Matsuyama’s Paper among 50 Most Cited in Journal of Economy Theory’s History
Chief Scientific Adviser Matsuyama Appointed Resident Scholar of Chicago Fed
Japan Will Benefit from G7 Tax Reform Deal, Research Fellow Oka Says
The G7 nations have reached agreement on global tax reforms to make international tax rules more equitable and prevent multinational corporations from evading their fair share.
They will seek to introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15% to stop countries from “racing to the bottom” in undercutting the rates of other governments. They also hope to get global corporations to pay more tax wherever they generate revenue to prevent tech giants from exploiting tax loopholes.
In an article on the NHK World website, Research Fellow Naoki Oka points out that Japanese corporations are set to benefit from the proposed new rules because they would ensure a level playing field for all multinationals.
“G7 Moves Forward with Plan for Global Tax Reform,” NHK World
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1678/
Amendment to Make Real Property Registration Mandatory “Significant,” Yoshihara Says in Nikkei Asia Article
In the wake of Japan’s asset bubble collapse in the 1990s and the shrinking of its population since 2010, the country’s voluntary property registration system has generated vast swaths of unclaimed land, as the expense and time needed to transfer the title of an inherited property became too much of a hassle for many.
In an article in Nikkei Asia, Research Fellow Shoko Yoshihara called the recent amendment of the Real Property Registration Act “significant,” as it makes inheritance registration mandatory.
“In Japan there has been no strict system to foster inheritance registration, which led to the current problem of land registrations remaining in the name of the deceased for a long period of time,” said Yoshihara, the author of the 2017 book, Land Issues in the Era of Depopulation.
The government must work quickly, though, she added, “to make people aware of the new systems”—a major challenge given the disappearance of many rural governments over the last 20 years as villages with dwindling populations have merged with nearby larger towns.
“As Japan’s Empty Homes Multiply, Its Laws Are Slowly Catching Up,” Nikkei Asia
https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/As-Japan-s-empty-homes-multiply-its-laws-are-slowly-catching-up
Kato Tells Straits Times that Abe May Seek a Comeback
The heightened visibility of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has recently appeared in a number of media interviews, has raised speculations that he is seeking another run for the premiership.
An article in the Straits Times quotes Research Director Sota Kato as saying, “Naturally, Abe will have a desire to come back. He quit suddenly and failed to leave (a constitutional revision) legacy he has been so obsessed about.”
Current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is staking his political fortunes on speeding up Japan’s vaccination drive and successfully hosting the Tokyo Games. But this could be akin to a “lovers’ suicide,” Kato said, “if things go wrong and a much-feared ‘Olympic variant’ or fifth Covid-19 wave were to emerge.”
“Is a Premier Comeback on the Cards for Shinzo Abe?” Straits Times
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/third-times-a-charm-is-former-japan-pm-shinzo-abe-gunning-for-the-hot-seat-again
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