Author: Jacques Quass de Vos Anime, sushi, city pop, and Pokémon: what do these Japanese things have in common? The answer is rather clear, right? Add the likes of Mitsui, Hitachi, Sony, and Toyota to the list. Now include JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization). How about the 2020 Olympics?…
Author: Jacques de Vos
Author: Jacques Quass de Vos South African and Japanese cities are hardly comparable unless we want to play a game of “spot-the-difference.” Firstly, its populations are vastly different: urban South Africa is comprised of a plethora of races and cultures – each one proportionally significant – as opposed to the generally homogenous population of Japan.…
Author: Jacques Quass de Vos New Bank of Japan (BoJ) governor, Kazuo Ueda, might have his hands full after accepting what may be the most difficult task in contemporary central banking. Being the first academic instated as BoJ governor since the post-war era, it has been said that Ueda could lack necessary support from constituencies…
Author: Jacques Quass de Vos The third wave of coffee washed over Japan like a rich, aromatic tsunami. Along with it came a new kind of cultural space. Not the kind of place where you would merely buy a cup of coffee to flip open your Mac and ask for the Wi-Fi password; no, Japanese…
Author: Jacques Quass de Vos It is no secret that Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio globally, clocking in at 258.2% according to the April 2023 World Economic Outlook[1]. Sources: Data from International Monetary Fund (World Economic Outlook, 2023). Japan’s General Government Gross Debt (% of GDP). Graph by Jacques Quass de Vos. Since the…