| A | ||
| a | first vowel in aiueo order | pure vowel as in Italian not diphthong as in English cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| a | kstnhmyrw permitted combinations | ka sa ta na ha ma ya ra wa lengthened as aa, ah, a- etc cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| abode of devils | fukumaden | term applied to MoFA by Tanaka Makiko re excessive monkey business |
| ACCJ | American Chamber of Commerce in Japan | representing US business interests in Japan with haphazard gaiatsu vs EBC |
| ACS | First regional bank ATM network | approximately 35,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| Acu | Asian currency unit | East Asian single currency excluding investment etc forex risk cf Euro, Ecu |
| adobaiza | advisor | M&A advisor retained by one party to the M&A transaction only vs arenja |
| AFLAC | American Family Life Assurance of Columbus | pioneered third sector cancer insurance has been immensely successful |
| Agency Natural Resources | shigenenerugicho, Agency of | operating the oil etc stockpile etc on demise of JNOC etc in FILP Reform |
| AGMs | Annual General Meetings | for directors reporting to shareholders were much disturbed by sokaiya |
| AIDS | AIDS infection in Japan saga | MoHW denial of unsafe blood fractions route cf BSE, O-157, press clubs |
| AIG | American Insurance Group | active in Japan since War with very solidly established market position |
| aikensai | love prefecture bonds, mini-PO LGBs | classic ad hoc measure from MoPM a "beautiful" idea cf jumin sankagata |
| ainu | aboriginal inhabitants of Northern Japan | were subjugated in Honshu historically in Hokkaido during early Meiji |
| aisatsu | greetings | formal process of round of visiting in person to inform of some event |
| ajia | Asia | first kanji a frequently used compound element as hana Pan-Asia cf nichia |
| ajinomoto | flavour origin | less picturesquely known as monosodium glutamate the flavour enhancer |
| akaji | red figures, losses | as mattaku akaji darake no shobai a total dead loss of a business vs kuroji |
| Akasaka | red slope | quality entertainment now also a popular office location area in Tokyo |
| Akihabara | Autumn leaf field | centre for discounted electrical products and components area in Tokyo |
| akusaku | bad policy | (MoF's) roll-forward of NPLs the uneasy BoJ/Establishment compromise |
| alienation | estrangement, Entfremdung, sogai | Sartrian non-praxis in inert field of action cf seriality, impotence, paralysis |
| Allfinanz | universal banking | post-War German banking model adopted by Japan as-was in mid-1980s |
| altaic | of the Altai (meaning gold) Mountains | widely dispersed family of agglutinative languages Japanese a member |
| Alteuropa | old Europe (regime perpetuation) | society as family economy as government enterprise cf Cameralism, Meiji |
| amae | being spoilt | presuming on someone else and so not taking full adult responsibility |
| amakudari | descent from heaven | provision of padded post-retirement jobs to bureaucrats etc cf seido hiro |
| Amaterasu Omikami | Sun Goddess | origin myth of Japan maintained in Shinto with Emperor as high priest |
| Analects | Lun Yu, logic discourses, rongo | series of sayings gathered by followers Confucian Secular (not Holy) Writ |
| anata | you | considered abrupt/familiar generally avoided by keigo directionality |
| anju suru | to live in peace | as anju no chi a safe haven/a comfortable slot (away from stress) (jocular) |
| anteika | stabilisation | measures to prevent market forces causing unwanted confusion vs konran |
| anteika taisaku | (share register) stabilisation measures | reduce free float of equity so avoiding the confusion of M&A activity |
| anzen daiichi | safety first | large sign to be seen on all construction sites in green on white lettering |
| aoru | to fan (a fire), ramp (a share price) | as meigara o aotte urinigeta (they) ramped the stock and sold out |
| Aoyama | blue hill | attractive and quiet quality residential, fashion and shopping area in Tokyo |
| Aozora Bank | blue skies bank | improbable name given to NCB (originally Bank of Korea) after bail-out |
| apato | apartment | very cheap and nasty prefab accommodation built for the letting market |
| arenja | arranger | conflicted M&A deal go-between ill-prepared to close the deal vs adobaiza |
| aristocrats | peerage created in Meiji | bankrupted by GHQ + bureaucrats in alliance using fuyuzei now sozokuzei |
| arrested Listianism | Japanese exceptional economic state | Listian process arrested and sink industries remain protected cf Listianism |
| Article IV | IMF regular financial overview consultation | has decided FSAP audit of FSA deadline cf FSAP Japan, maladministration |
| arubaito | Arbeit, hourly paid casual work | university student jargon for their common part time job(s) cf jikankyu |
| asahi | morning sun, rising sun | name associated with Japan in a variety of kanji spelling combinations |
| ashikaga | foot profit | family name of Muromachi hereditary shogunate 14th cent to 16th cent |
| Ashikaga Bank | Tochigi Prefecture First regional bank | conduit of pachinko funds to North Korea now a sadly suspended business |
| ashikase | leg irons | restraint of somebody's scope of decision-making to one's advantage |
| assen | good offices | traditional settlement of a matter as a go-between origin of M&A arenja |
| ATM | Automated Teller Machine | sophisticated cash dispenser with remittance and other added functions |
| atomisation | (of responsibility) | tendency to creation of an anarchic mess of bureaucrat fiefs cf factionalism |
| Ausgleich | (corporate) re-organisation, kaisha kosei | Austria-Hungary 19th creditor protection composition cf Konkursordnung |
| Austria-Hungary | the Dual Monarchy | its authoritarianism found favour but its defeat (1866) by Prussia did not |
| autonomous management | (asset) management independent of MoF | bureaucratic infighting obscuring fiduciary duty and transparency issues |
| ayamachi | fault, error | as oki na ayamachi a gross blunder ayamachi o okosu to make a mistake |
| ayamaru | to apologise | as ayamatta to have made an apology ayamari nasai please say you're sorry |
| ayamaru | to make a mistake | as ayamatta to have made a mistake ayamari no nai infallible |
| aya no aru | hidden complications, doubtful bona fides | as aya no aru yo na kaisha a company probably best given a wide berth |
| ayashii | doubtful, complicated | as ayashii kankei an exotic relationship/a dangerous liaison |
| ayumi | path, progress | as chiho zaisei no ayumi an account of local government finances |
| Azabu | linen cloth | now with Oedo and Nanboku lines quality central residential area in Tokyo |
| B | ||
| b | fifth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | h voiced b cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| b | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ba bi bu be bo biya (bya) biyu (byu) biyo (byo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| baai | conjuncture, circumstance | as baai ni yotte as the occasion demands anata no baai dewa in your case |
| baibai gemu | double double game | struggling to manage as sales double each year in a growing new business |
| baishu | acquisition, corruption | A of M&A also a well developed political activity negative connotations |
| baizo | doubling | as shotoku baizo income doubling rieki baizo profit up 100 per cent |
| bakufu | tent government, shogunate | shogunates: Kamakura + Muromachi + Tokugawa 12th cent to 19th cent |
| bakumatsu | tent end, Bakumatsu | label for Tokugawa Shogunate's slow implosion in 1850s and 1860s |
