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: 01. The "Inconvenient Mix" of Inflation 02. Japan's Real Neutral Interest Rate 03. The Case for Nominal GDP Targeting 04. Consumption Tax: Regressive Relief? 05. Wage Growth Divergence 06. The Working Hours Trap 07. Fiscal Dominance and Vulnerability 08. The Enigma of Yen Weakness 09. 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