at 8:39 am EDT, 06/25/2012
Japan recently surpassed a dubious milestone when the country’s total
debt officially topped the one quadrillion yen ($14 trillion) mark.
Expressed as a percentage of the country’s Gross Domestic Product,
Japan’s total debt exceeds 225 percent of the country’s GDP, and with
the exception of only Italy, Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio is now more than
twice that of any other G7 country.
Despite having one of the world’s highest debt ratios, Japan’s debt
remains in demand even though yields on Japanese bonds are at their
lowest in nearly two years. The yen too continues to appreciate in spite
of efforts by the Bank of Japan to weaken the currency.
Considering how yields have ballooned for the more indebted of the
Eurozone countries, it may appear that Japan is not being held to the
same standard by the investing community. Greece was forced to work out a
deal with its creditors to avoid a default and bond yields for several
countries, including Spain, have risen sharply and are nearing levels
many consider to be unsustainable. Meanwhile, Japan has no trouble
finding buyers for 2-year bonds offering a measly 0.11 percent; given
all that we have witnessed in Europe, it seems counter-intuitive that
Japan’s bond sales and currency should remain so robust.
However, there is a fundamental difference between Japan and Europe;
in Japan, the vast majority of the debt is actually held by, and
continues to be snapped up by, Japanese institutions and the people of
Japan themselves. Very little – relatively speaking – of Japan’s debt is
held by foreign interests.
Unfortunately, while keeping most of the country’s debt within its
own borders may avoid issues similar to those facing the Eurozone, this
arrangement is not without concern. Japan is coping with negative
population growth and this means that as Japan’s soon-to-be retiring
workers leave the workplace, the number of younger workers to replace
the retirees are too few in number to support current growth levels.
This alarming situation puts the long-term sustainability of the economy
at peril. As we shall discuss later on, the demographics that have for
so long worked to Japan’s advantage, will soon align against the
country’s best interests.
Japan: A Nation of Savers
A 2009 breakdown of Japan’s debt placed foreign ownership at just
slightly over 5 percent. Clearly, Japan’s reputation as a nation of
savers is well-earned. However, in this case, the diligence exercised by
the people of Japan to build their savings has had unintended
consequences on the yen.
Because the lion’s share of Japan’s debt is held by the people of
Japan, and because they continue to eagerly purchase new bond issues,
the yen is considered well-supported. This, together with Japan’s
historically strong export sales has contributed to the yen’s track
record of consistent exchange rate gains. It is this track record that
has led to the yen being considered a “safe haven” destination.
Adding to the yen’s appeal as a safe haven currency is the
expectation that Japan’s inflation rate will remain stable for the
near-term at least. This reduces the likelihood of future buying power
being eroded by an unexpected rise in inflation and these are the
factors investors look for when seeking to shelter assets during times
of market turmoil. While there may be better choices for speculative
exchange rate gains, there are few other currencies offering the degree
of stability the yen represents, and with the growing uncertainty in
Europe, the amount of money “parked” in the yen is likely to rise.
While the yen bulls and those seeking shelter from market volatility
may welcome the yen’s persistent appreciation, the Bank of Japan does
not share the same enthusiasm. The modern form of Japan’s economy was
built largely on exports taking advantage of a cheap labor force and low
manufacturing costs as the country entered a rebuilding phase following
the end of the war in 1945.
Nearly seventy years later, Japan’s export industry remains a key
part of its economy but with global consumer demand still well below
pre-recession levels, Japan has suffered a decline in sales as importing
economies struggle to find their feet. Even internal factors including
last year’s earthquake and a general slowdown in productivity have
conspired to send Japan’s balance of trade into a rare deficit
situation.
Of course, it is not only a stronger yen that has hurt Japan’s export
sales. Japan is also forced to import its oil and rising energy costs
have further eroded Japan’s ability to compete. Japan’s well-documented
problems with its nuclear energy program will force Japan to continue
its reliance on costly forcing energy to power its industries. For a
country that counts so heavily on exports, this is a dangerous turn of
events and authorities have come under increasing pressure to ease the
yen’s rate of appreciation to make Japan’s exports more competitive.
