The End of the Abe Administration--The End of Abenomics? Books on Past and Present in the Japanese Political Economy

Abstract

The signature element of the Abe Shinzō years is, without doubt, Abenomics. Will Abenomics survive the new prime minister, Suga Yoshihide? Or, to put it differently, will Japan survive Abenomics? For now Abenomics appears alive and well. The Bank of Japan is printing money at a breakneck pace. “Stimulus” is sloshing around everywhere. But this cannot go on forever, and so it won't. Those in Japan arguing for government intervention and economic relief are drawing from a deep political-economic tradition, which includes the notion of economics as mutual aid. This review essay introduces several important books that address Japanese thinking on political economy.