JAPAN’S STIMULUS PACKAGE

ABE SEEN SPENDING 12 TRILLION YEN TO BOOST JAPAN’S ECONOMY

Andy Sharp

Bloomberg, January 7, 2013

Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) --The Japanese government will announce around 12 trillion yen ($136 billion) in fiscal stimulus measures to boost the nation’s shrinking economy, Japanese media reported today.

The Yomiuri newspaper and Kyodo News both reported the figure for extra spending in the fiscal year through March, with the Yomiuri saying that 5-6 trillion yen will be directed to public works projects, without citing anyone. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told business leaders today that he hopes to compile the measures this week.

The spending may help to accelerate a recovery from recession as Abe pledges to boost growth and end deflation in the world’s third-largest economy. While Japan’s public debt is more than twice gross domestic product, Finance Minister Taro Aso said last week that the government doesn’t need to adhere to a 44 trillion-yen cap on new bond issuance in this fiscal year.

“The scale of this budget suggests that Abe’s new administration is serious about stimulating the economy,” said Masamichi Adachi, a senior economist at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo and a former central bank official. “It’ll be very helpful in the near-time, but the problem in the medium-to-long term is that we have to pay this back.”

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