| bakuto | professional gamblers | Edo low life with tekiya street vendors becoming the modern yakuza |
| bakuzen toshita | vague, not clear | as bakuzen toshita imi a meaning that is all concept and no detail |
| bancassurance | banking + assurance | European Continental pattern of universal banking cf Allfinanz |
| BANCS | megabank ATM network | approximately 32,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| bank card | bank cash card | card used to operate ATMs also now useable as point of sale debit card |
| Banking Crisis | resolution cost 5 GDP per cent or more | much MoF study of classic Nordic Two cf Finland, Sweden, sakinobashi |
| baramaku | to throw (money) around | as kokyotoshi o baramaku to spread the PWE budget around generously |
| basuketto joko | basket provision, cover-all clause | Anglo-Saxon financial regulation trend example vs rekkyoshugi |
| bencha bijinesu | venture business | katakana clumsy abbreviated bencha or VB parallelling JV, 401(k) etc |
| bengoshi | lawyer | generally supporters of status quo but occasionally radical firebrands |
| benren | bar associations | active in protecting bengoshi privileges against all comers cf nichibenren |
| benrishi | patent agent, patent attorney | facilitator of patent applications in bureaucrat interest cf professionals |
| besuto | best (Japlish element) | as mai besuto kado my best card besuto o eranda (I) made the right choice |
| betsu | separate | known to all Occidentals as betsu betsu going Dutch (on the bill) |
| Big Bang | in UK financial services deregulation | in Japan financial services regulation adjustment cf seido hiro, reform |
| binbo kuji o hiku | to draw the short straw | as kare binbo kuji da he's just a loser/out of luck (discriminatory) |
| biru | building , tatemono | origin of building/bldg/bld in postal addresses cf defure, infure, pasokon |
| Bismarck | Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815 - 1898) | author of late 19th cent Prussian socio-politics strongly influencing Japan |
| BMI | Body Mass Index | weight (kilos)/height (metres) squared a simple health indicator |
| bn | billion, 1,000,000,000 | as juokuen JPY1bn (EUR8m GBP5m USD8m approx at typical rates) |
| Board of Audit | kaikeikensain | direct translation accounts inspection bureau toothless auditor cf kakaekomi |
| boeicho | Defence Agency | brand new office accommodation in Yotsuya but still not yet a ministry |
| boeishisetsucho | JDFAA | Japan Defence Facilities Administration Agency amakudari slots galore |
| bogai | outside the accounts, off-balance sheet (items) | as bogai saimu unstated liabilities bogai son an unstated loss cf ofubara |
| BoJ | Bank of Japan | along with Emperor the two unimpugned sources of legitimacy in Japan |
| bonasu | bonus | semi-annual non-discretionary bonus for salaried employees cf sarariman |
| bonasu barai | bonus settlement | consumer credit balance outstanding settled at time of semi-annual bonus |
| bonsai | trees dwarfed by pruning roots | as ume no bonsai a potted plum tree bonsai o ijiru to tend bonsai |
| boomlet | small boom | mid-1990s freak growth under PM Hashimoto killed by a tax increase |
| Boone Pickens | US oil-related entrepreneur | mid-1980s Koito stock cornering fall guy for Watanabe Kitaro cf aya no aru |
| boru | to overcharge | as hidoku borareta to have been badly ripped off cf bottakuri, Kabukicho |
| BoTM | Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi (also BTM) | megabank under MTFG umbrella cf Mizuho, R(e/i)sona, (SM/MS)BC, UFJ |
| bottakuri | boru + takuru (to rip off + to snatch) | practice in Kakukicho of gathering in customers only to rip them off |
| Breitspurbahn | (German 3m) super broad gauge railway | 1940s diesel electric network plan for the new Europe cf dangan ressha |
| Bridgestone | reverse of family name Ishibashi | modelled on Firestone later acquired at excessive cost a disaster catalogue |
| BSE | BSE infection in Japan saga | MoAFF denial of unsafe animal feed route cf AIDS, O-157, press clubs |
| BTM | Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi (also BoTM) | megabank under MTFG umbrella cf Mizuho, R(e/i)sona, (SM/MS)BC, UFJ |
| BTO | Build Transfer Operate | not BOT but BTO reflecting strong principle of LAME public ownership |
| bucho | general manager | if line powerful most senior title before director in many companies cf staff |
| Buddhism | founded by Siddharta Gotama (563 - 483BC) | intellectual philosophy seeking individual enlightenment vs State Shinto |
| bukken | a thing in civil code jurisdiction | also estate agent jargon for a piece of property vs shizenjin cf hojin |
| bumon | section, division, classification | as sangyo bumonbetsu risuto list organised by industrial division |
| bun | division, portion | as kimi no bun your share bun o wakimaeru to know one's station in life |
| bunka | letterisation, culture | as sekai bunka isan toroku designated world cultural heritage cf bunmei, ka |
| bunkatsu | divide into parts | re-organising a single company into separate Group units cf bunsha |
| bunken | subsidiarity | as chiho bunken empowerment of local authorities cf sanmi ittai |
| bunkiten | diverging point, forking point | as soneki bunkiten break-even point tetsudo bunkiten railway junction |
| bunmei | civilisation | as bunmei kaika civilised enlightenment bunmei kigen civilisation origins |
| bunri | separate, set apart from | as doiso bunri isotopic separation kasu bunri dross separation vs kakuri |
| bunri kazei | separately tax assessable | concessionary tax regime avoiding highly progressive income tax rates |
| bunrishugi | separation principle | compartmentalised financial institution policy now reversed cf Allfinanz |
| bunsha | branch company, separate operation | restructuring of parent company business into a consolidated group |
| bunya | area | as senmon bunya area of specialisation kenkyu bunya research area/topic |
| burakumin | hamlet people, unclean trades workers | Edo outcastes still subject to social and employment discrimination |
| bureaucracy | government by functionaries | per Weber desirable rule bound form but per Sartre nearly paralysed form |
| bureaucrat inertia | alienation, classic Sartrian paralysis | non-praxis in inert field of action hence impotence and seriality cf Weber |
| Burke | Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797) | British political sceptic opposing Enlightenment rationalism vs Helvetius |
| butsuno | settlement in kind | settlement of inheritance tax by transfer of the assets at tax valuation |
| C | ||
| c | third consonant in kstnhmyrw order | t in combination with i ti (chi) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| c | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | chiya (cha) chiyu (chu) chiyo (cho) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| Cabinet Legislation Bureau | naikaku hosei kyoku | legal drafting body for the newly empowered PM cf Hashimoto Reform |
| Cabinet Office | naikakufu | policy etc support staff for the newly empowered PM cf Hashimoto Reform |
| Cabinet Secretariat | naikaku kanbo | as naikaku kanbochokan Chief Cabinet Secretary (Official Spokesman) |
| CAFIS | Card and Financial Information System | settlement clearing house for bank cash cards when used as debit cards |
| CALI | Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance | vehicle insurance accounts for approx 50 per cent of casualty premiums |
| Cameralism | so-called German Mercantilism | objective is state enterprise profits for Prince cf Alteuropa, Mercantilism |
