【止まらない円安】物価高を招く「円安加速内閣」!? 苦しむ一般市民と、笑う大企業 & ホクホク政府...混迷の日本に、中田敦彦が帰国し授業再開!貧しい日本に誰がした!? — Transcript
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- 0:00Hi, this is Nakata. All right, let's
- 0:02get right into it today. Extreme Modern
- 0:04Society. The unstoppable yen
- 0:05depreciation and the bold, flat economy
- 0:07. Japan is in trouble. So, here we are.
- 0:11Even as I say Japan is in trouble. Uh,
- 0:13I have recently returned to Japan from
- 0:15Singapore. I look forward to your
- 0:17support. Thank you. "Why did you come
- 0:20back?" you might ask. "You shouldn't
- 0:21have come back." Well, there might be
- 0:26such criticism from you all, but I
- 0:28intend to work and work and work and
- 0:30work and work and work here in Japan
- 0:32from now on, and I would like to do
- 0:33what I can for the sake of Japan, so
- 0:35today I'd really like to convey the
- 0:37current state, no, the tragic state of
- 0:39Japan to you all, which is why I'm here
- 0:41, so I hope you'll listen until the end
- 0:42. Yes, this is it. The unstoppable yen
- 0:48depreciation. "Nakata, you sure love
- 0:49talking about the weak yen." That said,
- 0:51I've been giving lessons on the weak
- 0:53yen for years now. They've been viewed
- 0:56millions of times, and although I think
- 0:58the causes have been conveyed to
- 1:00everyone, the voices of your anger are
- 1:01quiet. Why aren't the citizens angry, I
- 1:06wonder. It's because the mechanism is
- 1:09complex and hard to understand, right?
- 1:12You don't even know if you should be
- 1:13angry, or what's actually happening.
- 1:15But as a fact, yes. Just recently, on
- 1:19July 21st, 1 dollar finally hit 163 yen
- 1:22. "Oh, really?" At first we were
- 1:25surprised at the 150 yen range, but
- 1:27we've somehow gotten used to it. I
- 1:29don't know why, but it's something you
- 1:31just get used to. Yeah, you even get
- 1:32used to Singapore eventually. Oh, like
- 1:34there are pools in Singapore, right?
- 1:36Yeah. You stop swimming in them, don't
- 1:38you? Right, because you get used to it.
- 1:39Oh, it's just there. Like the pool. You
- 1:41stop swimming, you see. You swam at
- 1:43first, but then you stopped. You've
- 1:45gotten used to the dollar-yen rate
- 1:46being in the 150s, haven't you? Yeah. "
- 1:49Vegetables are expensive, rice is
- 1:50expensive, everything is expensive."
- 1:52You've just gotten used to it. But now,
- 1:54there’s news that it’s finally hit
- 1:57163 yen. What is happening here? I’d
- 2:00like to re-examine what exactly this "
- 2:02yen depreciation" means. So why is
- 2:04Nakata making such a fuss? It’s
- 2:07because when people say "yen value goes
- 2:09up or down," it’s hard to remember.
- 2:11So, I made a phrase to help you
- 2:12remember, using the words "yen" and "
- 2:14cheap." It means the value of the yen
- 2:16becomes cheap. That’s easy to
- 2:18remember, right? The value of the yen
- 2:20is getting cheaper. If the things you
- 2:22want become cheaper, you’d be happy,
- 2:24right? But you wouldn’t like it if
- 2:26the things you already own become
- 2:27cheaper, right? Like, "The house you
- 2:29bought has gone down in value." You
- 2:30wouldn't like that, would you? "The car
- 2:32you bought has gone down in value." You
- 2:34wouldn't like that, right? You’re
- 2:35happy when things you want to buy get
- 2:37cheaper. But it's frustrating when
- 2:38things you’ve already bought get
- 2:40cheaper. That happens, doesn’t it?
- 2:42Like, right after you buy a bag, you
- 2:43see the same one being sold at a 30%
- 2:45discount. That makes you angry, doesn't
- 2:47it? That’s the kind of thing that’s
- 2:49happening. You generally hold yen,
- 2:51right? When you open your wallet. Yeah.
- 2:53You don’t really have dollars or
- 2:55euros in there, do you? Because we
- 2:56don't usually use them; we use yen.
- 2:59Since the yen you have is losing value,
- 3:01that means we’re in a pinch. The
- 3:02house you own becomes cheaper. The land
- 3:04you own becomes cheaper. The bag you
- 3:06own becomes cheaper. That’s really
- 3:07painful, isn't it? That situation is
- 3:09happening right now. But still, there
- 3:12are influencers who say things like, "A
- 3:14weak yen is actually better, guys.""A
- 3:16weak yen is a plus for the Japanese
- 3:18economy." I don’t know about that.
- 3:20When you see people saying things like
- 3:21"Everyone else is an idiot," you start
- 3:23to wonder, "Wait, is that true?" But
- 3:24look, it’s not about whether it’s
- 3:26good or bad; the real way to think
- 3:28about it is who gains and who loses.
- 3:31This is the key point. A weak yen is
- 3:33actually profitable for certain people.
- 3:36And who would that be? Large companies
- 3:38that export products. It’s profitable
- 3:40for them. Because, you see, they sell a
- 3:43lot of things to foreigners. And then
- 3:46they get paid in the local currency.
- 3:48When you receive payment in dollars and
- 3:50then exchange those dollars for yen,
- 3:52yes. Instead of getting only 110 yen
- 3:55for one dollar, you get 163 yen, so for
- 3:58large export companies that earn
- 4:00dollars locally, they just can't stop
- 4:02smiling. They're thrilled. Also, for
- 4:07investors, people who are already
- 4:09retired and living off their
- 4:10investments, they mostly hold their
- 4:12assets in foreign stocks. They're
- 4:16living off their yields, you know?
- 4:20People who are basically FIRE, for them
- 4:22, since they hold foreign stocks and
- 4:24not Japanese yen, it's profitable. It's
- 4:29incredible, isn't it? So, who are the
- 4:31people left out? It's everyone who
- 4:33isn't in that group, yes. Everyone who
- 4:35isn't, raise your hands, that's
- 4:37everyone else. Yeah. When I say large
- 4:40export companies, I don't mean the
- 4:42employees. I mean the owners, you know.
- 4:45Yeah. There might be many people who
- 4:47work at Toyota. But if you say you "own
- 4:48" Toyota, people will ask, "Are you Mr.
- 4:51A?" Yeah. They'll ask if Mr. A is here
- 4:53today or if Mr. B is watching. Yeah. If
- 4:55you ask if anyone has bought Uniqlo,
- 4:57everyone has. But you don't "own"
- 4:58Uniqlo, do you? You just own a Uniqlo
- 5:00cut-and-sew shirt. You don't own the
- 5:02Uniqlo company. If you said you owned
- 5:03it, people would ask if you're Mr.
- 5:05Tadashi. Those people, like Mr. Tadashi
- 5:07or Mr. A, can't stop smiling. But for
- 5:10the vast majority of people who wear
- 5:12Uniqlo or drive a Toyota, the yen is
- 5:13getting weaker, so they're in a very
- 5:15tough situation. That's why when people
- 5:18talk about whether a weak yen or a
- 5:19strong yen is good, you have to ask:
- 5:21for whom? Please don't forget to ask "
- 5:23for whom" when we talk about whether a
- 5:25weak or strong yen is good. And the
- 5:28point is that these two groups are
- 5:30vastly different. When people say it's
- 5:34a plus for the Japanese economy,
- 5:35they're looking at this group here.
