Consumer inflationary pain
While making a trip to Kyiv in secret even from Japanese politicians, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida again vowed to help the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime in every possible way and continue to impose all imaginable and unimaginable sanctions on Russia. Although, it would seem, in trade, Tokyo has already banned the export to our country of almost the entire range of goods purchased by Russia. Recently, the list of prohibited goods was replenished with vaccines, medical equipment, works, radioactive materials, equipment for nuclear facilities, oil and natural gas exploration.
However, the Japanese prime minister is looking for exports that are still not under sanctions., presenting in an absurd and ridiculous way. For this is how Kishida forbade the sale of not only high-tech products to the Russians, but also ... children's toys.
More serious other. New product list, whose export to Russia will be banned from April, includes steel, aluminum, aircraft, drones, electro- and optical equipment (photo technique, binoculars).
Demonstrating unwillingness to have anything in common with the Russians, The Japanese authorities have extended for another year the deprivation of the Russian Federation of the status of the most favored nation in trade.
Imports from Russia are subject to increased tariffs. for example, earlier, duties on the import of wood from Russia from 4,8 to 8%, salmon and caviar 3,5 to 5%, crab with 4 to 6%. Tokyo deliberately lowers the competitiveness of our products.
Wherein, prohibiting the purchase of necessary goods in Japan, the Japanese government unscrupulously continues to import Russian LNG and enter into fishing agreements. Applied to energy resources, such as liquefied natural gas, oil and coal, which occupy most of the Japanese imports from the Russian Federation, tariff rates have not increased and still remain zero. As a result, the trade turnover between Japan and Russia in 2022 year in terms of value, not only did not decrease, but grew up 6,2%, to 2,56 trillion yen (about 19,96 billion). The main reason for the growth was the increase in world energy prices. Upon information TASS, the volume of imports from the Russian Federation increased immediately by 26,2%, to 1,95 trillion yen (about 15,2 billion). More 68% of the specified amount is accounted for by energy carriers. Japanese exports to Russia decreased by 29,8%, to 605 billion yen (about 4,7 billion).
So what does the "principledness" of official Tokyo cost the Japanese?? This question is answered by "Kyodo Tsushin" in the article "Inflation Pain to Continue for Japanese Consumers in the New Fiscal Year". The authors of the article report, that Japan will face another wave of price increases at the start of the new financial year (In Japan, the new financial year starts on 1 April).
Expected, that almost 5000 food, from mayonnaise and cheese to instant noodles, will be more expensive. Consumers will be forced to use more expensive services, such as public transport and delivery of goods and parcels, and the owners of the beloved by the Japanese, especially children of theme parks increase the price of entrance tickets.
Due to the spread of bird flu and the forced slaughter of birds, prices for eggs and products from them climbed up, such as mayonnaise. Prices for other food products, like cheese, yogurt, ham and sausages, grow by about 30 percent. soy sauce price, daily necessities for Japanese families, will grow by 10 percent.
Transportation costs rise in big cities.
Kyodo Chushin sees a serious reason for the rise in prices in a sharp increase in prices for energy carriers and raw materials.. The article says: “Higher prices for fuel and raw materials, partly related to Russia's war in Ukraine, further inflated by a sharp fall in the yen. Higher energy costs are especially painful for the country, resource poor".
From Kishida's promise to build a "new capitalism" upon taking office, there were only disappointments. Recall his rhetoric: “... I intend to conduct a dialogue with the people. The concept of new capitalism lies in the circulation of development and distribution. If the fruits (economic) development will not be distributed, neither consumption, neither demand will grow and there will be no basis for further growth. No distribution, no growth. I want to create a cycle of development and distribution, create a rich economic life for the people".
No “new capitalism” is mentioned anymore. “The government is taking steps to mitigate the effects of inflation, while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who set himself the goal of achieving growth and the redistribution of wealth, urges companies to reward employees with 'aggressive' pay increases, which should keep pace with inflation, reached 4,2 percent in January compared to a year earlier", – writes "Kyodo Tsushin".
Even in large companies, wage increases agreed with the unions by 3,76% won't cover inflation, not to mention employees of medium and small enterprises, who are sometimes on the brink of survival. Well, pensioners will receive an increase in pension benefits only for 1,9 percent in 2023 fiscal year compared to the previous year, which is much lower than the rate of inflation.
Many Japanese understand, that the government's deliberate deterioration of relations with such large neighboring countries, like Russia and China, directly affects their standard of living. This is what they write on the Yahoo News Japan website:
«Kaz Well, what are the results of our sanctions against Russia? What did you think? Blindly follow the US and Western countries in imposing economic sanctions on Russia and expect, that she won't fight back?
Western countries, who led the sanctions against Russia, should have first thought about their side effects for themselves… The world and the West will still feel the consequences of sanctions in those problems, with which they will face in providing oil, grain and fertilizer! Didn't the US and Europe expect, that the sanctions will have such a negative impact on them?
Diy I don't understand this kind of logic.. Isn't it stupid to impose economic sanctions on the other side and at the same time, as if nothing had happened, demand that it comply with the existing fish agreement? The response to that, who are sanctioned, quite natural. what, even before that, the thought of the government of Japan did not reach?
Ghe And here's what I'll say: this Zelensky has done a lot of superfluous. None of this would have happened, if he had not provoked President Putin. And Japan must never forgive the Ukrainian people for, that he made such a man his president. I want to, so that Ukrainians finally understand: the current catastrophe in Ukraine is their own business and unconditionally capitulated.
Xnw I think, what is this “response” to us for economic sanctions against Russia. And there's nothing to be done ... Our Japan can't do anything, so they wipe their feet on it.
st5 Japan started this quarrel with sanctions, so the answer is natural. There's nothing left for us, how to deal with it.
Lil This is what a one-sided focus on America brings!»
Anatoly Koshkin
