronics industry, be opening up to the outside world and especially to its East Asian neighbors?
”The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) is a government-related organization promoting mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. It offers foreign investors abundant information on all aspects of doing business in Japan, by providing expert consultation and offering free temporary office space in major business areas across the country.
Last week, JETRO published the first issue of its JETRO Invest Japan Report (2015).
This report is a comprehensive survey on the attractiveness of the Japanese market and activities and perceptions of foreign affiliates in Japan. It also introduces the situation of foreign direct investment in Japan, trends on policies related to investment promotion and improvement of business environment, as well as JETRO’s activities to promote foreign direct investment.
”Taiwan’s Foxconn has delayed the signing of a takeover agreement with Japanese electronics giant Sharp, leaving the US$5.9 billion acquisition up in the air. Will there still be a deal? We ask analysts”. ”SINGAPORE: The biggest takeover by a foreign company in Japan’s technology sector is looking less certain, after Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group said […]
”Mark Carney rejects idea that central bankers have ‘used all ammunition’ against downturn but says system remains strong”
”Sharp on Thursday became Japan’s first major electronics maker to be acquired by a foreign company.
Figure: 1 Gini before Taxes and Transfers (Market Income)
“In the last two years, Japan has embarked on an ambitious effort, the so-called Abenomics approach, to decisively get the economy out of deflation and revive growth. At the same time, policymakers and academics from all over the world are engaging in a global debate on inequality.
”This is what happens when economies rely on easy money but don’t follow through with the hard work of reform.
If ever there was a country that illustrates the bizarre economic conditions the world finds itself in, it’s Japan.
Usually, when a country’s central bank cuts interest rates, its currency weakens on the global stage, making it easier to sell goods and services abroad as well as providing incentives for banks to lend. Both are supposed to increase economic growth. Except nothing is working like it’s supposed to these days in the global economy, and Japan is the number one case in point.