- 5:38When they say there are people who
- 5:39benefit, they're looking at this group.
- 5:41But the important discussion is that
- 5:43the majority of people belong to this
- 5:44group here, isn't it? The reason is
- 5:46that I didn't create YouTube University
- 5:48for people like Tadashi-san or Akio-san
- 5:50. If my subscribers were only Tadashi
- 5:52and Akio, my opinion would change. But
- 5:55it's clear as day that the vast
- 5:56majority of my 5 million-plus
- 5:58subscribers are on this side, so I'm
- 5:59going to speak to them—that’s the
- 6:01point. I’m just doing my own job,
- 6:04after all. Even Takaichi-san herself
- 6:07has said that she doesn't really
- 6:09understand which of these two is better
- 6:10. On January 31, 2026. When
- 6:15Takaichi-san gave a speech in Kawasaki,
- 6:17she said exactly that—that she
- 6:18doesn't know whether a strong yen or a
- 6:20weak yen is better. The Prime Minister
- 6:22herself is saying it, you see. Neither
- 6:24of us knows which one it is, right? On
- 6:26top of that. She's saying it’s a huge
- 6:28opportunity for export industries,
- 6:30right? So, for Takaichi-san, the point
- 6:32is that she wants to strengthen the
- 6:34Japanese economy, which is why she
- 6:35holds that opinion. Furthermore,
- 6:37you’ve heard people say that the
- 6:38Foreign Exchange Fund is "steaming hot"
- 6:40(making a profit), haven't you? That
- 6:41the Foreign Exchange Fund is "steaming
- 6:43hot." The only kind of "steaming"(
- 6:44hokuhoku) we know is a baked potato. "
- 6:46The Foreign Exchange Fund is steaming."
- 6:47My mom has never said anything like
- 6:49that before. That’s the first time
- 6:50I’ve ever heard that the Foreign
- 6:51Exchange Fund is steaming. I really
- 6:52don't want to be asked what this "
- 6:53Foreign Exchange Fund" is right now.
- 6:54Because I don't know. Because I don't
- 6:56want to look stupid. Exactly. The
- 6:58Foreign Exchange Fund is the foreign
- 7:00currency held by the government. In
- 7:02other words, the government is the one
- 7:04doing this. If you take the position of
- 7:07an investor, the government is making a
- 7:09killing. So, while the government as an
- 7:14economic operator might be "steaming"
- 7:16from an investor's perspective, none of
- 7:18us actually hold the Foreign Exchange
- 7:19Fund. If someone says "I have it," then
- 7:22the response is "Oh, you must be the
- 7:24government," but that’s not the case
- 7:25for any of us. In that case, this is a
- 7:27situation we really need to think about
- 7:29once. We’re starting to feel a sense
- 7:31of crisis, aren't we? "Oh, is that so?"
- 7:33"This is something I need to listen to.
- 7:35" The weak yen—if it stays like this,
- 7:36we're in trouble. So, what does a weak
- 7:38yen actually mean? It means, well, we
- 7:40can't buy iPhones. That dream of buying
- 7:42the latest iPhone every year has
- 7:44basically become a fairy tale. My old,
- 7:46old iPhone is cracked to pieces. But
- 7:48I'm still petting and obsessing over it
- 7:50just to keep using it. Yeah. And the
- 7:52reason is, the new ones aren't just
- 7:53white goods anymore. That's right. They
- 7:55cost hundreds of thousands of yen—I
- 7:57mean, what is this? Should I put it on
- 7:59display? Yeah. It’s like the iPhone
- 8:00has become some kind of gold bar.
- 8:02That’s exactly what’s happening. So
- 8:03, what’s the cause of this? If you
- 8:05ask me to explain, that’s where
- 8:06things get complicated. The cause is
- 8:08exactly what you'd think. The "Basic
- 8:12Policies" cabinet decision made just
- 8:14recently on July 21st is said to be the
- 8:16main culprit. Wait, hold on. I didn't
- 8:21understand a single word of that.
- 8:22That’s how it is, though. All I know
- 8:24is that it was in Japanese. The fact
- 8:26that the "Basic Policies" were decided
- 8:28by the cabinet. Honestly, I completely
- 8:31glossed over that. I was too busy
- 8:33chasing celebrity gossip. Like, hearing
- 8:36rumors about Onigoe Tomahawk fighting
- 8:38—you know, that kind of stuff. While
- 8:40we're busy asking if Ariyoshi is angry,
- 8:42these policies get passed and now we
- 8:44can't afford iPhones. That’s the kind
- 8:46of thing happening right now. I can't
- 8:48forgive the internet news for that. Why
- 8:49don't they have their priorities
- 8:51straight? Why does Yahoo News treat
- 8:53celebrity drama as more important than
- 8:55this? Isn't this more critical? Exactly
- 8:58. Yes. There are other opinions saying
- 9:01this cabinet decision isn't the main
- 9:02cause, though. Some explain that it's
- 9:07due to instability in the Middle East,
- 9:08leading to a "flight to the dollar"
- 9:10which drives the yen down. And what
- 9:14that means is, "the dollar in times of
- 9:16crisis"—crises like war, you know. So
- 9:19, for instance, if there’s a conflict
- 9:21in the Middle East and war breaks out,
- 9:23people around the world think, "It's
- 9:25dangerous, I don't know which country
- 9:27is safe, so let's buy the strongest
- 9:28currency in the world." They flock to
- 9:30the dollar, which is the most trusted.
- 9:32People in the Middle East or Europe
- 9:34think, "This is dangerous, I should buy
- 9:36dollars." That buying pressure drives
- 9:38up the dollar, which in turn makes the
- 9:40yen weaker. Some might argue it’s
- 9:43just relative, but I can explain why
- 9:45that’s not the case. What I mean is,
- 9:47you shouldn't just look at the
- 9:48dollar-yen pair. I think many of you
- 9:50are checking the dollar-yen rate,
- 9:51though. I'm telling you not to just
- 9:53look at the dollar-yen. You can look up
- 9:55the euro-yen, yuan-yen, or Singapore
- 9:57dollar-yen rates, right? If the
- 10:01euro-yen or yuan-yen are showing a
- 10:02stronger yen, then it’s the
- 10:03dollar’s fault. Yeah. It’s like,
- 10:08it's not that I'm falling, but everyone
- 10:10else is rising. You can only tell that
- 10:12if you look at your surroundings. Yeah.
- 10:14When that happens, you only think "is
- 10:15this an earthquake?" when everyone else
- 10:17is shaking too, right? Yeah. But then
- 10:19there are those times you think it's an
- 10:21earthquake, but it was just you being
- 10:22dizzy from alcohol. Yeah. That’s the
- 10:24situation we're in. For Japan, the yen
- 10:26is weakening all on its own. This is
- 10:29called the yen's independent decline,
- 10:31and since this state of the yen
- 10:33weakening alone has been continuing
- 10:35lately, it means the situation is
- 10:36domestic. And the thing that had the
- 10:40biggest impact domestically on July
- 10:4121st was the Cabinet decision on the "
- 10:43Basic Policies." The Cabinet decision
- 10:45on the Basic Policies—well, I barely
- 10:47understand what a Cabinet decision is.
- 10:49It means the Cabinet discusses and
- 10:50decides on something, right? And when
- 10:52they decide, what did the Cabinet
- 10:53decide? They decided on the "Basic
- 10:55Policies." You wouldn't want to be told
- 10:57, "You've got those Basic Policies,"
- 10:58would you? If someone told you, "You're
- 10:59taking the Basic Policies," you'd want
- 11:01to knock them out, right? I mean, I'm
- 11:02trying to lose weight here. It’s that
- 11:04kind of conversation, right? The "Basic
- 11:06Policies" are incredibly important.
