Japan Industrial Output Slumps

Japan has been kicking the can down the road for the last 20 years. Their monetization has worked largely due to its export machine. It is now in trouble.

From Bloomberg:

Japan’s rebound from the March earthquake and tsunami sputtered in November as production and retail sales tumbled, deepening the nation’s return to the deflation that first took hold a decade ago.

Industrial output slumped 2.6 percent from October, more than all the forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey of 29 economists, a government report showed today in Tokyo. Retail sales slid 2.1 percent. Consumer prices excluding fresh food fell 0.2 percent from a year earlier after a 0.1 percent decline the previous month.

The weakening economy, hurt by Europe’s debt crisis and plans by companies from Panasonic Corp. to Nissan Motor Co. to shift production abroad, may undermine Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s plan to raise taxes and cut the world’s largest debt burden. Lawmakers told reporters in Tokyo today that a tax panel set up by Noda’s party has proposed doubling the nation’s sales tax by 2015, a move opposed by some ruling party members who’ve threatened to quit over the issue.

“Fundamentally, Japan’s economy is on a downward slope,” said Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief economist at Itochu Corp. “Exports are falling and negatively impacting Japan’s economy due to the global slowdown.”

Other data also suggest Japan’s recovery may be stalling. Exports fell for the second straight month in November from a year earlier and capital spending in the third quarter dropped 9.8 percent. Large manufacturers are more concerned about business prospects, with the Bank of Japan’s Tankan quarterly index of corporate sentiment falling to minus 4 this month. A negative figure indicates pessimists outnumber optimists.

The financial situation in the euro area, Japan’s third- biggest export destination, also shows no sign of improving, with 10-year Italian government bonds hovering around 7 percent. Fitch Ratings on Dec. 17 lowered the credit outlook of Spain, Italy and AAA-rated France, citing Europe’s failure to find a “comprehensive solution” to its crisis.

The appreciation of the yen is hurting exports, Japan’s finance minister, Jun Azumi, said on Dec. 24. The finance minister has indicated he’s prepared to sell the currency in the foreign-exchange markets. The Finance Ministry said last week that it plans to raise the issuance limit for bills to fund intervention to an unprecedented 195 trillion yen.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-27/japan-factory-output-falls-on-global-slump.html