| capex | capital expenditure | as setsubi toshi capex often literally translated equipment investment |
| cartelisation | anti-free market tendency | much developed in Japan via Edo period Cameralism cf arrested Listianism |
| CBOs | Collateralised Bond Offers | financial engineering expression for 18th cent German Pfandbrief concept |
| CGT | Capital Gains Tax (on securities) | bunri kazei concession now subject to revision transitional provisions |
| Chiba | prefecture East of Tokyo | socially fairly mixed residential and industrial area with Narita Airport |
| chigin | (First, Second) regional banks | kanji abbreviation for second tier provincial banking system members |
| chiginkyo | First regional banker trade association | works actively to restrict megabank encroachment on provincial banking |
| chiho | provinces, country | without the impact of the romantic movement somewhat derogatory |
| chiho koeikigyo | Local Authority Municipal Enterprises, LAMEs | drinking + industrial water, hospitals, sewerage, underground railways etc |
| chiho kosha | Local Authority Public Corporations, LAPCs | problematic housing provision, land development, toll roads cf seido hiro |
| chihosai | Local Government Bonds, LGBs | as chihosai ryudoka taisaku measures for improving LGB liquidity |
| chii | position, standing | as shakaiteki chii social standing chii o shimeru to hold a position |
| chiiki | region | as chiikinai soseisan GRP chiiki fukkosaku regional renaissance policy |
| chika | underground | as chikasui groundwater koei chikatetsu municipal underground railway |
| chikaku hendo | crustal (tectonic) movement | fundamental change/business revolution/paradigm shift (figurative) |
| chikara kankei | power relationships | term much used in analysis of Establishment vested interest politics |
| cho | town, township | standard demarcation in postal addresses as chonaikai town association |
| cho | trillion, 1,000,000,000,000 | as itchoen JPY1tr (EUR8bn GBP5bn USD8bn approx at typical rates) |
| chochiku | (small) savings | having a positive image as chochiku chosa savings survey cf Ninomiya |
| chokan | morning edition | major newspapers all appear in morning and evening editions vs yukan |
| chokkan hiritsu | direct/indirect (tax) ratio | much debated ratio currently heavily tilted to direct tax burden cf tax policy |
| choku | direct | as chokuryu direct current chokuhan direct sales chokkan intuition |
| chokusetsu | direct | as chokusetsu kinyu direct financing/disintermediation cf Big Bang |
| chokusetsu kinyu | direct financing/disintermediation | as chokusetsu kinyu izon securities issue dependence vs kansetsu kinyu |
| chosa | study | awkward decisions can often be usefully delayed by a lengthy study |
| chosahi | study costs | small budget to launch and establish bureaucrat momentum for pet project |
| chosakai | study group | one of many types of governmental consultative committee cf amakudari |
| chosei | adjustment | as seisaku no bichosei fine tuning of policy (often of major significance) |
| chosei infure | adjustment inflation | Establishment coded language for inflationary solution to NPL problem |
| chosetsu | regulation, intervention | as beika chosetsu rice price support chosetsuki governor vs konran |
| choson | towns and villages | lowest tier of municipalities targeted by MoPM consolidation policy |
| Chubu | central region | home territory of Toyota and the area around Nagoya also termed Tokai |
| chugakko | middle school | schoolchildren are ages 13 to 15 compulsory education cf shogakko, koko |
| chugoku | central country | confusingly PRC and region around Hiroshima (historical name Bingo) |
| chuki kokusai | medium term JGBs | medium term to maturity JGBs constituting bulk of MMF portfolios |
| chuo | centre | much used in titles as chuo kyoiku shingikai Central Education Council |
| chusho kigyo | Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs | political capital made out of their ineffectual protection cf Mittelstand |
| chushokigyocho | Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, SMEA | for the ineffectual but politically necessary protection of SMEs cf kanban |
| chuto saiyo | midway hire (non-mainstream employee) | ineligible for promotion ladder downside of shushin koyosei vs puropa |
| civil code | systematic collection of law | imposed by Napoleon adopted by Japan via Germany vs common law |
| civil society | liberal citizen-based societal ordering | somewhat inimical to Yamato/China/Prussia traditions cf ko, shi |
| CLOs | Collateralised Loan Offers | JFCfME significantly but unsuccessfully attempted a CLO issue (2002) |
| clunky | big and clumsy | view of foreign products/foreign usages from the Japanese perspective |
| collateralised | of loans (secured on land) | cash flow credit evaluation weak at banks key to tochi honisei and NPLs |
| collectivity | realised social solidarity | holistic oriental emphasis not reductionist occidental cf counter intuitive |
| Commercial Code | eiri hojin provisions codified | for partnerships/companies gomei/goshi/kabushiki gaisha vs hieiri hojin |
| common law | customary law of England from 13th cent | adopted by English speaking countries unsystematised vs civil code |
| Confucianism | founded by Kong Fu Zi (551 - 479BC) | ethical system of societal ordering for the People's welfare cf Familialism |
| confusion | konran | as shijo no konran o kitashita to have created market confusion vs anteika |
| contingent NPLs | NPLs contingently crystallisable | Establishment in denial of the process cf niji sonshitsu, form over substance |
| contrarian | (of investment style) gyakubari | as epitomised by Scottish + Dutch pension asset managers vs momentum |
| counter intuitive | gap exists in understanding of the "other" | the many such gaps between occidental reductionism and oriental holism |
| CPA | Certified Public Accountant | term applied to the somewhat different konin kaikeishi cf professionals |
| CPI | Consumer Price Index, shohisha bukka shisu | bureaucrat inertia means constituents lag on actual consumption behaviour |
| cr | creditor | as kashikata kanjo creditor account kashikata hyo credit note |
| crystallised NPLs | prior contingent NPLs crystallised | Establishment in denial of the process cf niji sonshitsu, form over substance |
| D | ||
| d | third consonant in kstnhmyrw order | t voiced d cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| d | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | da de do cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| dai | big (o/kun) | classic ideographic kanji man standing with arms outstretched cf sakura |
| dai | number | as daiichi number one daini number two daisan number three |
| daigaku | university | ranked 1. todai/kyodai/hitotsudai, 2. keidai/sodai and 3. the others |
| daiko | civil code jurisdiction vicarious execution | as daikosha an agent/proxy daiko gyomu agency business |
| daimyo | feudal lord | as daimyo gyoretsu with a retinue daimyo ryoko travelling in style |
| daini chigin | Second regional banks | mujinko then mutuals now banks management left hopelessly behind |
| dainippon | Great Japan | name modelled on Great Britain as in Meiji/Taisho/Showa imperialism |
| daisan sekuta jigyo | Third Sector Projects, TSPs | frequently failing local government/private sector joint ventures cf TSPs |
| daisansha | third party | as daisansha songai hoken third party casualty insurance vs tojisha |
| dai wa sho o kaneru | the greater serves for the lesser | the larger object/classification includes the corresponding smaller cf kaneru |
