Former World Bank chief warns of Japan 'sugar high'

It was Keynes who said that the time for austerity is during a boom, not a bust. That also applies to structural reform. If what Keynes is right, then let Japan reap gains from economic recovery first and then get on with structural reform (admittedly, there's a chance that the LDP will just surf on the recovery wave and forget about needed reform though).

This Keynesian idiocity-driven sugar high will end as they ALWAYS do, in a massive crash. Sugar-coating reality won't change the fact that the core of the fruit is rotten and full of grub worms.

Yes, JeanValJean, but structural reform without economic recovery would mean what Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece are stuck in right now. It's easy to say that sugar high is bad, but I believe that salty low is worse. Let Japan be a little fat first and get it to exercise!

It's funny that an American official is warning this. The US went on a spending spree that would have shocked even Keynes a few years back.

with the trillions the US has spent on there "sugar high" over the last few year i would be surprised if the US economy get type 1 diabetes from it

It`s all just made up numbers on a computer anyway.

You neocon boys and like minded austerity zealots had your way in Japan for over 20 years. And what did that get the country, nothing. Abe is at least trying something to break Japan out of the depression it has been in since the bankers ran wild in the 80s here in Japan. Just like they did in the US in the 2000s when bush let them do whatever they wanted. And in the end they tanked the economy. Free market capitalism failed miserably in Japan and in the US, as it always has and always will forcing the government to bail out the banks and the economy. Look up the great depression boys, the one the republicans in the USA created in the 1930s. Learn from history.

This Keynesian idiocity-driven sugar high will end as they ALWAYS do, in a massive crash. Sugar-coating reality won't change the fact that the core of the fruit is rotten and full of grub worms.

This statement flies boldly in the face of all respected modern economic theory, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to present some proof of this.

Just like they did in the US in the 2000s when bush let them do whatever they wanted.

Multiple administrations share a small amount of the blame, but the majority remains on the heads of the poor market discipline of the time. They've since learned from their mistakes.

Free market capitalism failed miserably in Japan and in the US, as it always has and always will forcing the government to bail out the banks and the economy.

Oh, is that the reason the U.S. continues to produce 20% of the world's GDP?

Look up the great depression boys, the one the republicans in the USA created in the 1930s. Learn from history.

I think the one who could gain the most from some history lessons is yourself.

After BOJ moves. MOF has to move by cutting budget deficits, hike sales tax and reform economy and government finances. Government debts at 240% of GDP cannot be sustained.