UKCityGent

Japanese public debt now officially hits a quadrillion and with almost zero interest rates and a large aging population - i wonder when the cracks will start showing. My bet is within the next 6 months.

Millhouse

If interest is zero and it can roll the principal, surely they can keep going for ever...

The Dean

They'll have to invent a new type of calculator to work everything out.......

Boomhauer

How much of it is external debt? With 0% interest , must be all internal debt?

Bahtatboy

Big difference from the west: most of their pensioners cost the state very little.

Norm_uk

Yup, they have a different set of issues but don't have the huge welfare and pensions bills we have.

N.

The Dean

I believe the Japanese tradition is that Granny and Grandad live with the family, rather than being sub-contracted out to care homes........ there are lots of them though - the post-war baby boomers are all in early retirement now and there were vast numbers of those.

Bahtatboy

Yes, but Japanese state pensions are very low, and virtually all healthcare costs are privately financed. That's not to say that it doesn't just shift the problem elsewhere...

Millhouse

I would hate this. I can't wait to shove the old man into the home and only visit at Christmas.