Japan on the Upswing -- Japan on the Upswing -- Why the Bubble Burst -- and Japan's Economic Renewal -- Yoshiyuki Iwamoto -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables and Figures -- Preface -- Part 1. Misguidance and Miscalculations from 1990 to 2002 -- Chapter 1. 1990-2002: What Happened in Japanese Finance -- NBs, A New Financial Institution -- What Did Borrowers Say About This? -- More on Real Estate Loans in the 1980s -- Lending to Real Estate - A Magic Wand -- Former Billionaire Sasaki's Fortune -- A Lot Purchased in 1964 Shot up 300 Times -- Wheel of Fortune Goes the Wrong Way Round -- "Jyusen" Companies -- Funds from Agriculture/Forestry-Related Sources -- "Ji-a-ge" Loans -- How Grand Was the Lending Spree? -- An Example of How "Jyusen" Company Was Used -- Loans Extended for as Much as 120% of the Security -- Soryo Kisei (Total Volume Restriction) -- Write-Off Free of Taxation or with Taxation -- What Happened to the "Jyusen"? -- The Role Played by Agricultural Co-operatives -- Over ¥6 Trillion (75 billion) Turned Sour -- A Secret Pact -- MOF Sold Out to AFF -- Clearing Up the Bad Loans to "Jyusen" Companies -- Chapter 2. Scandals Involving MOF Officials -- MOF-Tan -- Main Job of the MOF-Tan -- Surprise Inspection -- MOF-Tan and Scandals Involving MOF Officials -- MOF Inspectors -- Career Officials -- Non-Career Officials -- Suicide of an Inspector -- Career Officials vs. Non-Career Officials -- Beautiful Crimson Leaves -- The Background of MOF Officials -- Chapter 3. Financial Institutions: Lending Activities and Crises -- Rags to Riches and Back -- Too Busy to Check the Collateral -- Loans Called In by Major Banks -- A Seal Is a Seal Is a Seal -- How Small Businesses Are Served -- The First Financial Crisis in 1994 -- Second Financial Crisis in 1998 -- Looking Up in 1997 - Until the Tax Hike -- Financing Small Businesses.

Chapter 4. Trade Credit -- Payment in Bills and Notes -- Notes Issuable by Companies -- Checks with Two Slant Lines -- At Least 64% of Business by All Companies Conducted in Notes -- Examples of Notes Used by Leading Companies in 10 Fields -- Kajima -- Nintendo -- Toyota -- Yamada Denki (Electric) -- Takeda Pharmaceutical -- Shiseido -- Matsumotokiyoshi -- MacDonalds Japan -- Starbucks -- Dentsu -- A Client May Be Rejected -- Risks Involved in Promissory Notes -- Chapter 5. Self-Induced Recession -- Onset of Deflation in 1998 -- Plaza Accord for Redressing the Balance -- Takeshita Called for Stronger Yen in Response to US Deficits -- Paul Volcker's Request for Official Rate Reduction -- Former Prime Minister Miyazawa Speaks up -- Japan's Bubble Was a Big Boon to the US -- Every Japanese Paid a Share of the 9 Billion -- No Increase in Iraqi Oil Imports -- American Officials' Contributions to Decrease Trade Deficit -- Lawrence Summers -- Michael H. Armacost -- Expansion of Japan's Domestic Demand Sought -- Chapter 6. Financial Institutions in the Millennium -- Cross-Holding of Shares -- Bad Loans in 2002 -- Outstanding Balance to Be Reduced -- Setup for Accommodating Bad Loans -- More Mergers? -- Root Cause of Japan's Bad Loans -- One Calculation of Bad Loans -- Clearing Bad Loans -- How Big Were Bad Loans? -- New Classification of Bad Loans -- Hidden Profit -- Takenaka Takes Over -- The Current Bad Loan Status -- Equity Capital of Major Commercial and Trust Banks -- Chapter 7. The Takenaka Scheme -- Interim Election Day -- Takenaka Meets with Bankers -- 2000 Interest per Annum for 1 Million Deposit -- Complaints About The Takenaka Scheme -- Adverse Reaction to the Scheme -- Third Meeting -- Takenaka's Comment -- The Takenaka Scheme -- Time Table Announced -- Industrial Reorganization -- Borrowers with Bad Debts.

Other Aspects of the Takenaka Scheme -- Bad Loans Reduced for the First Time -- Chapter 8. Racketeers in Business -- Sokaiya -- Full of Dinosaurs -- Are Sokaiya Still Active Today? -- Hush-Hush Matters -- How the Mob Operates -- A Mob Chief Saddled with Employer's Liability -- How Many Mobsters in Japan? -- Even the Japanese Military Unable to Stop Them -- How the Mob Operates in Land Deals -- Examples of Mobsters in Action -- Part 2 . Rebuilders -- Chapter 9. A Pro-Business Environment -- Consumption, Exports, and Stock Prices up -- Exports Vital to Our Economy -- Exchange Rate -- Nikkei Stock Average -- Exports to China Shot up -- Investment in Plant and Equipment -- Consumption -- Rallying Stock Market -- Chapter 10. Upheaval on a Massive Scale -- The Haves and Have-Nots -- Gap Between the Haves and Have-Nots -- Tokyo vs. Other Areas -- What About the Haves? How Much Are They Making? -- Not Much Consumption Anticipated? Yes and No… -- Yes -- No -- Retail Revolution -- Underground Economy -- Discount Stores -- Traditional System on the Way out -- How Are They Rewarded? -- Now Workers Being Fired and They Are Switching Jobs -- Overseas Production -- Steelmakers -- Camera Manufacturers -- Digitalization and Networking -- Pharmaceutical Manufacturers -- Chapter 11. Adequate Government Action and the Stock Market -- Fewer and Fewer Bad Loans -- Significance of the China Trade -- BOJ Governor Retired -- One of the Earliest Critics to Point out Deflation -- Morinaga's assessment of Governor Fukui -- New Organization at the Bank of Japan -- - Rooting Out "Reverse Bubble" Is the Mission - -- Infusion of Public Funds -- How Stock Prices Soared -- Three-Pronged Events to Boost the Economy -- Bad Loan Balance Cut in Half -- Chapter 12. Companies Doing Well -- DVDs -- Is IT a Money Maker? -- The 38 Companies with a Current Profit of over ¥100 Billion.

C. Itoh's Comeback -- Sony vs. Panasonic -- Is Sony Taking a Step to Beef up Its Software Library? -- Panasonic's President Kunio Nakamura -- Seiko-Epson -- Canon -- Seven-Eleven Japan -- Square-Enix, Maker of Family Games -- Part 3. Epilogue -- The Japanese Economy Continues Its Upswing -- Lower House Election -- Select Bibliography -- Books -- Magazine Articles -- Acknowledgements -- Index.