Japanese Economy: Successful Recovery, Challenges, Foreign Policy, and US Relations’ a Lecture by Dr. Shujiro Urata

The Japanese economy appears to have recovered from a two-decade long recession, as it is currently experiencing growth that has continued for seven consecutive quarters. A low unemployment rate of only 2.7 percent and
record high corporate profits also reflect the favorable economic situation. However, future prospects are rather dim unless Japan can successfully deal with various structural problems, which include a shrinking and ageing
population, increasing government debt, and low exposure to the global economy. Shujiro Urata, Ph.D. is Dean and Professor of Economics at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University. He is a former Economist
at the World Bank, and prior to that, a Research Associate at the Brookings Institute. Professor Urata examines Japan’s current economic situation identifying the problems and discussing the importance of adopting an activist
international economic policy with a focus on the US-Japan relationship in order to overcome the problems and achieve sustained economic growth.