| damu | dams | quintessential examples of useless-to-damaging PWE cf datsu damu sengen |
| dangan ressha | (standard gauge 4ft 8.5) bullet train | 1930s steam network plan for the new Empire cf Breitspurbahn, shinkansen |
| dango | consultation, contract fixing | as dango ga atta there was bid fixing dangoya a professional contract fixer |
| danketsu ryoku | solidarity power | cohesiveness of social/vested interest group so leading to its greater benefit |
| dantai | group, party | as dantai seishin esprit de corps dantai seimeihoken group assurance |
| darashi no nai | unkempt, ill-disciplined | as nani o yarashitemo darashi ga nai all work done in a slipshod way |
| datsu | getting out of, exiting, removing | as datsuen desalination datsumo depilation datsuzei tax evasion |
| datsu damu sengen | No more dams! | revolutionary pronouncement of political policy by Tanaka Yasuo |
| datsuzei | tax evasion | NTAA pressures taxpayers by incorrect use of term in media vs setsuzei |
| debittokado | debit card | bank cash cards used as point of sale debit cards as promoted by JDCPA |
| debt deflation | the Fisher Thesis, fusai defure | that this cripples debtors, their lending banks and demand cf Fisher, NPL |
| declining balance | conservative depreciation computation | tax allowable however useful life period determined per Tax Code |
| deconstruction | interpreting the meaning of a discourse | re-interpreting what is said tatemae to what is intended honne cf paralysis |
| Defence Agency | boeicho | moved from Roppongi to Yotsuya with brand new office accommodation |
| defure | deflation | gairaigo condensation into two/three syllables vs biru, infure, pasokon |
| dekiru | to be ready, be made, be able | as kosokudoro ga dekita a motorway was built dekidaka turnover |
| dema | wild rumour | as naninani to iu dema a wild rumour that such-and-such cf denbun |
| denbun | rumour | as saikin no denbun ni yoru to according to recent rumours cf dema |
| denro | electric arc furnace | as kuzutetsu yo denro electric furnace for scrap iron/so-called mini-mills |
| densen | contagion | as densenbyo an infectious disease nekuzure densen general price collapse |
| denshi | electron, electronic | as denshi meru/meru e-mail denshi kenbikyo electron microscope |
| depatoka | department store-isation | offering full catalogue service so avoiding specialisation decisions cf ka |
| DePfa | Deutsche Pfandbrief | public sector bank in German covered bonds now privatised cf Pfandbriefe |
| desugichatta | overly prominent | not showing proper restraint in personal public behaviour etc (derogatory) |
| detchiboko | apprenticeship | Edo period on-the-job training rewarded by norenwake a so-called MBO |
| dewa | then, so, in that case (I will go) | a postposition combination in Tokyo dialect spoken ja goodbye (familiar) |
| DEXIA | DEXIA Credit Local de France | French public sector vehicle with parallels to JFCfME now privatised |
| Diet | Parliament | Imperial Diet of (Prussian) Meiji Constitution (1889) Ito defeating Okuma |
| directionality | avoidance of pronouns as too abrupt | expressing personal pronouns via keigo status marker directionality etc |
| DKB | Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank | Dai-Ichi + Kangyo = DKB and DKB + Fuji + IBJ = Mizuho cf megabank |
| Docomo/dokomo | NTT mobile service company/anywhere | weak play on words impermissible romanisation service challenged etc etc |
| doi | agreed | as doi fudoi agreed and non-agreed (LGB issues under MoPM reform) |
| DOI | Direct Outbound Investment | off-shore inheritance tax avoidance loophole blocked off (2000) cf jusho |
| doitsuha | Deutsche Schule | German-faction members seeing something of a welcome renaissance |
| dokkenya | construction boys | construction interests around MoLIT + LDP (derogatory) cf dango, zoku |
| dokudan to henken | opinion and prejudice | in my honest and unvarnished opinion (self-deprecatingly jocular) |
| dokuritsu gyosei hojin | Independent Administrative Institute | modelled on UK public agencies deus ex machina of FILP Reform cf IAI |
| don | boss, leader, strongman | as dongame Kamei Shizuka populist LDP politician (derogatory) cf Sogo |
| donburi kanjo | back-of-the-envelope business accounts | as asoko wa donburi kanjo desu they don't keep proper accounts at all |
| donyu | introduction, application | (a new system) being introduced (with attendant problems) cf xenografting |
| doritsu | founded (ritsu) by prefecture (do) | as doritsu koko prefectural (Hokkaido) high school cf furitsu, kenritsu |
| Doshisha | leading Kansai private university | Doshisha and Ritsumeikan corresponding to Keio and Waseda in Kanto |
| doshu | (German) Laender, provinces, regions | positioned between municipalities and central government cf doshusei |
| doshusei | Laender System, regional government | PHP Research's proposal: 47 prefectures consolidated into 12 doshu |
| doublespeak | as in Orwell's 1984 | Establishment's strangely consistent misuse of language cf deconstruction |
| dowa mondai | harmonisation problem | press club approved euphemism for the acute social issue of burakumin |
| DPoJ | Democratic Party of Japan | originally funded by Hatoyama family money etc now led by Kan Naoto |
| dr | debtor | as karikata kanjo debtor account karikata hyo debit note |
| dSITs | domestic SITs | Securities Investment Trusts out of Japanese licensed SITMCs vs fSITs |
| E | ||
| e | fourth vowel in aiueo order | pure vowel as in Italian not diphthong as in English cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| e | kstnhmyrw permitted combinations | ke se te ne he me re lengthened as ei, ee, eh, e- etc cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| EBC | European Business Council | representing EU business interests in Japan focussed gaiatsu vs ACCJ |
| Ebisu | God of Plenty | newly developed office complex on an old brewery site area in Tokyo |
| e-commerce | internet-based commercial activities | Establishment concerns are loss of informational control and tax evasion |
| Ecu | European currency unit | the basket the snake convergence EMU etc as an Acu model cf Acu, Euro |
| Edo | shogunate capital of Japan renamed Tokyo | third shogunate location period and name for 17th cent to 19th cent |
| EGM | Extra-ordinary General Meeting | shareholders voting under materiality provisions of the Commercial Code |
| EIE | Bubble era company | run by Takahashi funded by LTCB failed spectacularly cf shinsei ginko |
| eigyo | enterprise activities | actual business operations "do" particularly marketing and sales related |
| eigyo hokokusho | (Japanese style) annual report | thin preparation by the directors without comparatives or auditors' opinion |
| eigyo joto | civil code jurisdiction transfer of business | sale of eigyoken under Commercial Code provisions parallelling goodwill |
| eigyoken | goodwill in civil code jurisdiction | concept of transferable and established rights to a business cf eigyo joto |
| eigyo tokkin | (securities) salesman account | notorious system of unlicensed illegal fund management during Bubble |
| eiri hojin | profit making legal person | civil code concept of dividend declaring incorporated body cf hojin |
| Emperor | tenno | still the High Priest of Shinto now doubling as constitutional monarch |
| enarques | ENA graduates | French structure closely parallelling todai law department graduates |
| enkosai | private placement LGBs | LGBs subscribed by leading locally based financial institutions cf goyokin |
| enman | smoothly | as enman taisha resignation from company (without friction) cf puropa |
