Japan's household saving rate showed great volatility, was often low and even negative, and was high only during the 25-year … trends over time in, Japan's household saving rate via various socioeconomic and policy variables. This seems to suggest that … their children than other peoples, suggesting that the alleged social norm of strong family ties in Japan is largely a myth …

This paper develops and tests a model of Japan’s household savings rate, based on the life-cycle hypothesis that the … primary motive for savings is provision for retirement. The paper shows that Japan’s high household savings rate in recent … improvements in public pension benefits and the aging of the population. It projects that the savings rate will decline …