Coronavirus threatens revival of Japan's deflationary nemesis

Since 1984 the only price increase I have seen are bicycles, cars, cigs and beer. Everything else got cheaper and that is good.

Analysts say the threat is real with recent sharp falls in oil costs weighing on inflation

This is ridiculous. Cheaper oil means cheaper energy, which makes every part of life easier. Environmental concerns aside -- and we all know how little most politicians and big businesses care for the environment -- cheaper energy is an unmitigated win for the people: their goods get cheaper and they can buy more of them. The only loser is the government who wants to inflate away its debts at the public's expense!

Technically, it never left.

Does that mean that cell phone plans, the cost of getting a driver's licence, a single apple, a potato, or a smidgen of butter or cheese will all finally come down in price?

Globalization (aka "a race to the bottom"), demographics and technology spell inevitable deflation.

The BOJ and Mof folks got degrees in the US and UK in the 80s, when neo-classical economics - under which free-market capitalism was established -- was gospel. Of course, this school of thought has since been proven wrong time and time again.

That's why these boffins cant figure out why massive fiscal and monetary injections end up causing deflation - when their textbooks told them they would cause massive inflation! LOL.

The whole is going to that Great Depression of 1930. It's not only Japan. Life is much important than anything this day. Japan after ww2 had an amazing development ever. LIFE first!