The 43th “Theory and Policy” Seminar at RUC NADS

Japan’s Economic Structure Adjustment from the Labor Market

Speaker: Shinohara Soichi

Moderator: Guan Quan, Professor at School of Economics, RUC

Time: October 8, 2019, Tuesday,18:00-20:00

Venue: Meeting Room 815, Chongde Building West Wing (Keyan Building Block A）

Languages: Japanese (with Chinese translation)

Abstract:

The Japanese model, which once supported the rapid economic growth, has fallen into a long-term functional imperfection since the 1990s. This study analyses the Japanese model from the perspective of employment and labor, which is directly related to labor productivity. In recent years, Japanese enterprises have begun to reform the lifelong employment system, the yearly contribution sequence payment system and the management decision-making system, etc. In August 2016, the Japanese government also issued the “Labor Market Reform” policy. However, two structural changes that continue to take place in Japan’s economy have hindered the improvement of labor productivity. First, the digital development of the global economy has changed the distribution structure of added value; second, the shortage of labor force caused by the aging of population leads to the situation that enterprises have to the inexperienced labor force such as housewives, the elderly and students. This study confirms these two kinds of structural changes through long-term macro-data observation, and analyses the impact on Japanese economy.

Speaker’s profile:

Professor Shinohara Soichi, famous Japanese economist, former president of Kyoto Gakuen University, honorary professor of Doshisha University, graduated from Tokyo University and the University of Chicago, is the disciple of the Nobel economics laureate, Robert Mundell. His research focuses on international economics, macroeconomics and American economy. He has been invited to serve as visiting professor at Renmin University of China and Northwest University for many times.