Why Japan's Debt Crisis Suddenly Looks A Lot Worse

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When inflation ticked up a few years ago, it brought anxiety to many governments - except for Japan who hoped to use the slightly higher inflation to get out of its zero-growth slump. But, that seems to have backfired, so, in this video, we're taking a look at the Japanese economy, the debt crisis and what could happen next.

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1 - https://observingjapan.substack.com/p/ishibas-grecian-turn
2 - https://wolfstreet.com/2025/05/20/japans-30-year-and-40-year-bonds-crater-yields-spike-huge-mess-coming-home-to-roost-yen-carry-trade-at-risk/
3 - https://carnegieendowment.org/2010/03/18/japan-s-past-and-u.s.-future-pub-40356
4 - https://www.economicshelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/japan-government-debt.png
5 - https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/inflation-cpi
6 - https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/07/01/japans-mind-bending-bento-box-economics
7 - https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h02044/
8 - https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/japan-release-more-rice-stockpiles-tackle-shortage-rein-prices-2025-05-16/
9 - https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/ie@FPP/ITA
10 - https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/bond/tmubmusd30y?countrycode=bx
11 - https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/bond/tmbmkgb-30y?countrycode=bx
12 - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-20/japan-s-20-year-bond-auction-gets-weakest-demand-since-2012
13 - https://www.reuters.com/business/japans-economy-shrinks-us-tariff-hit-looms-2025-05-16/

00:00 - Introduction
01:27 - Context
03:02 - Japan Tries to Become "Normal"
04:34 - Why "Normal" is Harder Than It Looks
05:51 - The Debt Crisis
07:53 - Sponsored Content