Steel, Debt, and the Struggle to Rise: Japan’s Long Slog Through Economic Stagnation

Imagine a master chef who once dazzled the world with precision and flair is now cooking in a dim kitchen with dulled knives and missing ingredients. 

He still wears the uniform and bows gracefully, but behind the curtain, he’s burning through recipe books, hoping something new will stick.

Advertisement

That’s Japan’s economy. Once the envy of the world, it is now an aging giant weighed down by demographic decline, bureaucratic caution, and decades of policy whiplash. 

And in a surprise move, Japan’s biggest steelmaker bet nearly $15 billion on American industrial might. 

The Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel acquisition isn’t just a business deal; it’s a flare signal from a nation desperate to reclaim a place at the economic table.

Setting the

Continue reading