Comments on: On Figuring Out What’s Up With the Yen in Japan

By: On Hunting Whales in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

On Hunting Whales in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:02:47 +0000

[...] regulations on its few natural resources. The IWC moratorium came along at the same time as The Plaza Accord, where a bunch of Western countries united to weaken the US dollar at the expense of the yen. Japan [...]

By: On Having No Comment in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

On Having No Comment in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:43:34 +0000

[...] Japan was outpacing everyone else economically, the US teamed up with other nations and agreed to a series of financial measures to weaken the dollar against the yen. Japan agreed, inadvertently cheering the actions of its gravediggers. Perhaps it is no coincidence [...]

By: zip

zip — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:40:47 +0000

“But when the March 11 earthquake hit, Japan started borrowing to rebuild. It also turned off nuclear facilities and began buying gas and oil. This started shrinking their export gap – in turn, weakening the yen.”

Well, that was what I thought was going to happen but note that the Yen became even stronger or at least stayed the same after the earthquake. The way some articles explained it was that many large Japanese companies that had funds in other currencies than Japanese Yen needed to start rebuilding things in Japan so they of course needed to get Yen and that made the demand high and Yen prices went up.

By: spartan2600

spartan2600 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:54:30 +0000

As a prospective TUJ student (advice welcome), I stand to gain from this. The Canadian dollar is also very strong, and that’s sending some manufacturing and other production into the US, which as you mention, is a *low-wage* nation, and it is relative to places like Canada where auto-workers still make ~$30 an hour.

By: spartan2600

spartan2600 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:50:50 +0000

Good job putting exchange rates and inflation into digestible terms!

By: Geo

Geo — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:11:07 +0000

As an Expat who moved to Japan in 2011 and will be here through 2014 … all I can think is “aw crap.” As of today, that’s 15¢ on the dollar I am losing per 100¥ for sending money back home for bills/retirement/extra goodies … while I don’t want to complain on the whole “currency exchange” idea, I won’t. And just state it as an unfortunate situation for me personally of the current situation.

By: owwls

owwls — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:44:04 +0000

Great, thanks for the correction!

By: Patrick Pyott

Patrick Pyott — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:39:09 +0000

“Only local banks (and expats with credit card debt at home) like a strong local currency.”

I don’t think that’s true.

“More relevant to the average person is the cost of living, so a drop in the value of the yen has more of a direct effect “on people’s wallets,” says Gucci-san, especially in terms of everyday import-intensive items like food and gasoline, which will go up in price.”
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/16/news/an-aging-country-learning-to-adapt/#.UQku4b-TxHQ

By: On Figuring Out What's Up With the Yen in Japan | This Japanese … | Whats My Car Worth?

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:21:25 +0000

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