Longest Postwar Expansion? Yet 78% of Japanese Feel No Recovery, Just 15% Do
# economy# poll# sentiment# Japanese economy# domestic demand
Key Points
- Some see Japan's expansion as the longest of the postwar era.
- Yet in an NHK poll, only 15% felt the economy improving.
- A full 78% felt no recovery — a stark gap between data and sentiment.
Analysis
Some argue Japan's current expansion is the longest of the postwar era. But an NHK poll punctures the gap between the ledger and lived experience: asked whether they feel the economy improving, only 15% said yes, while 78% said no.
That divergence is a key reminder for Taiwanese readers — don't read Japan's economy by headline numbers alone. However long the expansion, if wages lag prices and domestic demand feels flat, most people feel nothing. It also explains why relief measures like a food consumption-tax cut are gaining traction. Watch wage growth and real purchasing power — the bridge from a paper recovery to a felt one.