Mad, Mad World; Japan Prime Minister Unveils "Crisis Beating" Cabinet With Pledge to Increase Spending; Yen Sinks to Two-Year Low

The Keynesian and Monetarist clowns in Japan are going all out in Japan with pledges to ignore debt caps and implement "bold monetary policy".

Please consider Japan signals rise in borrowing.

Japan’s new finance minister has signalled that the government will borrow to boost the struggling economy, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a “crisis beating” cabinet on Wednesday.

At a press conference following his appointment as finance chief, Taro Aso announced he would issue bonds and lift a cap on new debt for the 2012 fiscal year.

“We will not stick to the debt cap of Y44tn ($514bn) [for the year through to March],” Mr Aso said. The debt limitation was introduced by the previous Democratic party administration, which was defeated in a landslide by Mr Abe’s Liberal Democratic party two weeks ago.

Mr Abe on Wednesday unveiled a cabinet of close allies and policy experts to push his agenda of economic recovery, just hours after being formally appointed as the country’s seventh prime minister in six years.

He has vowed to create a “crisis beating government” to tackle the deflation that has dogged Japan for more than a decade and also the strong yen. Mr Abe said he had instructed his cabinet to do their utmost to achieve economic recovery and reconstruction after last year’s devestating earthquake, and to ensure national security.

“I will direct the energies of my entire cabinet towards implementing bold monetary policy, flexible fiscal policy and a growth strategy that encourages private investment, and aim to achieve results with these three pillars,” Mr Abe said.

He has pledged to reflate the economy through fiscal stimulus and monetary easing. He has also called on the Bank of Japan to carry out “unlimited” easing and warned that the central bank risks losing its independence – through legislative changes – if it does not introduce a 2 per cent inflation target.

Nature and Origin of Japan's Crisis

Japan's crisis is not deflation as the economic illiterates suggest. Rather, Japan's problem is a debt-to-GDP ratio of 230%, caused by economic illiterates attempting to defeat deflation.

Mad, Mad World

It's a mad, mad world with monetarist fools in complete control of the Fed, the Bank of England, and the ECB.

If prime minister Shinzo Abe gets his way (and I suggest he will), Japan will lead the way with fiscal lunacy and the Bank of Japan will follow suit with massive monetary recklessness.

The Yen is at a two-year low in response to these events, and a currency crisis is now baked in the cake. Exact timing is all that's left in doubt.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

"Wine Country" Economic Conference Hosted By Mish
Click on Image to Learn More