This essay examines the stark contrast between the high-level economic discussions presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the shallow, media-driven debates dominating Japanese domestic politics.
While Prime Minister Abe addressed global governance of big data and new rules for the world economy as G20 chair, domestic discussions focused narrowly on statistical irregularities.
The article argues that Japan’s true challenge lies in productivity reforms and regulatory changes, highlighting a profound gap in economic literacy within Japan’s political discourse.

2019-02-15.
Listening to policy debates in Japan after the Davos meeting makes one realize the enormous gap in both enthusiasm and literacy regarding economic issues.
The following is from today’s “Oiso Koiso” column in the Nikkei newspaper.
Although Nikkei articles outside economic trends often feel like second-hand versions of Asahi Shimbun and frequently contain strangely China-appeasing tones, this column occasionally presents essays that every Japanese citizen should read.
The day before yesterday, while watching NHK Watch9, I felt deep anger at the severity of its biased reporting… the agents of China and the Korean Peninsula who dominate the news division display behavior that can only be described as traitorous to the nation, and I rebuked them in a thunderous voice like Nobunaga shouting, “You fool!”.
The author perfectly proves both the reason for my anger and the correctness of my argument.
Through my translation, people around the world who read this essay will understand that even Japan—a country where the Turntable of Civilization turns according to divine providence…
is plagued by the same infantile leftist disease that afflicts the United Nations and the media in your own countries…
Those who call themselves journalists not only repeat biased reporting…
but just as in your countries…
agents of anti-Japanese states such as China and the Korean Peninsula repeatedly spread anti-Japanese propaganda and strive to shape such public opinion.
This essay was written by a man of true discernment, the complete opposite of the malicious criminals inhabiting Japan, advanced nations, and the United Nations who attack Japan and try to halt the progress of the Turntable of Civilization while plunging the world into chaos.
You will also perfectly understand why I call Arima of Watch9 nothing less than a traitor to the nation.
Such people are the most malicious of all.

◎Concern Over the Gap with Davos.

Japan will serve as chair for the first time at the G20 summit to be held in Osaka this June.
Against this backdrop, the speech delivered by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos in late January attracted considerable attention.
About one third of the speech addressed the achievements of economic reform in Japan, while the rest discussed how to manage an increasingly unstable world.
It was a discussion befitting the dignity of the G20 chairmanship.
Specifically, he stated that “the way big data is used will greatly transform economic and social systems,” that “new global rules must be created regarding this,” and that “the Osaka summit will mark a historic first step.”
His clear declaration that such a framework should be established under the World Trade Organization drew strong praise.
Yet the moment the prime minister returned to Japan, he became consumed by talk-show style debates over statistical irregularities at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Certainly, falsifying statistics is an obvious violation of the law, and the ministry’s attempt to close the matter through an internal committee was also problematic.
However, to use this issue to completely deny Abenomics is far too abrupt.
Some criticize the fact that real wages were negative, but wages are a lagging indicator, so this is not unusual during the process of economic recovery.
Conversely, after the collapse of the bubble economy, real wages continued to rise for a long period.
The remaining problem of Abenomics is that productivity does not improve easily.
Unless productivity rises, real wages will not increase.
For that, bold structural reforms to accelerate industrial renewal and regulatory reforms are necessary.
Yet some opposition parties and media outlets that criticize the lack of real wage growth are themselves critical of such reforms.
This is an obvious contradiction.
Borrowing the words of Jean Tirole, author of Economics for the Common Good, it is “like shooting a bullet into one’s own foot.”
Behind the statistical irregularities lies the fact that statistical specialists are not valued in Kasumigaseki, and that budgets and personnel for statistical departments are insufficient.
Correcting this should be the subject of constructive debate in the Diet.
Listening to Japan’s policy debates after the Davos meeting makes one keenly aware of the enormous gap in enthusiasm and literacy regarding economic issues.
(Yumekaze).