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-----------------------------------------------------------</p><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">Disclaimer:<br>
***The editor-in-chief doesn't endorse gambling, drinking or taking<br>
excessive amounts of cough medicine at G7 summit press conferences.***<br>
<br>
It's old news now but the resignation of Shoichi Nakagawa as finance<br>
minister is providing an endless amount of fodder for the media both<br>
here and abroad. Nakagawa, who is notorious within political circles<br>
for his drinking habits, stills insists that he simply took too much<br>
cough medicine and sipped a bit of wine.<br>
<br>
If Nakagawa was looking for an excuse he should have just pointed to<br>
the state of the economy. That's enough to drive anyone to drink, and<br>
no-one more so than the finance minister.<br>
<br>
For those who missed it, here it is again:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gnDd6UxwtM&eurl=http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=8832" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gnDd6UxwtM&eurl=http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=8832</a><br>
<br>
I'm going to have a little sportsman's wager with all the JIN readers<br>
now – this really is anyone's game here – Which LDP politician will<br>
resign in disgrace next? Please send your answers to:<br>
<a href="mailto:info@japaninc.com">info@japaninc.com</a> . The winner will be announced in the JIN that<br>
follows the next resignation.<br>
<br>
Of course, Nakagawa is not the only public figure who would be feeling<br>
the pressure -- Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa is under<br>
equal amounts of stress at the moment. He seems to be holding it<br>
together somewhat better than Nakagawa. Shirakawa and the independent<br>
BoJ have come under increased pressure from the ruling party to print<br>
more yen to make sure the currency stays where it is. Some within the<br>
government mentioned a while back that they would even consider<br>
creating a <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c304a1d8-f3b8-11dd-9c4b-0000779fd2ac.html">new currency</a>
to combat hyper deflation.<br>
<br>
At last check the yen was at about 93.5 per dollar. In six months the<br>
currency has seen a 17 percent increase making life extremely harsh<br>
for the nation's exporters. Nissan has announced that it is facing its<br>
first loss in nine years.<br>
<br>
The BoJ yesterday widened its asset-purchase program, buying corporate<br>
bonds for the first time to make sure that a shortage of credit<br>
doesn't worsen the recession. The bank announced it will buy $10.7<br>
billion in corporate bonds.<br>
<br>
Bloomberg reported that the central bank will buy 3 trillion yen of<br>
commercial paper as well as providing unlimited collateral-backed<br>
loans to financial institutions until September.<br>
<br>
"We implemented these measures to ease concerns companies are having<br>
about funding," Shirakawa told Bloomberg. "Unfortunately, we have to<br>
assume that conditions for corporate financing will remain very<br>
severe."<br>
<br>
There have been lots of "records" and "worsts " and "mosts" since<br>
Lehman's went down….<br>
<br>
So here's one more from the quoted Bloomberg article.<br>
<br>
"The economy shrank at an annual 12.7 percent pace last quarter, the<br>
most since 1974."<br>
<br>
If I was the finance minister, I would have printed that out and taken<br>
it to the press conference.<br>
<br>
Michael Condon<br>
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