Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Jagannath Panda’s article ‘Suga’s Strategic Choices in 2021’ has been published by the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies.
The article argues that Suga’s most pressing challenge in 2021 will be reviving Japan’s dwindling economy that has rescinded into a recession – the worst since the Second World War – amidst COVID-19. Critical issues such as a prolonged deflation, quick growing government debt, a declining global demand for Japanese exports and weak productivity outputs have been exacerbated by the pandemic. These have been further complicated by an overall shrinking population and an ageing society. Such challenges cannot be resolved in the short term; even in the long-run, they have remained persistent problems despite Abe’s flagship “Abenomics” outlook.