- 11:08It’s a term you absolutely must
- 11:09remember. I want you to remember this
- 11:11when you become an adult. The "Basic
- 11:14Policies" have been issued every summer
- 11:16since 2001, starting under the Koizumi
- 11:18administration, as a major economic
- 11:20roadmap. This is the single most
- 11:24important document. Important for what?
- 11:26For budget compilation. In other words,
- 11:28deciding how to use the taxes collected
- 11:29from everyone in Japan—budgeting is
- 11:31the most crucial part, right? Yeah.
- 11:33Even in a household, when you're
- 11:35deciding what to spend money on—like
- 11:36whether to buy a car or maybe renovate
- 11:38or expand the house—Yeah. If your dad
- 11:40suddenly said, "I'm going to buy ten
- 11:42Rolexes!" you’d want to knock some
- 11:44sense into him. That’s why, for any
- 11:45group, a budget—how to use money—is
- 11:47the most important thing. Since the
- 11:50Basic Policies serve as the key
- 11:52document determining how that money is
- 11:54used, this major economic plan is
- 11:55apparently announced every year in June
- 11:57or July. Have you all been watching it?
- 12:01No, you haven't. Yeah. When people
- 12:03watch summer festivals like the Sumida
- 12:05River Fireworks, no one is out there
- 12:06asking, "Is the Basic Policies
- 12:07announcement out yet?" I mean,
- 12:09there’s no TV program where Hideki
- 12:10Takahashi and Masa are watching the
- 12:12Basic Policies together, is there?
- 12:13Because that’s the Sumida River
- 12:15Fireworks festival. Exactly. That's why
- 12:19we need to look at these Basic Policies
- 12:20. They talk about a "Basic Policies
- 12:29Shock," which actually happened on June
- 12:3130 th—a whole month before the July
- 12:3321st date—when the draft was leaked
- 12:35to the press. People were saying, "Oh,
- 12:42they're announcing the Basic Policies
- 12:44in July.""The Takaichi administration
- 12:45is finally going to announce its major
- 12:47strategy." Since it’s the first major
- 12:48policy plan for the Takaichi
- 12:50administration. "I wonder what it's
- 12:51going to be like; I'm looking forward
- 12:52to it." People in political circles and
- 12:54investors were all saying that. And in
- 12:57the midst of that, the prototype draft
- 12:59emerged. Since it was announced that a
- 13:02rough draft was coming out, the draft
- 13:04was reported in the news. And then, it
- 13:06hit everyone like a shock. Well, this
- 13:08was just too incredible. What was so
- 13:10incredible? There were three major
- 13:12government programs. What are they?
- 13:15First one. The five characters for "
- 13:18fiscal consolidation" were missing. Is
- 13:22it a surprise that they were missing?
- 13:23Why is this surprising? Because they've
- 13:25been doing this every year since 2001,
- 13:27right? This is a phrase that was always
- 13:30included every year since 2001. You've
- 13:33heard that Japan's deficit bonds are
- 13:35ballooning, right? Yeah. Deficit bonds
- 13:39are, you know, when we say "we're short
- 13:41on the budget, so let us borrow a
- 13:43little." Bonds are national debt, so
- 13:46the government issues them to raise
- 13:47funds. For a company, it's a corporate
- 13:50bond, and for an individual, it's just
- 13:52debt. That debt is expanding massively,
- 13:56and through things like Abenomics, the
- 13:58plan was to create a huge bubble to
- 14:00stimulate the economy and trigger
- 14:01trickle-down effects. We believed in
- 14:05that Abenomics dream, where even if we
- 14:07were in debt, it would stimulate
- 14:08everyone. We had those 12 years where
- 14:10we waited for the trickle-down,
- 14:12wondering why our throats were still
- 14:13bone-dry, tilting our heads in
- 14:15confusion. This struggle for fiscal
- 14:18consolidation has been going on for
- 14:20over 20 years. Every former Prime
- 14:24Minister and every Prime Minister
- 14:26before that all said they would do
- 14:27their best to consolidate the budget.
- 14:29What does that mean? It's like a father
- 14:32who is the most heavily indebted person
- 14:34in town declaring every New Year's Day:
- 14:36"I'll save money and pay back my debts
- 14:38this year." And we say, "Dad, you're
- 14:40saying that again?" Of course, he never
- 14:43finishes paying it back, and he
- 14:45actually keeps increasing his debt. But
- 14:48because he showed that enthusiasm every
- 14:50year, we thought, "Well, Dad says he's
- 14:52going to try hard this year, so..." But
- 14:54this year, despite the debt growing,
- 14:56that father was silent about it. "Wait,
- 14:59Dad, what happened?""Oh, this year's
- 15:01policy is over." It's over. No
- 15:04consolidation this year. That makes
- 15:07your heart skip a beat, doesn't it? As
- 15:09a family, you have to ask, "What's
- 15:11wrong, Dad?" That's what's making our
- 15:12hearts skip a beat. Instead, the old
- 15:15man has started suggesting that we all
- 15:17work hard on the debt-to-GDP ratio.
- 15:20What is that? I lost consciousness
- 15:23after four hours, so I was already
- 15:25asleep around this point, but this
- 15:27debt-to-GDP ratio is actually quite
- 15:29simple. Debt balance is comparing the
- 15:34total debt against the GDP. You learned
- 15:39about GDP, which is the economic
- 15:40activity generated, right? GDP, yeah.
- 15:43We studied things like Gross National
- 15:45Product and Gross Domestic Product,
- 15:46right? Yeah. With this GDP and the
- 15:51ratio of debt, the proposal is,
- 15:52wouldn't you be happy if that ratio
- 15:54went down? They’re changing the
- 15:57standards. You know the previous
- 16:00standard was a single-year primary
- 16:01balance surplus, right? I don't know it
- 16:04. What is that? Yeah. Being told about
- 16:08a single-year primary balance surplus
- 16:10is really unpleasant, isn't it? Yeah.
- 16:12The primary balance is, well, that
- 16:14financial balance. And that means we
- 16:17should think about it on a single-year
- 16:18basis. Instead of looking at a combined
- 16:21two or three years, the idea is to aim
- 16:23for a surplus by asking, "Did Japan
- 16:25make a profit this year or not?" Let's
- 16:28make this year a surplus. That's just a
- 16:30normal goal, right? Since a single-year
- 16:39surplus is quite strict, they started
- 16:41talking about the debt-to-GDP ratio;
- 16:43what they mean by this is, rather than
- 16:45repaying debt through austerity, why
- 16:47not lower the debt ratio by increasing
- 16:49GDP instead? They keep talking about
- 16:57debt, debt. Everyone, as a father, I've
- 17:00incurred debt, right? So, I've been
- 17:03turning off the lights and rationing
- 17:04water to save up and pay it back. I
- 17:07hate it. I'm sick of this kind of life.
- 17:10Instead, I want to live brightly, so I
- 17:12want to use electricity and turn on the
- 17:14faucets. And on top of that, I'm saying
- 17:17I'll work a lot more. Oh, I see. It's
- 17:20like that. So that's what's called
- 17:22active fiscal policy. To do that,
- 17:26everyone, please lend me lots of money.
- 17:29I'll take that and head to the
- 17:30racetrack. No, really, that's what it
- 17:34comes down to, doesn't it? The reason
- 17:36is, they're talking about this 370
- 17:38trillion yen public-private investment.
