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Japan's factory output falls in February

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Here you got your 'I want to create a beautiful Japan' PM Abe.3.5 years and we still haven't made any progress.Easy to blame it on the yen and other external factors instead of blaming it on your and your crony Kuroda's misconduct by taking money from people and making their life more difficult

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I really wish they would stop plugging 'the world's third largest economy'. They should call it what it really is, the world's largest debt! Factory output will continue to plummet while Abe and his cronies are doing nothing (besides talking) about real economic recovery. In over three years the only thing he has done is increased sales tax and decreased corporate tax. Oh, and I shouldn't forget, he also made it easier for companies to fire employees and created BS semi-permanent contracts that lets the company get away with not paying any benefits to its employees. It's not on,y the output of factories that has plummeted, it is also the quality of Japanese goods. They are using all the cheapest components from overseas, whacking them together and selling them at 'quality' Japanese prices. I'm into guitars and recently bought a Japanese stratocaster at Hard off in the junk rack because one of the pick ups was not working. I was extremely shocked to find that, inside the guitar was exactly the same electrics as the ¥10,000 Chinese guitars you can buy. However, this is a ¥70,000 guitar new. It had really crappy pick ups with the magnets stuck on the back, the el-cheap on plastic 5-way switch and small pots. The boy is slightly better quality, but it's still only basswood. If I had bought this new I would have been ripped off severely! Don't buy a Japanese Fender guitar! They are full of cheap Chinese garbage and stupidly overpriced!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

News that a developed economy is reducing its factory output itself is not a bad news on its own, it's natural that production jobs go to emerging economies. What we need to know is how many knowledge based jobs have been created and filled in comparison to those lost in manufacturing.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Hi, Disillusioned: I too went to Hard Off and bought a cheap Chinese copy of a Fender bass; after taking it apart to replace the electronics, I made the same observations as you regarding quality of components. The bigger picture is that domestic instrument manufacturers have all deserted Japan to move production offshore. (Although there are still a few high-end niche manufacturers such as Bacchus, Momose, Atelier Z, and others...)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"it's natural that production jobs go to emerging economies."

No, it is not natural. There is nothing natural about any kind of economic shifts or activities on the part of human beings. Trees growing out of the ground, that's natural.

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These analysts, seriously. They harp out the same old lines year after year. All the pieces have been in place for a long time for Japan Inc. - falling commodity prices (esp. oil), joke-worthy corporate tax rates, near zero (now negative) interest rates... the list goes on & on.

So why the drop? Japan Inc. is simply over-protected & uncompetitive. Domestic demand is weak - let's look at the food situation. Why hasn't the market been opened to imports? Dairy, grain, meats - all extremely overpriced here. Go to the supermarket - zero choice. People are doing it tough, yet food prices continue to climb. All in the name of protectionism.

Japan will have to endure unprecedented economical harship before a Meiji Restoration-level shift takes place. Question is, how much longer will Japan carry on in denial?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm into guitars and recently bought a Japanese stratocaster at Hard off in the junk rack because one of the pick ups was not working. I was extremely shocked to find that, inside the guitar was exactly the same electrics as the ¥10,000 Chinese guitars you can buy.

I bought a new Fender Japan strat last year, it was the "USA" copy version. The body was alder, the pickups and components were American made parts, the cost new was 42000 yen, including tax. Side-by-side with a genuine USA made strat, the quality of the Japanese guitar was every bit as good.

Those guitars you buy at Hard Off are often scavenged by the staff at the shop, who sell the valuable components on Yahoo Auctions.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There's no evidence that printing more money out of thin air increases the wealth of a nation. However, it does increase the wealth of those at the top who get the money first, and hurts the guys at the bottom who might get some of the crumbs.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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