| enno | delayed settlement | inheritance tax liability settled over extended period given asset illiquidity |
| entrepot trade | chukan boeki | historical function of Okinawa killed by Meiji annexation cf yamatonchu |
| EPFs | Employee Pension Funds, kosei nenkin kikin | main corporate sector schemes sponsor MoHLW cf kakutei kyufu |
| EPI | Employee Pension Insurance, kosei nenkin | main public sector scheme sponsor MoHLW confusingly linked to EPFs |
| erabikata | selection method | often untransparent re hidden agenda much post facto argument cf jinsen |
| Erhardian | of Ludwig Erhard (1897 - 1977) | Chancellor impact on Japan as proponent of Sozialmarkt cf Ordoliberalism |
| Establishment | nexus of vested interests resisting change | bureaucracy, business and politicians generally robbing Peter to pay Paul |
| eto | Chinese animal name 60 year cycle | as kotoshi wa eto ga warui this year is a bad year (for me) cf yaku doshi |
| Euro | EU single currency, EUR, yuro | high profile as alternative to USD major impact on Japan cf Acu, Ecu |
| expat | expatriate | foreign staff with tax protection impossibly expensive and unacculturated |
| expensed | otoshita | booked as cost of doing business and fully allowable for tax purposes |
| F | ||
| f | fifth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | h in combination with u hu (fu) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| f | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | for gairaigo fua (fa) fui (fi) fu fue (fe) fuo (fo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| factionalism | solidarity splintering into factional groups | tendency of LDP etc splitting into interest groups vs fusion cf atomisation |
| Fair Trade Commission | kosei torihiki iinkai, FTC | occasionally slaps wrists for yet another price fixing performance cf dango |
| fakutobukku | fact book | compilation of basic company details as a pamphlet etc cf handobukku |
| Familialism | (societal ordering) likening to a family | pre-capitalist social analysis cf Confucianism, Cameralism, State Shinto |
| fando | fund | popular financial gairaigo euphemism with ura implications cf aya no aru |
| Farben | IG Farben | pre-War German "Mother of all Cartels" post-War BASF, Bayer, Hoechst |
| FBs | Financing Bills | short term government paper one of many forms of government debt cf JGB |
| FHC | Financial Holding Company | revolutionary umbrella vehicle for universalising megabanks cf Allfinanz |
| FILP | Fiscal Investment and Loans Programme, zaito | second budget under MoF the Establishment honeypot cf system fatigue |
| FILPABs | FILP Agency Bonds, zaito kikansai | substantially FILPBs formally FILP Agency straight bonds cf FILP Reform |
| FILP Agencies | public sector entities receiving FILP funds | variously termed eidan jigyodan kikin kiko kinko kodan koko kosha etc |
| FILPBs | FILP Bonds | substantially JGBs for refinancing FILP Fund formally not cf FILP Reform |
| FILP Fund | new-FILPF (old-TFB), zaito shikin | assets illiquid but demographic asset realisation need hence FILP Reform |
| FILP Reform | MoF organised programme 2001/08 | important rationalisation refinancing refocusing of much of public sector |
| Financial Planner | AFP/CFP int'l qualification FP domestic | AFP/CFP granted by private JAFP FP by MoF-related Kinzai cf kakaekomi |
| Financial Services Agency | kinyucho, FSA | has gained much notoriety for its unstinted support for NPL roll-forward |
| Finanzplatz Deutschland | German Big Bang (now in 5th programme) | extending Pfandbrief cover to Canada, Japan, US public sector debt etc |
| Finland | classic banking crisis of early 1990s | crystallised NPLs 15 GDP per cent and 20 loan book per cent cf Sweden |
| Fire-Defence Agency | shobocho | fire, ambulance and disaster response under the one original fire roof |
| firewall | Chinese Wall | division of banking and securities operations etc re Article 65 etc etc |
| Fisher | Irving Fisher (1867 - 1947) | debt - deflation - demand spiralling down described in Econometrica (1933) |
| Fisheries Agency | suisancho | firmly in favour of whaling cf Institute of Cetacean Research, MoAFF |
| fission | solidarity splitting into interest groups | amplified petty distinctions always leading to social entropy vs fusion |
| FoF | Flow of Funds statements, shikin junkanhyo | BoJ statements showing key flow + balance sheet items cf SNA, PFA |
| Food Agency | shokuryocho | left operating the rice price support system with declining final demand |
| Forestry Agency | rinnocho | left operating forestry roads, forestry projects and other hopeless cases |
| forex | foreign exchange | nicely parallelling Japanese jubako abbreviation gaitame cf gaitameshin |
| form over substance | civil code pattern of legal interpretation | narrow interpretation of legal form vs practical substance cf urisenba |
| FRC | Financial Revitalisation Commission | now-FSA was an early interim provision of smokescreen cover for MoF |
| FSA | Financial Services Agency, kinyucho | to upgrade supervision and provide long term cover for MoF cf tatemae |
| FSAP Japan | IMF Financial System Assessment Programme | highly unwelcome FSA competency audit cf Article IV, maladministration |
| fSITs | foreign SITs | SITs out of foreign licensed SITMCs recognisable as dSIT equivalents |
| fuan | unease, anxiety | as kinyu fuan financial crisis fuantei unstable seishin fuan mental unease |
| fudoi | non-agreed | as doi fudoi agreed and non-agreed (LGB issues under MoPM reform) |
| fuji | unequalled, wisteria, wealthy man etc | popular homophonic name in variant kanji variant meanings cf huzi |
| Fujiwara | family of hereditary regents (Heiankyo) | Yoshifusa first installed (858) succession ended by Taira clan (1160) |
| fujuri | non-acceptance | bureaucrat refusal by non-acceptance of a nevertheless valid application |
| fuka koryoku | force majeure, Act of God | as fuka koryoku no songai damages through an Act of God cf yamu o enai |
| fukoku kyohei | wealthy country strong army | Meiji policy adopted by Ito Hirobumi from Bismarck's Blut und Eisen |
| fukumaden | abode of devils | Tanaka Makiko's name for MoFA re the excessive monkey business there |
| fukumi shisan | unrealised profits (of Credit Bubble era) | unrealised asset appreciation held as a reserve tax efficiently vs fukumi son |
| fukumi son | unrealised losses (of post-Credit Bubble era) | unrecognised losses rolled forward vs fukumi shisan cf sonkin kaikei |
| Fukuoka | leading city in Kyushu classically Hakata | Kyushu terminal shinkansen station confusingly also named Hakata |
| fukushi | welfare | Meiji policy of Bismarckian worker welfare also to pre-empt Socialism |
| fukushiki boki | double entry (accruals basis) bookkeeping | JGAAP etc and basis of all modern corporate accounting vs tanshiki boki |
| Fukuzawa | Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835 - 1901) | on JPY10,000 notes, founder of Keio and an important Meiji intellectual |
| fukyo | depression | as kozo fukyo gyoshu taisaku structurally depressed industry measures |
| fuman bunshi | dissatisfied particles | social/organisational elements with grievances disturbing group solidarity |
| fu no shakai | minus points society | Japan's politicised personnel evaluation system by negative points only |
| funshoku | decoration, embellishment | as funshoku kessan fraudulent set of financial accounts cf Sogo, NPL |
| furi | no profit, disadvantage | as chotto furi na kaishaku a slightly unfavourable interpretation |
| furitsu | founded (ritsu) by prefecture (fu) | as furitsu koko prefectural (Kyoto, Osaka) high school cf doritsu, kenritsu |