- 17:45They'll take 370 trillion yen from the
- 17:47government in taxes and from large
- 17:49private corporations, and by using that
- 17:51massive pool of capital, they hope to
- 17:53grow the economy so much that the debt
- 17:55won't seem as big anymore. I want to
- 18:01ask about that. Isn't it dangerous if
- 18:04it doesn't work out? That’s what I'm
- 18:05saying. It's like your dad borrowing
- 18:09money from the neighbors and taking all
- 18:11our pocket money and savings to the
- 18:13racetrack—it’s fine to go, but is
- 18:15there any guarantee he'll win? He
- 18:20doesn't want to save money to pay off
- 18:22the debt, so he collects money from
- 18:23everyone and says he's off to the races
- 18:25. That's essentially it. No, no, Nakata
- 18:29, don't compare Takaichi-san's
- 18:31investment to a horse race. It's a
- 18:33public-private investment. The Japanese
- 18:34people are going to get serious and
- 18:36invest, they say. Well, what has
- 18:37happened so far, really? That's the
- 18:39question. Yeah. We've had these before,
- 18:41right? Like the Cool Japan strategy and
- 18:43various organizations—we've created
- 18:45so many. If they were actually making a
- 18:46huge profit, we wouldn't be in this
- 18:48situation right now. Yeah. Things the
- 18:50government invests in don't always turn
- 18:51out to be winners. I'm not saying it's
- 18:54as unpredictable as a horse race. But
- 18:57regardless, there are uncertain factors
- 18:59involved. They're suggesting we change
- 19:04the standard and start thinking in a
- 19:05more positive direction. Huh, that's
- 19:08quite a profound way of putting it. I
- 19:11see. Instead of just cutting back,
- 19:15they're asking, "Can't you evaluate us
- 19:16based on diluting the debt through GDP
- 19:18growth?" That’s the first point;
- 19:22there are two or three more. The second
- 19:25point was language that felt like
- 19:26pressure on the Bank of Japan. They
- 19:30explicitly stated again that
- 19:32appropriate monetary policy management
- 19:34is necessary for a strong economy. What
- 19:38does this mean? For those who don't
- 19:39know, they’d just think, "Oh, I see,"
- 19:41and move on. But this is the key point.
- 19:44Monetary policy is not the government's
- 19:46job. Whose job is it? It's the Bank of
- 19:50Japan's job. Yes. The Bank of Japan
- 19:52handles monetary policy. The government
- 19:54handles fiscal policy. Yes. Monetary
- 19:56policy is about raising or lowering
- 19:58interest rates. Like bank interest
- 20:00rates. Ah, the interest rates for money
- 20:02everyone borrows are low right now,
- 20:03aren't they? They've been low ever
- 20:05since the days of Abenomics. They
- 20:07called it negative interest rates. It's
- 20:08called zero interest rates. The reason
- 20:10for that is that it's easier to borrow
- 20:12money to get the economy moving, but
- 20:14there are also negative side effects.
- 20:16If you have Japanese yen and you can't
- 20:18get any interest by lending it in Japan
- 20:20, you might think, "Maybe I should lend
- 20:22it in dollars instead." That's why
- 20:24people buy dollars. Low interest rates
- 20:27mean that, compared to other currencies
- 20:29, the yen becomes very weak. If you
- 20:33convert yen to dollars and hold them,
- 20:34it's more profitable to earn interest
- 20:36in dollars. This is called a carry
- 20:38trade. It’s a trade where you just
- 20:40carry the money over. So, low interest
- 20:41rates are good for stimulating the
- 20:43domestic economy, but when it comes to
- 20:45international competition, you can
- 20:46choose dollars. Or you can choose euros
- 20:48, which makes the yen weak. That's why
- 20:50Abenomics originally had a time limit.
- 20:52But it was "extraordinary" monetary
- 20:53easing, so the plan was to stimulate it
- 20:55with a big bang, and then tighten it up
- 20:57later. But since that didn't work out
- 20:59as planned, it just dragged on and on,
- 21:01and now they're stuck in this state
- 21:02where they can't back out. Well, zero
- 21:05interest rates have continued, but
- 21:06they’ve been raising them little by
- 21:08little recently. Governor Ueda at the
- 21:10BOJ is trying his best to raise them,
- 21:12right? And because he's raising them,
- 21:14he's getting glares from Mr. Takaichi
- 21:16and others. Why? Because they want the
- 21:18economy to boom. They want the economy
- 21:20to take off, but raising interest rates
- 21:22is the exact opposite of that. In other
- 21:24words, the reason the government and
- 21:26the BOJ are independent is because they
- 21:28are prone to conflict. The government
- 21:33is more popular with the public if they
- 21:35spend money freely, cut taxes left and
- 21:37right, and pursue aggressive fiscal
- 21:38policies. We didn't choose the Bank of
- 21:42Japan, did we? If there's anyone who
- 21:43says, "I voted for Mr. Ueda," well,
- 21:45that's a delusion. Where did you vote?
- 21:47Exactly, I didn't vote for Mr. Ueda.
- 21:49The people we choose are the
- 21:50politicians, the representatives of the
- 21:52nation, the members of parliament.
- 21:53Politicians always want to say things
- 21:55that are popular and pleasing to the
- 21:57public, but the Bank of Japan has a
- 21:59real job to do. That job is protecting
- 22:01the value of the yen. If you don't
- 22:02protect the value of the yen, people
- 22:03will say the dollar is better. Or that
- 22:05the euro is better. If people decide
- 22:06they don't want to hold yen anymore,
- 22:08its value will crash, and everyone will
- 22:09be in big trouble. That is why
- 22:10protecting the yen's value is their job
- 22:12. They are known as the guardians of
- 22:14the currency. This means the job of a
- 22:16currency guardian often conflicts with
- 22:17the job of running a government while
- 22:19seeking public popularity. That’s why
- 22:22they are independent, right? Or rather,
- 22:24what happens when that independence is
- 22:26lost? During World War II, the
- 22:27government wanted to print more and
- 22:29more money for the war, so they forced
- 22:31the Bank of Japan to do as they were
- 22:32told and print massive amounts of yen.
- 22:34As a result, the value of the yen
- 22:36crashed after the war. This is what you
- 22:38call hyperinflation. Regular, "good"
- 22:41inflation is a state where prices rise
- 22:43gradually, which is actually a healthy
- 22:45condition. Hyperinflation is when that
- 22:48process goes into overdrive—bread
- 22:51that cost 100 yen this morning becomes
- 22:531,000 yen by noon, and 10,000 yen by
- 22:55night. That’s why you see pictures in
- 22:57textbooks of people carrying bundles of
- 22:59cash just to buy vegetables; that’s
- 23:01hyperinflation, and the Bank of Japan
- 23:02is the final guardian to prevent that.
- 23:04The central bank and the government are
- 23:06supposed to be independent of each
- 23:07other. But in reality, they are in a
- 23:10weak position. The government holds
- 23:13more power and has the authority to
- 23:14make various appointments, so you can't
- 23:16help but feel they are walking on
- 23:18eggshells. Yeah. You never see Mr. Ueda
- 23:20acting aggressive and talking down to
- 23:21someone like Ms. Takaichi. He seems to
- 23:23be very careful with his words, doesn't
- 23:24he? That’s because, inevitably, there
- 23:26is a problem with their relative
- 23:27positions. When they tell the Bank of
- 23:30Japan that "appropriate monetary policy
- 23:32management is necessary," it's like a
- 23:34dad saying, "Hey, I'm about to go hit
- 23:36it big at the horse races.""It would be
- 23:41a problem if Mom kept all our money
- 23:43locked away in savings right now."
