In Japan's fading hinterland, skeptics doubt 'Abenomics' will help economy

A reality of Abemonics is the transfer of real wealth through higher costs for Japanese consumers and savers and importers to government higher spending and higher profits for exporters and cheaper visits for tourist. This is a policy of re-distribution of wealth. Net basis is almost zero wealth creation.

Well, living in rural Tohoku, I can say that a lot of the problems are compounded by the residents:

1) We have meaningless "Love your Furusato" campaigns. Lots of these revolve about vegetable farming and old traditions. None of these are going to keep youth in the towns and villages.

2) There is no questioning of these campaigns, or the mindset which promotes them. This is because the elderly dominate the politics and social life. You can't raise objections, or suggest solutions unless you are elderly.

3) Further to 2, almost everything revolves around the elderly. Not much for the youth. Guess who votes?

4) Rationalizing agriculture would be a big boon - but that involves change, and the elderly don't like that at all.

5) Costs. Things are so much more expensive, except vegetables.

6) If only they could persuade people to move in or move back...but there are unspoken rules, and suspicion of outsiders and returnees. So, nope.

7) So, no new thinking - but we do get cash lifelines from the government: subsidized and protected agriculture, 'Furisato Tax'. Unfortunately, this gets used to prop-up poorly thought out campaigns.

So what kind of campaign would work? Something involving expert advice, but with the responsibility on the community for action, and with advertisement of all the poor attempts at fixing the problem in the past. Also the realization that some communities cannot survive as they had in the past.

You don't have to fool all the people all of the time - just enough of the people enough of the time.

You could pretty much replace the stats and info about Akita with almost any other prefecture in this country.

Everyone is hurting and this neo-trickle-down theory Reaganomics isn't working and won't work.

I remember people remarking about Japan's inefficient allocation of resources, meaning wealthy city tax money going to the countryside. Then Koizumi stopped that. Now they say Japan is dying! Look at the countryside! Either way Japan is a loser in their eyes. If the countryside disappears, it is because it is not fulfilling a useful function. So goodbye.

Sorry guys. Abenomics is nothing but a way leading most people holding the government bonds and the middle-to-lower class people to bankrupt. These guys are still believing the destroy and relive in a better future.... those are only found in Comics.

"Abe’s policies to end deflation and generate growth have helped mainly big cities, large companies and the rich by boosting share prices and exporters’ profits with a hyper-easy monetary policy that has slashed the value of the yen and sent asset prices higher."

Yes, that sums it up.

In Japan's fading hinterland, skeptics doubt 'Abenomics' will help economy

Correction: Anyone with a brain in their head doubts Abenomics will help economy.

@crazyjoe I believe it should be "You don't have to fool all the people all of the time - just enough of the people at the right time for you."

Japan is up to its neck in severe problems most only will get worse........

The biggest problem with the inaka which I love is that for DECADES pork has been pumping through their veins, and all kinds of "employment" sprung up based primarily on PORK BARREL SPENDING, the article points put people who exist on it!!

Fast forward & the country can no longer, in FACT it never could afford the pork spending but did so anyways.

So you have all this business/economies feeding off pork that NEVER would have normally existed! Bottom line is the country cant keep doing this so it must die off, most of it anyway.

Like I have been harping on here for years Japan MUST re-invent everything about how we work, how we live, leisure, EVERYTHING if it wants to survive, but star Viking correctly points out a lot of examples of why the inaka is killing itself.

I could go on with a bunch of ideas, but the Japanese need to figure this out for themselves, but I think it will take a lot more pain & suffering before much if anything gets started, Japanese are a fatalistic bunch!

This time, she has yet to make up her mind. “There are a lot of people who can’t vote for any party with confidence,” she said, declining to give her family name. “I’m one of them.”

Yet another reason voting should be made compulsory in Japan. Oh wait, the nationalists wouldn't like that, as people would be forced to take an interest in other candidates

Abenomics would be more successful if only the Japanese products are not of such high quality and long lasting forcing the customers to replace them more frequently. My Toshiba fridge is working so perfectly even though it is 20 years old.