This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Japan Doesn’t Need ‘Kishida Shock’ Therapy
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Markets > Japan Doesn’t Need ‘Kishida Shock’ Therapy
Markets

Japan Doesn’t Need ‘Kishida Shock’ Therapy

Editorial Board Published October 11, 2021
Share
Japan Doesn’t Need ‘Kishida Shock’ Therapy
SHARE

Japan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, may be unhappy to suffer a setback after barely a week in office. Investors in Japanese stocks should feel more comfortable.

Contents
Newsletter Sign-upHeard on the StreetHeard Stock-Picking Leaderboard

Mr. Kishida said Sunday that he has no plans to raise capital gains or dividend taxes. Comments last Monday that he might consider such taxes had added to existing unease in the market, already trending down since he was confirmed: Social media coined the term “Kishida shock.” That market verdict may have contributed to the new prime minister’s about-face—after which Japan’s Topix index rose 1.8% Monday.

It’s easy to see why the market reacted strongly last week to hints that Mr. Kishida might reverse some pro-growth policies of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe. Since Mr. Abe took office in 2012 with his three-pronged “Abenomics” program—fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms—Japan’s stock market has been Asia’s best performer. The Topix has more than doubled, driven mainly by growth in earnings per share. Foreign ownership rose to 30.2% this year from 26.3% in 2012, encouraged by signs of improving corporate governance and a more investor-friendly regulatory environment.

While the governance overhaul is moving slowly, the progress is real. The number of activist investors has increased. Companies are spending more on buybacks and unwinding cross-shareholdings.

But wage growth has been anemic, and that is what Mr. Kishida has emphasized. He is pushing for a “new capitalism” focused more on redistribution. Having given up for now the idea of taxing investment, Mr. Kishida seems likely to offer tax incentives for companies to raise wages.


Newsletter Sign-up

Heard on the Street

Agenda-setting analysis and commentary on the biggest corporate and market stories.


Labor compensation as a portion of gross domestic product was 56% in 2019, up marginally from its nadir in the early 2000s but well down from about 60% in the late 1990s. That downward trend has also been observed in many other countries, including China and the U.S. But Japan’s Gini coefficient—a measure of income inequality—remained significantly lower than those of countries like the U.S. and the U.K., at 0.334 in 2018, according to the OECD.

While it’s important to keep an eye on rising inequality, Japan should really focus on boosting growth and productivity, given its aging population and decades of sluggish growth. Japan’s businesses are sitting on $2 trillion of cash—a heap that has grown more monstrous since the pandemic began.

Policies to improve competition and governance and encourage more-productive investment would probably do more to help workers than strong-arming companies to raise wages, or trying to directly redistribute wealth in a country where, by G-7 standards, the distribution is already relatively flattish.

Heard Stock-Picking Leaderboard

Write to Jacky Wong at [email protected]

Copyright ©2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

TAGGED:MarketsPAIDWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Nobel Economics Prize Awarded to U.S.-Based Trio Nobel Economics Prize Awarded to U.S.-Based Trio
Next Article Medicare Drug-Pricing Debate Pits Savings Against Innovation Medicare Drug-Pricing Debate Pits Savings Against Innovation

Editor's Pick

Brooke Hogan Written Out of Hulk’s Will (At Her Personal Request)

Brooke Hogan Written Out of Hulk’s Will (At Her Personal Request)

Studying Time: 3 minutes Brooke Hogan isn’t in her dad’s will, a brand new report reveals. Regardless of years of…

By Editorial Board 4 Min Read
6 Greatest Underwear To Stop Chafing For Males in 2025 | Fashion
6 Greatest Underwear To Stop Chafing For Males in 2025 | Fashion

We independently consider all really helpful services. Any services or products put…

15 Min Read
9 Finest Males’s Shorts Manufacturers – Versatile Types For 2025 | Fashion
9 Finest Males’s Shorts Manufacturers – Versatile Types For 2025 | Fashion

We independently consider all advisable services. Any services or products put ahead…

13 Min Read

Oponion

Quebec suspends directive proscribing entry to daycare for immigrant youngsters – Montreal

Quebec suspends directive proscribing entry to daycare for immigrant youngsters – Montreal

Descrease article font measurement Improve article font measurement The Quebec authorities has…

July 25, 2025

Electronic Arts Posts Higher Sales, Profit

Aug. 2, 2022 4:12 pm ETListen…

August 2, 2022

Retail Sales Rose 0.3% in November

Retail sales rose modestly at the…

December 15, 2021

Federal Hashish Rescheduling

Federal hashish rescheduling is a scorching…

February 25, 2025

Letters: California should increase reproductive care in ERs

State should increase ERreproductive care California…

June 20, 2025

You Might Also Like

Microsoft joins unique T market cap membership after AI surge, becoming a member of just one different firm
Markets

Microsoft joins unique $4T market cap membership after AI surge, becoming a member of just one different firm

Angelo Zino, a CFRA Analysis senior fairness analyst, discusses the efficiency of Microsoft, Meta and the general tech sector within…

4 Min Read
Moderna plans to slash 10% of workforce as COVID shot gross sales gradual
Markets

Moderna plans to slash 10% of workforce as COVID shot gross sales gradual

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., discusses the Home probe into Pfizer’s launch of COVID vaccine outcomes and extra on ‘Varney &…

3 Min Read
Figma goes public, and the CEO was a fellow at Peter Thiel’s basis
Markets

Figma goes public, and the CEO was a fellow at Peter Thiel’s basis

‘Making Money’ host Charles Payne discusses whether or not the inventory market is a coiled spring able to explode or…

5 Min Read
Zuckerberg needs to offer everybody their very own private superintelligence via Meta’s new imaginative and prescient
Markets

Zuckerberg needs to offer everybody their very own private superintelligence via Meta’s new imaginative and prescient

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday introduced the tech large will give attention to growing a private superintelligence for everybody, which…

4 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?