- 23:46It’s an approach of saying, "Give me
- 23:48my allowance appropriately." Deciding
- 23:52for them what is "appropriate" and
- 23:54saying it from the other side acts as a
- 23:56very strong form of pressure. That’s
- 24:00how the market read it. In short, this
- 24:03is the phrasing they are using. They
- 24:08are using this phrasing, but people are
- 24:10thinking this is a dangerous way to run
- 24:11things. Yes. It's not about what they
- 24:17intended to say, but how the recipients
- 24:19are reacting to it. People read it as,
- 24:25"Isn't Japan getting rid of its debt
- 24:27repayment funds, pressuring the Bank of
- 24:29Japan not to raise rates, and then
- 24:30trying to boost the economy by pumping
- 24:32out fiscal spending?" That's why I
- 24:37thought, "Oh, the yen's slide won't
- 24:39stop." Oh, so it's heading toward a
- 24:41weaker yen. Then, it makes more sense
- 24:43to sell yen to make a profit. Yes. The
- 24:45final straw is the expansion of
- 24:46spending with no funding source. That
- 24:48370 trillion yen in public-private
- 24:50investment I mentioned earlier is pure
- 24:52extravagance. It's like taking
- 24:54everyone's money and just going all in.
- 24:56It's the idea that, "Hey, if we bet on
- 24:57this horse and that horse, we'll
- 24:59probably win." I mean, exactly. There
- 25:01were news reports about that recently,
- 25:03right? About how much money they're
- 25:04giving to a certain game company. Is
- 25:05that game company really trustworthy?
- 25:07There was a debate about that, wasn't
- 25:09there? Yeah. It makes you worry that
- 25:10they're just handing out money to
- 25:12people who are close to the government.
- 25:14Because of things like that, this "
- 25:16extravagance" needs to be scrutinized
- 25:18extremely strictly, but this kind of
- 25:20rhetoric just makes people even more
- 25:22anxious. They aren't doing any
- 25:24cost-cutting for fiscal consolidation,
- 25:25are they? Aren't they putting pressure
- 25:27on the Bank of Japan? On top of that,
- 25:29the overspending isn't just about
- 25:30public-private investment. They're
- 25:32talking about consumption tax cuts.
- 25:33Cutting consumption tax on food, which
- 25:36is currently at 8%. Let's make that 1%.
- 25:39And even that remaining 1%, they say
- 25:41they'll make it effectively zero with
- 25:43handouts. It sounds good to the ears,
- 25:45doesn't it? It sounds pleasant.
- 25:47Politicians always tell us what we want
- 25:49to hear, but where is the distortion?
- 25:52Where is the fallout coming from? We'd
- 25:54be happy if they cut consumption taxes.
- 25:56We'd be happy if they hit the jackpot
- 25:58with public-private investments. We'd
- 26:00be happy if they worked well with the
- 26:02Bank of Japan. We'd be happy if they
- 26:03made a huge profit instead of being
- 26:05stingy and trying to balance the budget
- 26:06. That’s exactly it. Yeah. It’s
- 26:08happy news. But there’s no guarantee
- 26:10for it. And the question is, who is
- 26:13taking the hit? I mean, when you
- 26:16realize, "Hey, wait, is the money Dad
- 26:18is taking to the horse races actually
- 26:20our tuition?" you get a sudden jolt.
- 26:23Aren't we the ones suffering? Who is it
- 26:25? Who’s actually suffering? Is it big
- 26:28corporations? Investors? Or is it
- 26:31ordinary citizens? If it turns out
- 26:34we’re raising stock prices and lining
- 26:36investors 'pockets at the expense of
- 26:38ordinary citizens suffering, that’s
- 26:40just sad for us. That’s the narrative
- 26:44that investors—those people overseas
- 26:46—have seen through, and it’s why
- 26:48they’re issuing these warnings. But
- 26:51we’re just sad. What does that even
- 26:53mean? I don’t get it, so I can’t
- 26:56get angry. That’s why Nakata has
- 26:59returned from Singapore. I am
- 27:01explaining it. I’m saying that maybe
- 27:04you all should be getting a bit more
- 27:05angry. This is no time to be angry
- 27:08about "Why did Nakata come back?"
- 27:09Better to just leave a small fry like
- 27:11me alone. There are much bigger things
- 27:13happening in Japan. Don’t you think?
- 27:15Now, let’s talk about the trick that
- 27:17was seen through by the market. Why
- 27:18wasn’t it seen through until now? The
- 27:20approval ratings were incredibly high,
- 27:21weren't they? Yeah. The support was
- 27:23high, right? That’s because they were
- 27:25very careful with their choice of words
- 27:27to hedge their bets. And the reason is,
- 27:29there was a baptism of fire. Back in
- 27:322022, about four years ago, the Truss
- 27:34Shock happened in the UK. Four years
- 27:37before this "Honebuto" shock, the Truss
- 27:39Shock occurred, where a very popular
- 27:41female prime minister was elected in
- 27:43the UK, winning a massive majority. In
- 27:46parliament. And that woman said: "
- 27:47Everyone, everyone, I want to save you,
- 27:49so I’m going to implement massive tax
- 27:51cuts!" And everyone was like, "Wow, how
- 27:54happy!" And it’s the same, isn't it?
- 27:56"I’ll implement massive tax cuts.""
- 27:57I’ll do big, bold spending." And then
- 27:59, "Where’s the funding coming from?"
- 28:01That’s what happens. With what money?
- 28:03You want to throw a party, Dad, that's
- 28:05fine, but when you ask where the money
- 28:07comes from, the idea is that if you
- 28:09throw a party, everyone will get
- 28:10energized, work harder, and earn plenty
- 28:13of money. Do you see? Isn't it the same
- 28:15thing? If you throw a party, everyone
- 28:17gets energized. If you make an
- 28:18investment, it’s bound to pay off. So
- 28:20the idea is, why not just use that
- 28:21money so everyone can be prosperous?
- 28:23They already tried this. That’s the "
- 28:25Truss Shock." And what happened to Ms.
- 28:27Truss? Well, actually. Yes. She lost
- 28:29the trust of the market. The market,
- 28:31meaning the financial market. What the
- 28:33market is, is that countries have
- 28:35people buy their currencies—like the
- 28:36yen—and their government bonds. All
- 28:39over the world. The whole world is your
- 28:41customer. To buy yen, or not to buy.
- 28:43Whether to buy Japanese government
- 28:45bonds is open to people all around the
- 28:46globe. Those customers worldwide looked
- 28:48at the UK's stance and thought, "Oh,
- 28:50this person isn't thinking this through
- 28:52." Meaning, there’s no funding source
- 28:54. She’s just winging it. "Oh, if I
- 28:56keep dealing with this person, I'm
- 28:57going to lose money.""It's dangerous to
- 29:00hold British pounds.""British
- 29:02government bonds will become worthless.
- 29:03" Because of this, bonds were sold off
- 29:06and the currency was sold off. This
- 29:08double-dip of the currency and bonds
- 29:10hit hard, and she had to resign after
- 29:1245 days. They said, "This won't do, the
- 29:14British economy is being abandoned by
- 29:16the world; Ms. Truss, step down, step
- 29:18down." Knowing this, what did Sanae
- 29:20Takaichi say? She used the term "
- 29:22responsible aggressive fiscal policy."