Bank of Japan Intervenes
When Central Banks determine that weakening the currency would be
advantageous for the economy, the first course of action tends to be a
reduction in interest rates. The resulting lower yield on deposits
simultaneously reduces demand for the currency which can – potentially –
lead to a decrease in the exchange rate for the currency. For exporting
nations, a weaker currency can boost export sales as the reduced
exchange rate helps make exports more affordable for foreign buyers.
Previous attempts by the Central Bank to slow the yen’s ascent has
already resulted in slashing interest rates to just 0.05 percent. With
rates practically at zero already, there is no further benefit available
from an interest rate adjustment and the Bank can dispense with any
hope that other Central Banks will act to strengthen their respective
currencies. The European Central Bank is facing the prospect of a
possible recession in several Eurozone countries and this essentially
nullifies the likelihood of an interest rate hike at this time.
Likewise, the U.S. economy is recovering at a painfully slow rate and
the Federal Reserve has taken every opportunity of late to reconfirm
its pledge to hold interest rates at 0.25 percent at least until the
middle of 2014. This leaves the authorities in Japan no alternative but
to resort to direct market intervention to ease monetary policy.
Resigned to the fact that market intervention is the only viable
option still available for weakening the yen, Japan initiated a series
of actions last year to release trillions of yen into the economy. The
Bank has continued these efforts into the new year and since the
beginning of 2012, authorities have made an additional 20 trillion yen
available to the banking system. This includes a 10 trillion yen
infusion in February, followed by an additional 10 trillion yen in
April.
While the actions slowed the yen’s appreciation – even reversing it
following the February event – the impact was hardly long-lasting.
Looking at a chart tracking the exchange rate history, from February
until early March, the yen did indeed weaken with the dollar rising from
a low of just over 76 yen to the dollar to nearly 84 yen to the dollar:
US Dollar / Yen Comparison
However, since then, the dollar has continued to fall and as of the
first week of May, has retraced to about 80 yen to the dollar. This has
increased pressure on Japanese currency officials to take more decisive
action to protect exports as the yen once again closes in on 82 yen to
the dollar. Last year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku referred
to this level as the “line of defense to prevent currency strength from
harming the economy”.
Given that statement, and seeing that, presently, one U.S. dollar has
fallen back to about 80 yen, most expect further intervention is
inevitable.
Nevertheless, on May 1st, Takehiko Nakao, vice finance minister for
international affairs, opted to suspend the release of more money to the
system but did signal that further easing efforts remain under
consideration.
“We are concerned about the somewhat rapid appreciation of the yen
since the end of last week,” noted Nakao. “We will continue to closely
monitor the market with caution so that we can act in a timely,
appropriate manner when needed.”
Japan’s Demographic Trap
While officials grapple with what seems to be a currency that simply
does not react to the laws of economics, there is one law that even the
yen will be powerless to resist – the law of nature. Japan’s population
as a whole is growing older and the demographics point to a future where
retirees outnumber workers, and to a time when the country’s famous
savings will be whittled down to next to nothing.
Japan’s aging populace is the result of declining birth rates and
exceptionally low immigration. According to a 2009 United Nations
report, Japan was the oldest society on the planet with a median age of
44 years.
The outlook is expected to worsen as the country’s death rate now
exceeds the birth rate indicating the average age will only continue to
rise. Naturally, as more of Japan’s citizens reach their retirement
years, they will start to withdraw money from their savings thereby
reducing the pool of savings, eventually resulting in a near-total
drawdown on these funds.
The county’s growing legion of retirees will also have little need to
add to their savings and this could prove the event that forces Japan
to turn to outside investors to bridge the growing deficit. Unlike most
of those now buying Japan’s debt, these new investors will not be
purchasing Japan’s bonds for patriotic reasons – they will be looking
for speculative gains, and in order to attract new investors, yields
will unquestionably be forced higher. Considerably higher, in fact, and
given the current debt-to-GDP ratio, and a structural annual budget
deficit expected to top 15 trillion yen by 2015, investors may feel the
new Japan represents too great a risk.
With Japan’s population aging at an accelerated pace, and with the
coming generations insufficient in number to fill the thinning ranks,
the long-term sustainability of the economy is at risk. This is the
demographic trap that is poised to spring shut.
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