Abenomics: Will It Work for Japan and the Region?

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reshuffled his cabinet in September, vowing to “put the economy first” and “implement growth strategies.” A recent IMF staff report on Japan finds some progress for so-called Abenomics, but says that progress is uneven and substantial medium-term risks remain. The success or failure of the policies have important implications for both Japan and the region.

Drawing upon the IMF’s recent Article IV consultation, Dennis Botman and Stephan Danninger discussed the current state of Abenomics and its future prospects. A panel of experts expanded on the IMF’s assessment and considered how Abenomics could shape trade and capital flows, corporate sector strategies, and affect sovereign funding and other markets in Japan and the economies in Southeast Asia. James L. Schoff moderated.

This event was co-sponsored by the International Monetary Fund.

Dennis Botman

Dennis Botman is a deputy division chief in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department. His research includes general equilibrium modeling, financial crises and speculative attacks, aging and social security reform, and public finance.

Charles Collyns

Charles Collyns is managing director and chief economist at the Institute for International Finance (IIF).Prior to joining the IIF, Collyns served as assistant secretary for international finance at the U.S. Treasury.

Stephan Danninger

Stephan Danninger is a division chief in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department. His research includes determinants of countries’ export competitiveness, fiscal reforms, cross-country spillovers of financial stress, and growth-enhancing structural reforms.

Vikram Nehru

Vikram Nehru is a senior associate in the Asia Program and Bakrie Chair in Southeast Asian Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His research focuses on the economic, political, and strategic issues confronting East and Southeast Asia.

Tsuney Yanagihara

Tsuney Yanagihara is senior vice president and general manager of Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas) Washington, DC office. 

James L. Schoff

James L. Schoff is a senior associate in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese politics and security, and the private sector’s role in Japanese policymaking.