Abe should focus on regulatory reforms, say economists

Confusing story. The "majority" number does not seem to be cited, despite it being the key element of the story.

Is this it?

"Of 31 economists who answered an additional question on what Abe should do to regain public trust, 18 said he should focus on regulatory reforms."

If so, 18/31 is not much of a majority, making the headline quite misleading. I would use the term "fairly divided."

marcelitoToday  09:23 am JST

How much longer before the Jpublic will finally vote him out?

Unfortunately just enough old folks in over-represented rural areas will keep on voting for the same old LDP muppets or their worthless offspring that their parents and grandparents voted for, so it won't make a whole lot of difference what happens to Abe. Still, even in the LDP there are politicians who would be less useless.

He repeated that he will seek to engineer a positive cycle of higher corporate profits, prices and wages.

Notice how wages are the last on his list of priorities? He's already increased corporate profits by giving them tax cuts. Prices have already increase by 10-20%. However, wages still remain stagnant and and have actually decreased in many sectors with reduced bonuses and lower hourly pay for part time workers. Abe, you are full of poop!

Abe is a control freak, and a liar. He talked about reforms and we loved it but then he did nothing and the lies are now recognized.

18/31 is not much of a majority

It's a clear majority. Perhaps you just don't like the clear message.

Abe should focus on a lot of things. But he couldn't. Abe has no spine, no bone, no heart, no brain. Abe is just a skeleton.

"a positive cycle of higher corporate profits, prices and wages"

don't know anything bout economic theory, but if each of these 3 factors is 'higher', won't that be the same as no change at all?

in any case it's just more blah...

Rather he should just focus on quitting please!

if each of these 3 factors is 'higher', won't that be the same as no change at all?

Right 100%.

Abe wants this to devalue the public debt racked up by his party through their incompetence.

Japan has become having no backbone after the United States has pushed "reforms" since the "Plaza Agreement" in this country.

Japan is already a very open country for any foreign company but it is nothing enough for Globalists, they always want more and more, disgust, disgust !

For crying out loud, Japan needs to bite the bullet & just get economic reform done already. Does everyone really want a third lost decade? A healthy economy can mostly take care of itself, with minimal help from the Govt, but the first step to doing that is ensuring that the economy is working efficiently and not on heavily protected industries which will need Govt support forever. This applies not only to Japan, but for all countries trying to relive their lost glory years, and is why Trump's "coal revival" will be extremely short lived.

Sorry, but regulatory reforms would reduce the LPD's political clout. Those myriad rules and regulations can be navigated only if you pay enough in contributions or amakudari jobs to LDP politicians. Deregulation would do much to reduce the wealth of politicians.

And many companies are also against deregulation, because it would encourage competition. Japanese companies do not like to compete, they like to fix prices.

The larger and more established companies became big in the days when regulations were minimal, and growth was much easier. But the vast amount of regulations which exist today are a stone wall to any new company or industry to becoming established. As the established companies monopolize the economy, just as the LDP monopolizes political power in Japan, deregulation is not going to occur under Abe.

A change will eventually happen, when Japan Inc and the LDP eventually destroy the economy, and make change inevitable. But so long as they rob Peter to pay Paul, by borrowing taxpayer money to buy votes from these same taxpayers, and print money to keep life support for Japan Inc flowing, things will continue as they are.