- 29:24Remember that phrase? What does "
- 29:26responsible aggressive fiscal policy"
- 29:28actually mean? It's the aggressive
- 29:30fiscal policy she really wants to
- 29:32pursue. An aggressive fiscal policy is
- 29:34exactly that—splurging, throwing a
- 29:35party, and saying, "Get energized and
- 29:37go make some money." From the very
- 29:39beginning, people were suspicious that
- 29:41if she just said "aggressive fiscal
- 29:43policy," it would end up like that.
- 29:45Since Takaichi-san had been saying "
- 29:47let's do an aggressive fiscal policy"
- 29:48since the party leadership race, people
- 29:50were wondering if it would be okay, so
- 29:52she added that prefix. "Responsible
- 29:54aggressive fiscal policy"—a good
- 29:56phrase, isn't it? Yeah. It’s like "
- 29:58responsible horse racing." Responsible
- 30:00betting activities, you could say.
- 30:02Isn't that wonderful? I think it sounds
- 30:04kind of nice. Showing up in a suit and
- 30:06all. Yes. "I just really love that
- 30:08horse," you know. Ah, I really enjoy
- 30:10watching horses run, so I engage in
- 30:11horse racing activities with a sense of
- 30:13moderation. There's no reason to
- 30:15criticize that, right? It’s a legal
- 30:18form of gambling, you won’t get
- 30:19arrested for it, so if you have
- 30:21moderation, please enjoy it. There are
- 30:23horse racing programs, and there’s
- 30:25horse racing itself, too. Isn't that a
- 30:27good thing? It's just that they're
- 30:28afraid of losing their status or
- 30:29credibility, that's all. However, the "
- 30:31responsibility" part started to be
- 30:33questioned precisely on January 31st in
- 30:35Kawasaki, as I mentioned at the start.
- 30:37Right here. "I don't know if a strong
- 30:39yen or a weak yen is better." Wait a
- 30:41minute. Whether a weak yen or a strong
- 30:43yen is better depends on the entity and
- 30:45the timing. During Abenomics, there was
- 30:47indeed a very strong yen and deflation.
- 30:50That's why aggressive fiscal policy was
- 30:52called for back then. But what about
- 30:54now? It's become extremely weak yen,
- 30:56hasn't it? If so, you should correct
- 30:59that. We're scared if it's not you,
- 31:01Takaichi-san. Because we can't afford
- 31:03to buy iPhones. It's not about that,
- 31:04yet despite saying you don't know, you
- 31:06added that it's a huge opportunity for
- 31:07export industries. You started saying
- 31:09it's a report from an external advisory
- 31:11committee. Wait a second, you’re
- 31:13strongly favoring that side's opinion,
- 31:15but what about us? With that said, this
- 31:18was the main focus. The original draft.
- 31:21Finally, summer is here. We've had a
- 31:23lot happen. There was the Imperial
- 31:25House Law. Re-party, re-party, and
- 31:27various other things happened. "Is it
- 31:29now? Please, Yoshimura-san," that sort
- 31:31of thing happened, didn't it? Yeah.
- 31:33Amidst all that, the original draft is
- 31:35coming out. Why is this attracting
- 31:37attention? Because it's the most
- 31:38important document that influences
- 31:40budget compilation and is the major
- 31:42annual policy. This is the country's
- 31:44master plan. Alright, does Takaichi-san
- 31:46have responsibility? What does
- 31:47responsibility mean? This was the
- 31:49result of looking into that. Let's see.
- 31:52The market reacted to this. In other
- 31:54words, the people who were watching
- 31:56this while keeping an eye on the
- 31:58situation reacted, thinking, "Oh, so
- 32:00this is the original draft." That was
- 32:02July 1st, the very next day. The yen
- 32:05weakened to 162.84 per dollar, and five
- 32:08days later, the long-term government
- 32:11bond yield hit 2.830%. It went up.
- 32:14Long-term government bond yields have
- 32:16risen for the first time in decades.
- 32:18Yes. You don't really get what that
- 32:19means, right? It’s okay. I won’t
- 32:21leave you behind. What it means for
- 32:22long-term government bond yields to
- 32:24rise is that the country wants to
- 32:25borrow money. You buy government bonds
- 32:27to provide them with cash, you lend it
- 32:29to them, and they pay it back with
- 32:30interest—that’s what a government
- 32:32bond is. Unlike stocks, it’s a format
- 32:34where you get your money back with
- 32:36interest. When someone comes and asks
- 32:39to borrow money, saying they'll pay it
- 32:40back with interest—yes. If it's
- 32:42someone you really trust, you’d want
- 32:44to say you don’t need interest, right
- 32:45? They’re a close friend, after all.
- 32:47You’d think, "You’ll pay me back
- 32:48right away." Yeah. It’s fine, it’s
- 32:49fine. I mean, it's a long-time
- 32:51friendship, just keep it, keep it. Oh,
- 32:52they paid me back the very next day.
- 32:54You’d think, "You’re a solid person
- 32:55after all," right? However, if a flakey
- 32:57person comes and says, "Can you lend me
- 32:59money?" you'd think, "Oh, this guy is
- 33:00trouble." But what do you do when you
- 33:02can’t say no? You’d definitely want
- 33:04interest, right? Like, "Well, the
- 33:06interest will be high." This is it.
- 33:08Trust and interest rates are inversely
- 33:10related. That’s why you can only
- 33:12borrow from a bank if you’re working
- 33:13for a company that earns a substantial
- 33:15amount of money. "Oh, I see," you think
- 33:18. "How much is your mortgage, what’s
- 33:19your salary, what kind of company is it
- 33:21?" That’s how the bank decides to
- 33:23lend. Yeah. But sometimes the bank
- 33:25won't lend to you. And friends won't
- 33:26lend to you either. The people who end
- 33:28up going to places with exorbitant
- 33:29interest rates are those types of
- 33:30people. They end up in the world of
- 33:32loan sharks like*Ushijima the Loan
- 33:33Shark*. Yeah. In those shady,
- 33:34ridiculous places, they say things like
- 33:36, "It's the city, you know, it's the
- 33:37city." Charging 50%every ten days
- 33:39happens because there is no trust.
- 33:41Because there's no trust and you can't
- 33:42borrow otherwise, the interest rate
- 33:44goes up. In other words, since a
- 33:45country with high trust has bonds
- 33:47everyone wants to hold even if the
- 33:49profit is thin, the interest can be low
- 33:51. So, if government bond yields rise,
- 33:54it means the world is demanding higher
- 33:56interest from Japan when it borrows
- 33:58money. Got it? That’s what it means.
- 34:01Yes. Interest is rising. The yen is
- 34:03falling. The value of what you own is
- 34:05dropping. And the interest rate on the
- 34:07money you borrow is going up. In other
- 34:09words, Japan's credit is declining.
- 34:12This has finally emerged as a result of
- 34:14this draft. That is exactly why. They
- 34:18know how serious this issue is, which
- 34:20is why they announced they would revise
- 34:22the "bold" draft the day after, July
- 34:247th. Do you understand? They are
- 34:28revising the "bold" draft. Are you
- 34:30following? It's like saying they're
- 34:32going to bend the unshakeable main
- 34:33pillar of the house. The term "bold"(
- 34:36honebuto) comes from Kiichi Miyazawa,
- 34:38who was Finance Minister in 2001. He
- 34:41said, "Forget the trivial arguments;
- 34:43let's have a bold discussion so the
- 34:45public can easily understand where
- 34:47Japan is headed." That's why it's
- 34:49called "bold." That is exactly why it
- 34:51is meant to be an unchanging master
- 34:53plan. And yet, they've started talking
- 34:55about revising that "bold" plan. That
- 34:56means something serious is happening.
