This thesis explores the Neoliberal policies by the Abe government regarding the attraction of foreign labor. The effects are analyzed on both the attraction of high-skilled as well as low-skilled...Show moreThis thesis explores the Neoliberal policies by the Abe government regarding the attraction of foreign labor. The effects are analyzed on both the attraction of high-skilled as well as low-skilled labor in supplementing the domestic workforce. Furthermore, it investigates the contrast to past policies and the effects in implementing foreign workers into the Japanese labor market.Show less
This thesis aims to explain why the cash reserves of Japanese firms have almost tripled in the years between 2013 and 2019, during a time where neoliberal policy reform should have encouraged...Show moreThis thesis aims to explain why the cash reserves of Japanese firms have almost tripled in the years between 2013 and 2019, during a time where neoliberal policy reform should have encouraged spending excess cash on extra investing. By combining a study of already existing literature on how these policy changes should have affected firms and a case study on how Japanese firms have actually reacted to the reforms, it becomes clear that they did not have the expected results. Investments are down and cash reserves keep going up. With the use of the theory of path dependency, this phenomenon can be explained. Traditional Japanese firms have a tendency to be more conservative and tend to be focussed on long term growth. While the business environment has significantly changed, the structure and institutions of the firms have stayed the same. Easier access to financial capital and lower interest rates have increased profits, but they have not changed the firm’s investment strategies. Instead the new earned profits have been assigned to the cash reserves for later use.Show less
Debt refinancing or consolidation is a trend for states worldwide. In Japan, due to Abenomics’ extensive monetary policy, state debt has risen greatly. This debt is deemed sustainable to the...Show moreDebt refinancing or consolidation is a trend for states worldwide. In Japan, due to Abenomics’ extensive monetary policy, state debt has risen greatly. This debt is deemed sustainable to the official discourse of financial institutions, since it is held nationally and debt is sought to be refinanced through the national financial system. This paper challenges this account that the state debt is sustainable, by analysing the specific discursive construction of the public the BOJ and the MOF enforce to render the state debt as sustainable. The result of the research is that the BOJ and the MOF try to utilise the public through identity construction, but that this identity is incompatible in terms of spatial, temporal and ethical dimensions. This undermines the credibility of the financial institutions, pressuring the sustainability of the state debt and the success of Abenomics. This research analyses the state-specific condition that allow for state debt, and therefore forms a lesson in how to assess discourse by financial institutions that can be applied to case studies worldwide.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to evaluate how much progress Japan has made in dismantling its most costly non-tariff measures (NTMs). Two specific industries are evaluated: the pharmaceutical and the...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to evaluate how much progress Japan has made in dismantling its most costly non-tariff measures (NTMs). Two specific industries are evaluated: the pharmaceutical and the medical devices industry.Show less
