Jesper Koll Quotations

There are some details that need to be worked out (in determining) exactly what form of coalition government we're going to get. But essentially, the message for financial markets is 'yes -- reform,' but it's not going to be dictated by the conservative LDP.

With the punishment, what you are seeing is that the reform process is not just speeding up, but it's actually getting serious.

Fukui is the big business candidate, a trusted hand that will continue to steer Japan on a deflationary course, ... We'll continue to have an accommodative BOJ, not a proactive BOJ.

Japan's economy is finally ready to fulfill its longer term high-growth potential. Japan is evolving into a reliable Pacific powerhouse.

Japan is emerging into a reliable Pacific powerhouse.

Japan Inc. is getting stronger, and their profitability continues to improve very nicely.

Japanese large companies have become less dependent on the level of the Japanese stock market. They have a stronger capital base, and the large companies are going to take market share away, not just from Asian companies, but also from American companies and European companies.

The fact that the weak institutions are falling by the wayside is actually good news because it creates room for the strong and healthy institutions to expand their market share. That's what we're witnessing right now. Capitalism is coming to Japan and the strong will get stronger.

Everything has been put into question, first by the opposition and second by the opposition to Hashimoto within the LDP. That means delay, no resolute policy action, and that means that for stocks and the yen, there is no anchor of hope.

The moment American growth slows down below, say, 2 percent, trade pressures are not just something that we talk about but are something that are really going to hit policy makers.

This is not a one-quarter wonder. Japan's GDP has risen more than 5% for three of the last four quarters.

There may be some political pressure that the U.S. no longer wants a strong dollar, but that's not going to prevent Japanese capital from fleeing Japan, because in Japan, money doesn't earn anything.

It's now in the urban areas where elections are won or lost. Since Koizumi, it's been a focus on the urban areas.

Consumer spending has become a credible engine of growth for the Japanese economy. Wages and incomes are increasing, job security is improving. It's a virtuous circle.

The big issue out there is who's going to take on Godzilla bank, i.e. the Post Office. It can turn into a problem.

The banks are back, ... A normal economy where you've got not just growth in employment and wages, but also growth in credit is likely to become more pronounced.

The urgency to appoint a true deflation fighter at the Bank of Japan is not going to disappear with this report.

In the 1990s, Japan was a reluctant investor overseas. Now that the domestic economy is doing better, Japan will take on more (overseas investment) risks, and that should benefit the rest of Asia as well, including Indonesia.

In our view, Japan's policymakers are in no rush to tighten.

Health-care reform is a huge issue. It's also a huge battle. There are big vested interests that are just as bad as contractors and postal lobbyists.

All liquidity starts in Japan, the world's largest creditor country. When rates go up here, rates go up everywhere.

All the components of demand, whether consumption, capital spending or public spending, all of them are likely to be negative. You are in a recession.

The Japanese consumer is very isolated from financial market dynamics.