| fusai | borrowing, liabilities (in general) | as beidoru fusai USD liabilities yurishi fusai interest bearing debt |
| fusai defure | debt deflation, Fisherian thesis | a process crippling debtors, their lending banks and demand cf Fisher, NPL |
| fusion | atomised interests fusing into solidarity | achieving familial harmony under external threat vs fission cf gaiatsu |
| futokutei tasu | unspecified large number (of persons) | for securities issue purposes public defined as 50 or more subscribers |
| fuyo | lotus | ex-Yasuda then becoming Fuji Bank the ragbag keiretsu now Mizuho |
| fuyuzei | (confiscatory) wealth tax of late 1940s | GHQ + bureaucrats used to bankrupt pre-War aristocracy cf sozokuzei |
| G | ||
| g | first consonant in kstnhmyrw order | k voiced g cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| g | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ga gi gu ge go giya (gya) giyu (gyu) giyo (gyo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| gai | outside, they/them/theirs, foreign, alien | on/kun readings of key conceptualisation antithesis gai/soto vs nai/uchi |
| gaiatsu | foreign pressure | foreign pressure applied or exploited to break decisional paralysis cf Sartre |
| gaiben | foreign lawyer | nichibenren made regulatory authority by MoJ cf nigemichi, kakaekomi |
| gaigin | foreign bank | not playing by the kakaekomi rules essentially unreliable/unpredictable |
| gaijin | foreigner | generally non-Asian foreigner with heavy emphasis on the nationality held |
| gaikadate | foreign currency denominated | often problem holding with forex risk/forex settlement complications |
| gaikoku kawase | foreign exchange | as jubako abbreviation gaitame forex gaitame soba forex market cf kawase |
| gaimusho | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MoFA | disturbed by Tanaka/Suzuki battle revealing monkey business cf fukumaden |
| gairaigo | foreign origin word | from European languages katakana spelling and frequently euphemisms |
| gaishikei | foreign capital firm | foreign companies have had poor reputation as employers now improving |
| gaitameho | Foreign Exchange and Trade Act | maintained informational control for tax policy and emergency purposes |
| gaitame shijo | forex market | under Big Bang largely shifted to money centre foreign banks cf gaigin |
| gaitameshin | Forex Consultative Committee | MoF advisory committee responsible for deep long term policy cf Acu |
| gaito | pertinent, relevant | as naninani jo ni gaito suru to be governed by clause such-and-such |
| gakkai | study meeting | agreeable opportunity (for doctors) to get away from the daily humdrum |
| gakko | school | High School koko Middle School chugakko Primary School shogakko |
| gakubatsu | company factions by university origin | bizarrely important consideration in major company personnel decisions |
| gakumen bairitsu | Price/Par multiple | financial indicator P/P below 2 failing syndrome below 1 failed syndrome |
| gakumen kingaku | par value (of a share) | considered fundamental so P/P an indicator in failure of quoted companies |
| gannen | Year One, the start of | media hyping of new product/service often occurring more than once |
| gappei | merger, amalgamation | merger of equals presentation always made but sonzoku/shometsu gaisha |
| gauge controversy | a railway to every rice paddy! (satirical) | 2ft 6/3ft 6 vs 4ft 8.5 rural vs urban + military budget interests cf motorways |
| gekkanshi | monthly magazine | tendency to lengthy and quality essay articles with by-lines vs shukanshi |
| genbutsu shusshi | subscription of capital in kind | special provision under Commercial Code subject to valuation by Court |
| gendai | modern, contemporary | as gendai gaka contemporary painter gendaigo living language vs kindai |
| gendo | manner of speech | as ihaku gendo threatening language (forbidden in sarakin collecting) |
| gengai ni kataru | to speak outside the words, allude to | to give an adverse opinion/adverse decision indirectly cf oburato, gyokan |
| genkin | cash | heavily used as black economy is estimated at 12.5 to 25 GDP per cent |
| genko | existing, in operation | as hanzai no genkochu ni taiho sareta arrested in flagrante delicto |
| gennama | hard cash | hard cash paid a solid reliable business with no sales debtor problems |
| genri gensoku | fundamentals and principles | implying the actuality of the hidden agenda of the situation cf honne, ura |
| gensaki | repo | repo market active before the word repo had even been invented |
| genshi | capital reduction | as shisan asshuku de genshi capital reduction on an asset slimming |
| gensho | phenomenon | as shizen gensho natural phenomena seiri gensho bodily functions |
| gensokuteki | in principle | implying consequent and more significant exceptions cf genri gensoku |
| genzai | now, present | as naninani genzai as at such-and-such (balance sheet) date |
| geppo | monthly report | as kinyu keizai tokei geppo Financial and Economic Statistics Monthly |
| GGBs | Govern't Guaranteed Bonds, seifu hoshosai | class of bonds issued by FILP agencies frequently the forex tranches |
| GGLs | Govern't Guaranteed Loans, seifu hoshokariire | essentially as for GGBs with funding in form of a loan borrowing |
| GHQ | (MacArthur's) General Head Quarters | generally used label for Occupation Administration era (1945 - 1952) |
| giin | council members, Diet members | title of both social status and target of money politics criticism cf zokugiin |
| gikaisei | representative government system | as naikaku gikaisei Westminster democracy (PM + Cabinet in parliament) |
| gimu | duty | as seigen nozei gimusha limited tax payer (for inheritance tax purposes) |
| Ginza | silver market | central entertainment area in Tokyo (and other historical conurbations) |
| giri | justice, duty, obligation | doing the right thing and thereby generating in the recipient of the action on |
| Girozentralen | umbrella banks of the German third tier | the norinchukin zenshinkumi zenshinren etc function cf Schulze-Delitzsch |
| go | keigo prefix indicating second person | as gokatei your family gokeikaku your plan goyosan your budget |
| godo | combination, joint | as godo jigyo joint undertaking godo unyo keiyaku joint operating contract |
| gojuon | kstnhmyrw + final n/aiueo combinations | fifty sounds (the kana syllabary) in matrix (9 + 1) x 5 basis of kunrei shiki |
| gorika | rationalisation | as gorika sankanen keikaku three year rationalisation plan cf risutora |
| goshido | (your) guidance | intrusive alegal control by the bureaucrats (critical) cf maladministration |
| gososendan | convoy (one-size-fits-all maladministration) | for weak banks break-even for strong money fountain cf hozei shonin ginko |
| gote ni naru | to make the second move | as gotegote de makegumi ni natta on defensive and becoming a straggler |
| goyokin | (your) funding | forced loans on merchants by daimyo/shogun term for enkosai (ironical) |
| goyotatsu | by (Imperial) appointment | as goyotatsu shinbun an Establishment and stakeholder-friendly newspaper |
| GPIF | Government Pension Insurance Fund | previously nenpuku now-nenun subject to FILP Reform cf maneita |
| guhatsu | contingent | as guhatsu saimu contingent liability guhatsu furyo saiken contingent NPL |
| guidance | bureaucrat control | unwanted guidance given verbally so avoiding responsibility cf goshido |
| gurai | approximately | voiced kurai suffix indicating approximation juchoengurai around JPY10tr |
