umbrella comments

JT congratulations! Thanks. Really interesting article!

JT congratulations! Brilliant, fascinating article! More of these high level type articles please!

Tourists coming to Japan say that everything is so cheap here, bargain basement of the world. I wonder what the J people think about this with a true 12 to 14% inflation rate, and real wages dropping like a stone?

All my funds are in Dollars and Swiss Francs. It must be the case that every foreigner in Japan hold funds in anything but the poison yen. The yen is just a total basket case now.

AI is going to turn the job market upside down. It will become so difficult to add value, that there will be no other option than to introduce a universal basic income. Well, maybe 2 options, universal basic income, or a huge underclass of unemployable rodent people

Yes totally agree. The future is very bleak. Societies will become very violent and dangerous with vast hoards of jobless people without money, hope and any future. The only thriving industries will be those of people control ie police, prison officers and those working in the court system.

150 and beyond, here we come!

wow the yen is almost at 142 now! Going down down down.

Who cares about the damn stock market? It's just a bubble like they all are and will collapse shortly.

I bet Ghosn is laughing at this news! Karma for Nissan.

I doubt that anybody holds on to the basket case yen, other that what is needed for daily requirements. We all hold our funds in Swiss Francs and US Dollars. Proper currencies.

I remember this shocking incident. Takuma was able to just simply walk into the school and begin executing the kids. No security at all.

RIP to these poor victims.

It's just getting worse and worse every year!!

As far as ALTs are concerned and the never ending dropping of salaries, it is said to be simply a matter of supply and demand. Employers can continue to drop salaries year after year knowing that the army of young fresh out of university young things will keep on coming to Japan. They are so thrilled and excited to be there and just don't care at all about money. Win win for employers!

Certainly not biden. He's just a senile moron. The most powerful person is of course President Xia.

I hope they don’t want a pension either.

Young people don't pay pension premiums, they just save their own money.

You have to wonder how much the helmet makers are contributing to LDP funds.......

Yes a really excellent article, a very interesting read. More please!

Stormcrow, my friend is unlucky enough to be an english teacher in Japan. He was told by his company that of course there will be no pay rise and that he should just consider himself lucky and  privileged to be able to work in Japan.

These days it's imperative to learn how to fight. MMA or boxing or Judo.

When will there be a massive wave of strike action to force inflation matching wage rises out of stubborn employers, as in normal countries? Or will the Japanese workers simply continue to gaman themselves?

With the continuing massive price rises and no wage rises, something will have to give. Society will become very unstable, with street robberies and house robberies becoming prevalent everywhere. Inevitable.

bye bye biden

I don't drink alcohol, never have. There is life without alcohol.

So many foreigners like myself are working in financial institutions and earning over 10M a year plus. This is the norm. I heard that english teachers in Japan earn as little as 3.6M a year and it's hard to image such a low salary. But I guess english teachers are all young and don't care about money, they are just thrilled and excited to be in Japan.

As for Japanese workers, they never complain, never strike, they just obey. So wages will never rise in any meaningful way. Nothing will ever change.

Excellent informative article. More of this type of article please JT!

Harris, in charge of the border but she has never been there. Hopeless but she ticked all the boxes.

Doesn't matter how much prices rise, salaries/wages will not rise and the Japanese people will gaman themselves, plus the J government will always come out with their joke inflation figures of 3%.

The true inflation rate is around 12% to 14%. No one believes these government make belief figures.

ok1517

I have a friend who has the misfortune to be working at one of the most well known ALT companies in Japan. He told me his monthly salary is a terrible just over 210, 000 a month. I was just wondering if he received a large bonus to make up for the appalling salary?

I wonder about all the english teachers on here, what sort of bonus did they get this time?

Jan 6th Committee is completely meaningless. A one sided farce and will be totally ignored by a our great President Trump. He will be back as our great President in 2024 when we can finally be rid of the illegitimate biden who has practically destroyed our country.

 How, just how is it possible that in a country with 125 million people, there's not a SINGLE politician with even a shred of charisma who can make a change?

Yes very true! Seems to be a worldwide phenomenon, this weak incompetent leader situation. Kishida/biden/sunkak/macron/putin etc, Why is this? I am sure kishida will soon be out and replaced with the next talking head.