We explore the labor supply effect of the social security earnings test in Japan on those aged 65-69 years through a combined examination of the elimination of the earnings test in 1985 and its reinstatement in 2002. We present evidence showing that the effects of changes in the earnings test on...

This paper investigates the role of inter-firm transaction structure on industrial agglomeration by using Japanese firm-level transaction relationship data. First, we measure the industrial agglomeration for each industry. Next, we measure the intensity of transactions and inequalities of...

This paper empirically explores the reason why a recent surge of foreign direct investment (FDI) to developing countries has been mainly driven by less productive firms. To this end, we present a simple model of FDI with vertical division of labor in a heterogeneous firm framework. From a...

Japan's public debt is increasing exponentially, and it is a primary policy objective to restore its sustainability. In this paper, I survey the existing research on the sustainability of the public debt in Japan and find that it might be necessary either to increase the consumption tax rate by...

This paper examines all types of admissions systems currently in place in Japan, and evaluates their relative performance in the labor market using graduate income. In particular, by comparing the relative performance of admission systems requiring academic testing against that of those that do...

Using firm-level data of the Basic Survey on Business Structure and Activities and ICT Workplace Survey for 1995 and 2007, we examine the trends and the effects of IT investment in Japan. We also investigate the cause for the lack of advancement in the adoption of IT in Japan. Our main findings...

In this study, we analyzed the actual amount of gasoline transported into Tohoku region during the first month following the Great East Japan Earthquake. We found that: (1) the amount of gasoline supplied in the Tohoku region during the first two weeks was only 1/3 of the normal demand; (2) the...

Distribution services play a large role in intermediating production and consumption across borders. Using firm-level data on Japanese multinationals in the wholesale and retail sectors, this paper examines foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions of distribution firms for local distribution...

This paper examines how Japanese manufacturing multinational enterprises (MNEs) adjust to exchange rate changes. Using the micro-data of Japanese manufacturing MNEs from 1994 to 2010, we find that exports tend to respond to exchange rate changes, in particular when wholly or majority-owned...

Venture Capital (VC) is often syndicated to invest. The characteristics of each syndicate can vary not only in the number of VC but also in the heterogeneity of VC types included in a syndicate (e.g., bank-dependent, independent, and public etc.). This paper empirically studies how these two...