| gurezon | grey zone | imprecision exists in exact legalities/illegalities involved cf setsuzei, NTAA |
| gurobaruka | globalisation | not a good thing and increasingly strong reservations vs kokusaika cf ka |
| gutaiteki | concretely | as gutaiteki ni ieba damme speaking quite brutally no vs bakuzen toshita |
| gyakubari | straining against (the trend) | contrarian (investing) generality of foreign investor behaviour vs junbari |
| gyokaishi | trade journal | (banking, pharmaceuticals, securities etc) industry newspaper (derogatory) |
| gyokan | (reading) between the lines | deconstruction of honne content of tatemae message cf gengai ni kataru |
| gyoku | shares | as temochigyoku shares being held (securities jargon) cf kabuya, meigara |
| gyokyo | fishery co-operatives | managing a low profile type of financial institution extremely marginal |
| gyomu | operations, the actual "do" of a business | as gyomuhonbu Operations Division gyomu kanri operations control |
| gyosai gyosei | compartmentalised administration | system of rigidified bureaucratic regulation cf paralysis, maladministration |
| gyosei | (government) administration | regulation by mandarinate achieving its benefit avoiding its responsibility |
| gyosei kaikaku | administrative reform | perennial topic much apparent action virtually nil movement achieved |
| gyosei shido | administrative guidance | alegal pressure by bureaucracy towards certain policy goals cf guidance |
| gyosha | those in the (particular) business | as gyoshakan torihiki dealing between those in the trade (derogatory) |
| gyoshu | type of industry | as gyoshubetsu tokei bunseki analysis of statistics by type of industry |
| H | ||
| h | fifth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | h cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| h | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ha (postposition ha (wa)) hi he ho hiya (hya) hiyu (hyu) hiyo (hyo) |
| haigyo suru | to close a business | as jishu haigyo voluntary closure re Yamaichi at its request cf nigemichi |
| haihan chiken | abolish han establish prefectures | launch of local government modelled on French prefecture lines (1871) |
| hairyo | consideration (thus being forced to do) | as shijo kankyo ni hairyo considering market conditions cf yamu o enai |
| hakai | destruction, vandalism | as kakaku hakai price (cutting) competition (causing disorder) cf konran |
| Hakodate | port city of South Hokkaido | pre-War entrepot for the Russian trade extremely attractive townscape |
| Hakone | town 100km West of Tokyo | location of Edo period internal travel passport control barrier cf sekisho |
| hakuraihin | goods arrived by boat | foreign goods Meiji parlance foreign therefore better (anachronistic) |
| hakusho | white paper | no policy document but lengthy self-justification in evasive bureaucratese |
| han | fief, domain, principality | atomised division of Edo Japan into close to 300 tiny feudal principalities |
| hanabi taikai | fireworks party | 10,000 plus go off paid by ticket sales/subsidised by local government |
| hanami taikai | cherry blossom party | cherry blossom viewing party downside inevitably extremely alcoholic |
| hanbai | sales | final result of eigyo sales and marketing supported by operations cf gyomu |
| handobukku | handbook | gairaigo fact book not as kanji direct translation tehon cf fakuto bukku |
| hangen suru | to reduce by half | as hanbaihi o hangen suru to cut sales expenses by 50 per cent |
| hanko | seal, chop | superior puts his hanko to the document and approves cf mekura hanko |
| hannichiha | anti-Japan faction | as gentaisei no hannichiha the regime's anti-Japan group vs shinnichiha |
| hansei | reflection (on a mistake) | show of regret for error parodied by performing monkey routine on TV |
| hanshuryuha | anti-mainstream faction | distinctions by origins/specialities etc create factionalisation vs shuryuha |
| hantai | opposed, against | Socialist Party was nandemo hantai opposed to everything and anything |
| Harajuku | Spring inn | trendy high fashion boutiques popular among the young area of Tokyo |
| hasan | bankruptcy | where large an inevitable suspicion of a long history of financial foul play |
| Hashimoto Reform | ministries and agencies consolidated | producing clumsy and gargantuan MoEXT, MoHLW, MoLIT, MoPM etc |
| hashi no agesage o iu | to tell to raise and lower chopsticks | to direct in minute detail cf microregulation, gososendan, maladministration |
| hatten | development | as hattentojokoku LDCs keizai hatten economic development |
| hattenteki kaisho | constructive dissolution | description of closing something down/a tactical retreat (ironical) |
| HBG | Hypothekenbankgesetz | German Mortgage Bank Act (2002) extending Pfandbrief cover to Japan |
| hebon shiki | Hepburn system (of romanising kanamajiri) | vowels as Italian consonants as English leading system not for MoEXT |
| hei | keigo prefix indicating the first person | as heiko my/our bank heisha my/our company heiten my/our shop vs on |
| Heiankyo | Kyoto of the Heian Period (794 - 1185) | Heian period name for Emperor's capital as modelled on China's Seiankyo |
| heisei | attaining peace | current era name (1989 - ) classical kanji combination cf nengo |
| heiwa | level harmony, peace | second kanji wa irregularly read to in classical name for Japan Yamato |
| Helvetius | Claude Adrien Helvetius (1715 - 1771) | French philosopher promoting socio-economic progressivism vs Burke |
| henka | change (as in transition) | as sangyo henka industrial change (of rising and falling industries) |
| henko | change (as in modification) | as kaigai ryoko yotei ni henko nashi no change in the overseas itinerary |
| Hepburn | JC Hepburn (1815 - 1911) | hebon shiki romanisation scheme for dictionary (1886) vs kunrei shiki |
| hi | not, non- | as hijoji crisis hijoguchi emergency exit hiningenteki inhuman |
| hi | receiving, being exposed to, sustaining | as higaisha victims hisozokunin the deceased hibakusha the bombed |
| hiaringu chosa | study of informed opinion | bureaucrats ask for industry opinion by phone at a major policy juncture |
| Hibiya | sun compare valley | known for Hibiya Park and its amorous activities area of Tokyo |
| hidaika | ballooning, bloating (of organisations) | as dorokodan no ichijirushii hidaika the spectacular spread of JHPC |
| hieiri hojin | non-profit legal person | civil code concept of non-dividend declaring public interest incorporation |
| higashi | East | to/on higashi/kun as tozai nanboku North, South, East and West |
| hikaku | comparison | as mattaku konkyo no nai hikaku an utterly baseless comparison |
| hikaku no taisho o tou | to question the basis of comparison | comparing apples and oranges claim as a standard blocking argument |
| hikappu | non-instalment (payment) | credit purchase settled by lump sum and not by instalments vs kappu |
| hikiatekin | provision (incorrectly translated reserve) | against a quantifiably doubtful asset/accruing liability vs junbikin |
| hikizan | subtraction | something subject to a minus points problem (figurative) vs kakezan |
| himawari | sunflower | innocent and uncomplicated childhood imagery with nursery rhymes etc |
| hinin | denial (of claimed tax allowability etc) | NTAA disallowance of tax avoidance scheme (as abusive of Tax Code etc) |
| hiragana | cursive kana | syllabary written as overall shape of a homophonic kanji vs katakana |
| Hiroo | wide tail | embassies and quality housing popular with expatriates area of Tokyo |
| hisshi | desperate | as kare ga hisshi ni natte oyoide ita he was swimming for his life |
