JPN 234: Japanese Economy & Business

Course Description

In this course, students can obtain fundamental knowledge on stylized facts of Japanese economy and Japanese firm systems as compared with those in the US and some other countries, and understand economic theories to put profound interpretations on them. Stylized facts seem to be old and some of them may have been obsolete, although they contain essential logical points. However, they are still useful for understanding Japanese economic systems. Thus, students are required to discuss current conditions on Japanese economy and firm system, considering stylized facts and theoretical backgrounds. It is essential to distinguish between changing phenomena and unchanged principles. Students have an opportunity to take a tour to a factory in a leading company. In the final class, students have to give team presentations and individually submit a short essay on the topics provided or the ones they come up with. As for the structure of classes, we cover fundamental stylized facts, economic theories (or theoretical frameworks), and data analyses (historically and currently). This course is composed of three parts: (1) Japanese economic system, (2) Japanese firm system and (3) Japanese macroeconomic conditions.