Why is Japan so prosperous?

[The God Hunter]

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its tremendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a European newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is their current economic prosperity even possible?

[Omnileech]

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

[The God Hunter]

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad. However, the CIA fact book also says their GDP is shrinking at rate of about 5% (that figure is from 2009).

[Omnileech]

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

[The God Hunter]

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

[Omnileech]

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

... national debt.

[The God Hunter]

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Japan has one of the best economies in the world regardless of its termendous short comings. It is about the size of Missouri with about 125 million people making it the most densely populated country in the world. There is virtually no privacy a european newspaper compared the average Japanese home to "rabbit hutches". Land is so valuable the area the size of a news paper parcel costs up to $50,000. On top of that all of the resources it relies on are imported from other countries. Most of the land in Japan is either uninhabitable or poor farm land. Yet the country still thrives. How is that even possible?

How's that national debt as a percentage of GDP going, Japan?

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

... national debt.

I should rephrase my question does that number represent the combined populations debt through loans from banks compared to the GDP or the amount of money their government has borrowed. I am just wondering because I am trying to figure out why the CIA fact book would say their external debt is $2.1 trillion when according to that percent (which also exists in the CIA fact book but as public debt) their debt should be about $9.5 trillion. Honestly I find economics to be very confusing. I have heard and read that Japan has one of the best economies but their standard of living to be very poor which just confuses me.

[Omnileech]

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

... national debt.

I should rephrase my question does that number represent the combined populations debt through loans from banks compared to the GDP or the amount of money their government has borrowed. I am just wondering because I am trying to figure out why the CIA fact book would say their external debt is $2.1 trillion when according to that percent (which also exists in the CIA fact book but as public debt) their debt should be about $9.5 trillion.

CIA factbook has the figure I cited. You're reading it wrong.

[The God Hunter]

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

... national debt.

I should rephrase my question does that number represent the combined populations debt through loans from banks compared to the GDP or the amount of money their government has borrowed. I am just wondering because I am trying to figure out why the CIA fact book would say their external debt is $2.1 trillion when according to that percent (which also exists in the CIA fact book but as public debt) their debt should be about $9.5 trillion.

CIA factbook has the figure I cited. You're reading it wrong.

Okay I figured out where I was getting confused. I didn't know external debt is the money loaned by the Japanese. Sorry, I am idiot when it comes to economics.

[Demon Kagerou]

Protectionism.

Japan, like South Korea and China, have a protectionist flavor to their economy. At the same time, they benefit greatly from other countries enduring the cost of low wage labor and other unpleasant externalities for them.

Japan, like Germany, is the child of the US's Marshall Plan. They learned everything we forgot.

[N3bu]

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

Omnileech

The God Hunter

According to CIA fact book their GDP is about 5 trillion while their purchasing power is about 4.2 trillion. Their debt external is about 2.1 trillion. So their debt is about 50% of their GDP which isn't bad.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/list-of-national-debt-by-country/

wrong

Wait is that each persons personal debt or the debt of the government?

... national debt.

I should rephrase my question does that number represent the combined populations debt through loans from banks compared to the GDP or the amount of money their government has borrowed. I am just wondering because I am trying to figure out why the CIA fact book would say their external debt is $2.1 trillion when according to that percent (which also exists in the CIA fact book but as public debt) their debt should be about $9.5 trillion. Honestly I find economics to be very confusing. I have heard and read that Japan has one of the best economies but their standard of living to be very poor which just confuses me.

It's government debt.

As for why.

Marshall Plan + Import/Export superiority.

They buy the resources and sell the final product.

[N3bu]

OF course believe it or not, debt doesn't always mean a lot.

For example, Luxembourg has a debt of 5000% of GDP.

[Ash_Strife]

Final Boss of Life Issues

Japan doesn't sound so prosperous to me. I've read blog posts written by white people living there. Here's what I've heard about it:

Everyone smokes. All vegetables have meat in them. New video games are $100 and generally boring. People are mad uptight and completely devoted to working. Saying that Japan should apologize to the Chinese for World War II will result in your life being ruined. People there fist pump a lot. Everyone there is a racist. Etc.

That sounds like an article I read on Kotaku.

[Wrath of Ezekiel]

Ash_Strife

Final Boss of Life Issues

Japan doesn't sound so prosperous to me. I've read blog posts written by white people living there. Here's what I've heard about it:

Everyone smokes. All vegetables have meat in them. New video games are $100 and generally boring. People are mad uptight and completely devoted to working. Saying that Japan should apologize to the Chinese for World War II will result in your life being ruined. People there fist pump a lot. Everyone there is a racist. Etc.

That sounds like an article I read on Kotaku.

That's what I thought.

Japan: It's not funny anymore
Note: This is ******** ridiculously long.