- 34:58Basically, they fear this trap more
- 35:00than anything, which is why they're
- 35:01adding to it. What did they add? They
- 35:03added some wording. It means "while
- 35:06realizing a stable rise in prices."
- 35:10Rest assured, it's about stable price
- 35:12growth—in other words, they are
- 35:13saying they won't let it become
- 35:15hyperinflation. A stable rise in prices
- 35:17is the best possible economic situation
- 35:19, you see. They don't want to cause
- 35:21hyperinflation, right? It’s like
- 35:23saying, "We won't go bankrupt.""I’m
- 35:25going gambling.""But I won't go
- 35:27bankrupt," that's what they're saying.
- 35:28They're saying, "We will keep it stable
- 35:30." But, did you believe them after
- 35:32hearing that? You didn't, did you? "
- 35:33Dad's going to the horse races.""It'll
- 35:35be fine.""Dad, your policy is worrying,
- 35:37are you sure? The big gamble, is it
- 35:39okay?""It's fine.""I won't go bankrupt.
- 35:41""I won't cause trouble for everyone,
- 35:42okay?" Hmm. Wait, just a moment ago...
- 35:44The market reacted. Government
- 35:46long-term interest rates. Yes. The next
- 35:48day, it hit 2.870%; it went up again
- 35:51from 0.830%. Even though they revised
- 35:53it, it went up. Looking at Dad's
- 35:55revision, the market said, "Yeah, I see
- 35:56.""I'm going to raise it," it said.
- 35:58It's a harsh market, isn't it? If I try
- 36:00a little harder and bow my head, they
- 36:01just raise the interest rates on me;
- 36:03it’s tough, isn't it? On top of that,
- 36:05it's getting dangerous. The next day,
- 36:07it hit 2.9%, going up even further.
- 36:09It's going up day by day, isn't it?
- 36:12Ushijima is just too scary, so they're
- 36:14revising it again on July 10th. They're
- 36:17modifying the "Basic Policies," and
- 36:18it's basically becoming a mess of
- 36:20revisions. That's what it is. They're
- 36:23saying that this final adjustment isn't
- 36:24about putting pressure on the Bank of
- 36:26Japan. They say they'll leave the
- 36:30specific methods of monetary policy to
- 36:32the Bank of Japan. They're saying it
- 36:34properly all over again. But this is a
- 36:36strange story. This is just a normal
- 36:38thing decided by law. The fact that
- 36:40they're saying it again means they know
- 36:41they're being suspected of this. They
- 36:43know, so that's why they're saying it.
- 36:45They're explicitly saying that they'll
- 36:47leave the methods up to the Bank of
- 36:48Japan. And what's more. In addition,
- 36:51there's Minister Katayama. Finance
- 36:53Minister Katayama, that is. Yes. He
- 36:57hinted that it's possible to support
- 36:58government bonds using the GPIF. I
- 37:02don't really get what this means. I'm
- 37:03not going to leave you behind. You
- 37:05might not know GPI. It sounds like IWGP
- 37:07—Ikebukuro West Gate Park—which is
- 37:09nostalgic for my generation. Kubozuka
- 37:11is the best, but it's not GPI. GPIF is
- 37:14the pension fund. In other words, it's
- 37:17collecting pensions from everyone.
- 37:19Everyone pays their pension, right?
- 37:20You're paying it, right? What happens
- 37:22to those pensions? It's not just about
- 37:24saving them up and having Mr. Aso stare
- 37:26at them blankly. It's not like Mr. Aso
- 37:27is just sitting there smoking while
- 37:29watching over the pension fund. They
- 37:31invest what's collected to return the
- 37:32profits to everyone and benefit the
- 37:34nation. That's why it's the national
- 37:38pension fund. Yes. This GPIF is said to
- 37:41be the world's largest institutional
- 37:43investor, collecting and investing
- 37:44funds. What does it mean to support
- 37:47government bonds with this GPIF? Yes.
- 37:50GPIF should be used to maximize
- 37:52everyone's benefits, right? But this is
- 37:56saying they'll buy bonds so that
- 37:57interest rates don't rise too much. Yes
- 38:00. Do you get what that means? They're
- 38:03using money collected from everyone to
- 38:05keep unpopular products from falling in
- 38:07price. Understand? They should use the
- 38:09money collected from everyone to make a
- 38:11profit. So I want them to say they're
- 38:13going to buy popular assets instead.
- 38:14Yeah. Snatching up everyone's popular
- 38:16goods, right? "I'll go buy some popular
- 38:18sweets.""Please go buy me some Mochurin
- 38:20," you say. But it turns out, the guy
- 38:21had a friend who ran a Japanese
- 38:23confectionary shop. Yeah. And that shop
- 38:25was about to go under. So it's like, "
- 38:26Mochurin is fine and all, but I bought
- 38:28you some ohagi instead." Don't buy
- 38:30ohagi! We gave you the money because we
- 38:32thought we were getting Mochurin. You'd
- 38:35wonder if any country would actually
- 38:37buy ohagi just to suit their own agenda
- 38:39, right? Well, it's actually happened.
- 38:42There's a historical precedent? Yes,
- 38:45the UK right after World War II. The UK
- 38:49at that time had spent so much on the
- 38:50war, they were drowning in debt. Their
- 38:54debt-to-GDP ratio was exactly 200%.
- 38:57Since their debt was twice what they
- 38:59earned, the Great British Empire lost
- 39:02its status as the anchor currency, and
- 39:04the post-WWII era became America's time
- 39:06, right? The reason for that was
- 39:08because the UK spent way too much money
- 39:10on the war. They're starting to suggest
- 39:13they might do what the UK did when it
- 39:15was in that kind of pinch. You get it?
- 39:19They're saying they'll use the money
- 39:20collected from everyone to buy ohagi so
- 39:22it doesn't lose its value—they're
- 39:24actually going that far. This is a huge
- 39:26deal, isn't it? Because of this
- 39:28statement, the dollar pulled back from
- 39:31162 yen to the 161 yen range. People
- 39:35thought Katayama-san might be serious,
- 39:37wondering if there was something to it,
- 39:39so it pulled back to 161 yen. It made a
- 39:42slight recovery. But at this stage,
- 39:45it's just a draft. Even if it's the "
- 39:47Basic Policy," it's just a draft. It
- 39:49hasn't been officially decided by the
- 39:51Cabinet yet, so please wait. Please
- 39:53wait until the Cabinet decision is made
- 39:54. Please wait for the official
- 39:55announcement. When is the official
- 39:57announcement? Four days after this. We
- 39:59are planning for the 14th. However, it
- 40:01went poorly. It's been delayed by a
- 40:03week. Why? Because they're scared,
- 40:05they're terrified. If they announce it,
- 40:08no, that won't work. Then, the yen's
- 40:11depreciation and the rise in long-term
- 40:13bond yields didn't stop. That would be
- 40:15a trap, wouldn't it? So they must have
- 40:17been arguing back and forth. Are we
- 40:18going with this? Do we go? Or not? What
- 40:20do we do? I'm the "Basic Policy." It's
- 40:22going to be nothing but bones.
- 40:23They’re making such a huge fuss about
- 40:24it. So it was delayed until the cabinet
- 40:26decision on the 21st. Yes. Now you
- 40:29finally understand the gravity of the
- 40:31cabinet decision on the Basic Policies.
- 40:33An annual master plan. It was a major
- 40:36conflict. A final trick after two
- 40:38revisions. They even mentioned what the
- 40:41UK did after the war and made some
- 40:43terrifying, drastic revisions before
- 40:45the final decision. Everyone was paying
- 40:48attention. They watched. Then, of
- 40:50course, they added this. The specific
- 40:52methods are left to the Bank of Japan.
