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0 pointsunity10013y ago0 comments

> I wish Europeans were a bit more business savy and corporate

Seeing how well that worked for the US, no thanks.

The only reason European GDP is going down is because of 10-year-long trade war that was started circa 2005 by the US. It started with tariffs back then, moved onto trying to push NAFTA-like 'trade deals' via TTIP etc, and when all failed, they just blew the pipeline.

Judging from what was done to Japan with 'Plaza Accords', there is no guilt or responsibility of the targeted country and their people in this. Japanese were and still are the most sacrificing, hardworking workers. And yet, after accepting the terms that the US forced on them with those accords, Japanese economy is still in ruins.

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astrange3y ago

The Japanese economy is healthy relative to the rest of the world but it's true that Japanese people are too poor and are not getting better fast enough. But this is mostly because "sacrificing and hardworking" was a dumb thing to set up the country to be. They were worried about people having too much free time so set up a super unproductive structure where every man was in the office 12 hours a day, gets micromanaged, and barely does any real work.

Of course, that's an old picture of the country; ~10 years ago when everyone though of Tokyo as a place where kids hung out on the street in cool fashion all day, that's because those kids were unemployed because they weren't willing to become salarymen. And there has been real reform towards productivity since then.

Also, Japan’s Phillips Curve looks like Japan.

http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/japan.pdf

unity1001OP3y ago

> The Japanese economy is healthy relative to the rest of the world

It is frozen at the exact size and breadth that US wanted to freeze it. Its a literal economic colony.

> But this is mostly because "sacrificing and hardworking" was a dumb thing to set up the country to be

It worked until 1991.

I very much recommedn reading about the Plaza Accords.

astrange3y ago

Impressive you think the US can influence other countries that long. We can't even stop Saudi Arabia from raising gas prices whenever they want to annoy us.

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0 pointsunity10013y ago0 comments

> I wish Europeans were a bit more business savy and corporate

Seeing how well that worked for the US, no thanks.

0 comments

astrange3y ago

Also, Japan’s Phillips Curve looks like Japan.

http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/japan.pdf

unity1001OP3y ago

> The Japanese economy is healthy relative to the rest of the world

It is frozen at the exact size and breadth that US wanted to freeze it. Its a literal economic colony.

> But this is mostly because "sacrificing and hardworking" was a dumb thing to set up the country to be

It worked until 1991.

I very much recommedn reading about the Plaza Accords.

astrange3y ago

Impressive you think the US can influence other countries that long. We can't even stop Saudi Arabia from raising gas prices whenever they want to annoy us.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse