Japan shows how an economy can age gracefully

Wednesday 11 April 2018

After spending a decade worrying about the rise of Japan, economists (and population boosters) in Australia have frequently labelled Japan an ‘economic basket case’ due to its ageing (and falling)population and its slow growth in headline GDP.

I have frequently challenged this argument, citing Japan’s enviously low unemployment rate, which is less than half that of Australia’s:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.