Shinji Takagi – författare

Conquering the Fear of Freedom presents an analytical review of Japanese exchange rate policy from the end of World War II to the present. It examines how authorities, starting with the imposition of draconian controls over all international financial flows, moved toward eliminating virtually all state interference regulating foreign exchange transactions, including official intervention in the foreign exchange market. It describes how policy andinstitutional frameworks evolved, explains their domestic and international contexts, and assesses the impacts and consequences of policy actions. Following successful exchange rate-based stabilization in the early 1950s, Japan entered the world trading system with an overvalued currency, which helped perpetuateexchange and capital controls. As the culture of administrative control became ingrained, Japan took a decidedly gradualist approach to establishing current and capital account convertibility. The protracted capital account liberalization, coupled with slow domestic financial liberalization, created large swings in the yen''s exchange rate when it was floated in the 1970s. Politicization by major trading partners of Japan''s large bilateral trade surplus pressured authorities to subordinatedomestic stability to external objectives. The ultimate outcome was costly: from the late 1980s, Japan successively experienced asset price inflation, a banking crisis, and economic stagnation. The book concludes by arguing that the shrinking trade surplus against the background of profound structuralchanges, the rise of China that has diminished the political intensity of any remaining bilateral economic issues, and the world''s sympathy over two decades of deflation have given Japan, at least for now, the freedom to use macroeconomic policies for domestic purposes.

Conquering the Fear of Freedom presents an analytical review of Japanese exchange rate policy from the end of World War II to the present. It examines how authorities, starting with the imposition of draconian controls over all international financial flows, moved toward eliminating virtually all state interference regulating foreign exchange transactions, including official intervention in the foreign exchange market. It describes how policy and institutional frameworks evolved, explains their domestic and international contexts, and assesses the impacts and consequences of policy actions. Following successful exchange rate-based stabilization in the early 1950s, Japan entered the world trading system with an overvalued currency, which helped perpetuate exchange and capital controls. As the culture of administrative control became ingrained, Japan took a decidedly gradualist approach to establishing current and capital account convertibility. The protracted capital account liberalization, coupled with slow domestic financial liberalization, created large swings in the yen's exchange rate when it was floated in the 1970s. Politicization by major trading partners of Japan's large bilateral trade surplus pressured authorities to subordinate domestic stability to external objectives. The ultimate outcome was costly: from the late 1980s, Japan successively experienced asset price inflation, a banking crisis, and economic stagnation. The book concludes by arguing that the shrinking trade surplus against the background of profound structural changes, the rise of China that has diminished the political intensity of any remaining bilateral economic issues, and the world's sympathy over two decades of deflation have given Japan, at least for now, the freedom to use macroeconomic policies for domestic purposes.

Asian economies strengthened their monetary and currency management after the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, and came through the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 relatively well. Nevertheless, the recent global crisis has presented new challenges. This book develops recommendations for monetary and currency policy in Asian economies aimed at promoting macroeconomic and financial stability in an environment of global economic shocks and volatile capital flows. Monetary and Currency Policy Management in Asia draws lessons from crises and makes concrete macroeconomic policy recommendations aimed at minimizing the impacts of an economic and financial downturn, and setting the stage for an early return to sustainable growth. The focus is on short-term measures related to the cycle. The three main areas addressed are: monetary policy measures, both conventional and unconventional, to achieve both macroeconomic and financial stability; exchange rate policy and foreign exchange reserve management, including the potential for regional cooperation to stabilize currency movements; and ways to ease the constraints on policy resulting from the so-called 'impossible trinity' of fixed exchange rates, open capital accounts and independent monetary policy. This is one of the first books since the global financial crisis to specifically and comprehensively address the implications of the crisis for monetary and currency policy in emerging market economies, especially in Asia. Presenting a broad menu of policy options for financial reform and regulation, the book will be of great interest to finance experts and policy makers in the region as well as academics and researchers of financial and Asian economics and also economic development. Contributors: J. Aizenman, M.D. Chinn, A. Filardo, S.-i. Fukuda, H. Genberg, H. Ito, M. Kawai, S. Kim, Y. Kon, P.J. Morgan, I. Patnaik, A. Shah, S. Takagi, D.Y. Yang, F. ZhaiA Joint Publication of the Asian Development Bank Institute and Edward Elgar Publishing

Asian economies strengthened their monetary and currency management after the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, and came through the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 relatively well. Nevertheless, the recent global crisis has presented new challenges. This book develops recommendations for monetary and currency policy in Asian economies aimed at promoting macroeconomic and financial stability in an environment of global economic shocks and volatile capital flows.

Monetary and Currency Policy Management in Asia draws lessons from crises and makes concrete macroeconomic policy recommendations aimed at minimizing the impacts of an economic and financial downturn, and setting the stage for an early return to sustainable growth. The focus is on short-term measures related to the cycle. The three main areas addressed are: monetary policy measures, both conventional and unconventional, to achieve both macroeconomic and financial stability; exchange rate policy and foreign exchange reserve management, including the potential for regional cooperation to stabilize currency movements; and ways to ease the constraints on policy resulting from the so-called ''impossible trinity'' of fixed exchange rates, open capital accounts and independent monetary policy.

This is one of the first books since the global financial crisis to specifically and comprehensively address the implications of the crisis for monetary and currency policy in emerging market economies, especially in Asia. Presenting a broad menu of policy options for financial reform and regulation, the book will be of great interest to finance experts and policy makers in the region as well as academics and researchers of financial and Asian economics and also economic development.

Contributors: J. Aizenman, M.D. Chinn, A. Filardo, S.-i. Fukuda, H. Genberg, H. Ito, M. Kawai, S. Kim, Y. Kon, P.J. Morgan, I. Patnaik, A. Shah, S. Takagi, D.Y. Yang, F. Zhai

A Joint Publication of the Asian Development Bank Institute and Edward Elgar Publishing

Japanese financial markets have grown dramatically and changed substantively in recent years. By surveying institutional changes and studying recent academic analyses, Japanese Capital Markets provides the first relatively non-technical and comprehensive introduction to the new developments in capital and other related markets in Japan.The book is divided into six parts: International Aspects of Japanese Capital Markets; The Framework of Capital Markets; Thte Bond Market; The Equity Market; Futures, Money and Foreign-Exchange Markets; and Investment Trusts and Securities Financing. The editor and contributors have focused primarily on the institutional details of the various markets (including stock markets, bond markets, and futures and options markets). However, there are also chapters on theoretical issues, legal and regulatory issues, and recent policy changes and developments including the foreign-exchange market, securities financing and securities market regulation. The contributors include academics and practitioners from the US, Japan and Europe. They are all recognized experts on the Japanese financial system and they have been commissioned to write on their respective fields of expertise with include economics, finance, banking and law. The book is rich in both institutional and analystical information, some of which has not previously been made available in English. The contributors have also provided new information obtained either from original research or from operational experience.