- 40:54Stable price increases, right. They say
- 40:56they will strictly uphold that. However
- 40:58, they also say this, yes. Basically,
- 41:02the mention of fiscal consolidation was
- 41:04gone, and it explicitly stated they are
- 41:06determined to expand spending without a
- 41:08funding source. What was the result of
- 41:12that? Yes, let's go back to the first
- 41:14news. Exactly, the dollar hit the 163-
- 41:18yen range; we've entered an
- 41:20unprecedented red zone. In other words,
- 41:24it hasn't recovered. The master plan
- 41:29finalized by the cabinet was met with a
- 41:31"no" from the market today. Wow, that's
- 41:37thrilling. What’s going to happen now
- 41:40? Of course, there are many variables,
- 41:42so you can't say for sure what will
- 41:44happen with exchange rates. But there
- 41:50is the fact that the yen's depreciation
- 41:52hasn't stopped, the fact that there was
- 41:54so much conflict, and the fact that
- 41:55what they produced is causing these
- 41:57results. What is happening here? In
- 42:04short, the Japanese people now have to
- 42:06compile a budget while being told "no"
- 42:08by the market, which is called the "
- 42:10final opposition party." A "no" from
- 42:12the market. What does this "final
- 42:14opposition party" mean? In the UK,
- 42:17Truss was very popular. She had all the
- 42:20seats. So the opposition was weak and
- 42:21she could just brush them off. She was
- 42:23popular with the public, too. Why?
- 42:25Because she was handing out money. If
- 42:26you give people money, they’ll stay
- 42:28quiet. If the opposition doesn't have
- 42:30enough seats, they stay quiet. So there
- 42:32was nothing to fear. That's why Truss
- 42:34made a bold announcement, but the "
- 42:35final opposition party" cornered her.
- 42:38That was the market. The market is
- 42:40extremely severe; it's not about
- 42:42emotional attachment or sentiment. It's
- 42:45because they buy and sell based on
- 42:47whether an entity has a future and
- 42:48whether they can make a profit from it.
- 42:51It operates on principles different
- 42:53from ours. The opposition parties in
- 42:55Japan today are far too weak, aren't
- 42:57they? What even happened there? They
- 42:59kept joining up and splitting apart,
- 43:00didn't they? Is that name even
- 43:02appropriate anymore? Yeah. There was an
- 43:04opposition party that seemed to drift
- 43:05away while we were wondering if they
- 43:06were okay. There's a term called "Yu-to
- 43:08," referring to a party that acts like
- 43:09an opposition but leans toward the
- 43:11ruling party. It's a clever dynamic
- 43:12between the opposition and the ruling
- 43:14party, isn't it? That "Yu-to" term
- 43:16became a bit of a buzzword for a while.
- 43:18I mean, they held the casting vote,
- 43:20standing between the LDP which didn't
- 43:21have a majority, acting like a bat that
- 43:23changes sides, wondering, "Should I go
- 43:25here, or should I go there?""If you
- 43:27want me to join you, you have to accept
- 43:28one of my conditions." It’s that kind
- 43:30of strategy. The casting vote strategy
- 43:32was in its prime because the LDP lacked
- 43:34a majority. But that doesn't work
- 43:37anymore. Why? Because the LDP won an
- 43:39overwhelming majority. In other words,
- 43:42they get absorbed— "We'll accept just
- 43:44one condition, so come join us," they
- 43:46say, like picking and choosing between
- 43:47different people. "Should I pick Tamaki
- 43:50or Yoshimura?" they wonder. Yeah. And
- 43:52while they're debating that, the "Yu-to
- 43:53" gets swallowed up. And in the end,
- 43:55it’s the citizens who are left
- 43:56completely bewildered. Yeah. I mean,
- 43:58everyone actually believes the Prime
- 43:59Minister when he says he doesn't know
- 44:01if a weak yen or a strong yen is better
- 44:02, right? They really think he doesn't
- 44:04know. They believed it because they
- 44:05didn't understand, didn't they? Since
- 44:07they believe it, that's what happens.
- 44:08They're just blowing smoke. I mean,
- 44:10isn't that obvious? If you can't even
- 44:11afford an iPhone, why would a weak yen
- 44:13be good? You can't even buy a basic
- 44:14iPhone. Did you go on an overseas trip?
- 44:16Yeah. I pushed myself to go to Hawaii,
- 44:18but...Hearing the reports from people
- 44:19coming back with bloody noses, saying,
- 44:21"Breakfast cost 4,000 yen," just like
- 44:22the Survey Corps. We were crying,
- 44:24weren't we? You gathered the courage to
- 44:25go to Hawaii, and yet. Charged for a
- 44:27single pancake. It’s a rip-off. You
- 44:29got caught in a tourist trap, right?
- 44:30Just tell me that. No, it was just a
- 44:32regular pancake. Everyone else was
- 44:33paying it. The other people were just
- 44:35the Japanese folks. I came back shocked
- 44:37. If you hear this and feel happy about
- 44:39it, then please keep quiet, that's what
- 44:41it comes down to. But this is tough. I
- 44:46want to travel to Hawaii or Korea like
- 44:48back in the day. For those of you
- 44:51saying you want to buy an iPhone too,
- 44:52there are things you need to consider.
- 44:55I’ve returned to talk about those
- 44:56very things. I want to teach lessons in
- 44:58Japan. I want to keep sharing this kind
- 45:00of information from now on. Of course,
- 45:02there are many different ways of
- 45:03thinking. There’s the argument that
- 45:05there's another perspective, and that
- 45:06if the Japanese economy recovers, it
- 45:08might truly become vibrant again. Talk
- 45:10about what happens if things go well,
- 45:11too. That might also be a possibility.
- 45:15But for me, it's precisely because
- 45:16things are moving in that direction
- 45:18that I feel I must teach you about this
- 45:20other side. Please let me give you more
- 45:23informational lessons. I’d really
- 45:25like to teach. I'm not a politician.
- 45:28And comedians don't even think I'm a
- 45:30comedian anymore. Nobody knows what I
- 45:32am. That’s exactly why there are
- 45:33things I can say. I have no position
- 45:35and nothing to gain. I don’t belong
- 45:37to any political party. Since I’m a
- 45:39lonely, independent YouTuber not
- 45:40affiliated with any agency, there are
- 45:42things I can say—so if you find this
- 45:44interesting or learned something,
- 45:45please subscribe to my channel.
- 45:48That’s how I feel. Furthermore, if
- 45:50there’s anyone who wants to come see
- 45:51my lessons live......I would really
- 45:55love for you to sign up for membership.
- 45:58You want to hear Nakata’s lessons
- 45:59live. With membership, you can listen
- 46:01to Nakata’s thoughts via daily
- 46:02weekday live streams. On top of that,
- 46:04you can come watch the lessons in
- 46:06person. And then, we can become friends
- 46:07and hold meetups. Let’s go camping,
- 46:09too. It’ll be fun. Please come. I,
- 46:13Atsuhiko Nakata, will keep working,
- 46:16working, working, working, and working.
- 46:18Until the day Japanese people can
- 46:20afford iPhones again. See you next time
- 46:22.
About this transcript
This page contains the full transcript of 【止まらない円安】物価高を招く「円安加速内閣」!? 苦しむ一般市民と、笑う大企業 & ホクホク政府...混迷の日本に、中田敦彦が帰国し授業再開!貧しい日本に誰がした!? by 中田敦彦のYouTube大学 - NAKATA UNIVERSITY, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 8,681 words across 1,325 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.
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