| hisshi | inevitable | as beidoru boraku ga hisshi no yo desu a USD collapse seems inevitable |
| hisshi | brush and paper | as hisshi ni tsukusenai kokei a scene beyond pen and ink expression |
| hitekiho | non-statutory | as hitekiho josuido jigyo a non-statutory drinking water LAME vs tekiho |
| hitekikaku nenkin | Non-Tax Qualified Retirement Pension | TQRP/NTQRP if/if not approved by NTAA proposed to abolish system |
| hitotsudai | Hitotsubashi University | specialising in economics and business studies small select top-quality |
| HNWIs | high net worth individuals | objectionable acronym for private banking target market individuals |
| ho | Japan | as hoka Japanese currency hogin Japanese banks (in legal terminology) |
| hoan | bill | as hoan o teishutsu tabling a bill hoan o kaketsu approving a bill |
| hodo | limit, bounds | as kenko no tame hodohodo ni avoiding extremes/excess for health reasons |
| hofu | abundance, plenty, riches | as shigen ga hofu rich in resources rodoryoku ga hofu plenty of labour |
| hogai | exorbitant, unreasonable | as hogai ni takai excessively expensive hogai ni yasui absurdly cheap |
| hojin | legal person in civil code jurisdiction | an incorporated entity at law a corporation vs shizenjin cf bukken |
| hojo | subsidy, support, extra | as hojokin grant hojo jinko shinzo sochi adjunct artificial heart device |
| hoken | insurance | as seimei hoken life assurance songai hoken casualty insurance cf seisonpo |
| Hokkaido | Northernmost major island | abutting on Tsarist Russia/USSR/RFR site Northern Territories problem |
| hoko | direction | as hoko onchi having no sense of direction hoko chigai mistaken direction |
| hokokusho | report | as yukashoken hokokusho long form securities report (filed at FSA) cf yuho |
| holism | the whole is more than the sum of its parts | Oriental social solidarity priority over economic rationality vs reductionism |
| homan keiei | reckless management | general reason given for any well-anticipated business failure cf Sogo |
| homu peji | home page, website | website not adopted as homu peji comprises established Japlish elements |
| homusho | Ministry of Justice | direct translation the more realistically termed legal affairs ministry |
| honbu | main department | as naninani honbu Such-and-Such Division (in a large company) |
| honcho | big boss | exceptionally surviving in financial English from GHQ era pidgin |
| Honda | Honda Toshiaki (1744 - 1821) | Edo period economist advisor to Shogun advance outlining of Meiji policy |
| honkakuteki | (to be adopted) on a full-scale, in earnest | new corporate etc strategy reported with ura implication of past delay |
| honma | main truth | Osaka dialect usage really? do you mean that? cf honto |
| honne | real intention, hidden agenda | as honne ga kitokuken iji the aim is protecting vested interests vs tatemae |
| Honshu | main island of Japanese archipelago | key population axis was Osaka to Tokyo is now Hiroshima to Sendai |
| honto | really | Tokyo dialect usage really? do you mean that? cf honma |
| horenso | spinach, hokoku-renraku-sodan | also kanji abbreviation report-liaise-consult sarariman action paradigm |
| hoshiki | formula, format, form | as keitai denwa no hoshiki mobile phone format, hoshikidori per the form |
| hosho | guarantee, surety | as hoshokin guarantee deposit hosho dekinai cannot guarantee |
| hoteishiki | formula, equation | as renritsu daisu hoteishiki simultaneous algebraic equations |
| hoyu suru | to own, possess | as hoyu shoken securities holdings hoyu zandaka balances held |
| hozei shonin ginko | corporation tax approved banks | maladministration of banks for smooth budgetary conditions cf gososendan |
| hozen | preservation, conservation | as shizen kankyo hozen protection of the natural environment vs hozon |
| hozon | preservation, maintenance | as dotai hozon jokikikansha preserved working steam locomotive vs hozen |
| huzi | fuji per kunrei shiki romanisation | leading example of maladministration and decisional paralysis cf seido hiro |
| hyogikai | council, conference | advisory body suitably chosen and guided to support bureaucrat policy |
| Hyogo | prefecture West of Osaka | international, sophisticated and better class portion of the Kansai |
| hyoji | indication, expression | as hyojiki (traffic) indicator ishi hyoji an expression of intention/thinking |
| hyoka | appraisal, valuation | as hyoka wa zero dokoro ka mainasu not even zero but a negative score |
| I | ||
| i | second vowel in aiueo order | pure vowel as in Italian not diphthong as in English cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| i | kstnhmyrw permitted combinations | ki si (shi) ti (chi) ni hi mi ri lengthened as ii, ih, i- etc cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| IAC | Investment Advisory Company | investment manager status divided Class I ichinin kanjo and Class II jogen |
| IAI | Independent Administrative Institute | UK public agency model for FILP Reform process cf dokuritsu gyosei hojin |
| IAS | International Accounting Standards | rigorous IAS standards being introduced cf gensokuteki, honkakuteki |
| IBJ | Industrial Bank of Japan, kogin | then-leading bank heavily protected a money fountain cf gososendan, Sogo |
| ichi | one | as ichiban number one ichiban warui worst ichiban yoi best |
| ichibatsu hyakkai | one punished one hundred warned | Chinese system of exemplary punishment much used in Japan cf NTAA |
| ichikan | one encouragement | indifferent DKB keiretsu now bundled into Mizuho with fuyo + kogin |
| ichinin kanjo | discretionary (investment management) | the serious player Class I IAC licence some 130 licence holders vs jogen |
| ichinin suru | to leave to a person's discretion | avoid responsibility by giving a third party a free hand in a decision cf Sogo |
| ichiranhyo | summary sheet | everything shown in summary form in the one table/figure much required |
| Ichitaro | word processing software | early 1980s kanamajiri word processing software then quite revolutionary |
| Ichiwakai | yakuza group strong in financial services | then-boss Ishii Susumu re-oriented to white collar crime in 1980s cf ramp |
| idotai tsushin | mobile communications | covers gamut of PHS and ubiquitous mobile phone cf keitai denwa, PDC |
| ihaku | threaten, menace | as ihaku gendo intimidating language employed in sarakin recovery cf omae |
| iinkai | committee | as shoiinkai subcommittee iinkai shoshu committee meeting called |
| iji | nature, disposition | as iji ga warui to be malicious iji o haru to be obstinate/difficult |
| Ijuin | family name from Kyushu | name written with three select classical kanji classier than the usual two |
| ikagawashii | unreliable, indecent | as ikagawashii shobai shady business ikagawashii banashi blue joke |
| Ikebukuro | pond bag | terminal station for somewhat rough unfavoured suburbs area of Tokyo |
| ikedakyo | Ikeda religion | Soka Gakkai, pre-War Buddhist sect, Ikeda Daisaku re-organised post-War |
| Imperial Household Agency | kunaicho | intrusive but competent agency for the minders of the Imperial Family |
| Imperial System | tennosei | along with BoJ the two largely unimpugned sources of legitimacy in Japan |
| inaka | country, rural areas | as inakappe country bumpkin inakappoi countrified (derogatory) |
| infure | inflation | gairaigo condensation into two/three syllables vs defure cf biru, pasokon |
| ingo | hidden speech, jargon, back slang | negative even criminal connotations of concealment cf moho, shoba, yob |
| inkyoku | cathode | as hatchaku inkyoku sputtered cathode inkyokusenkan CRT vs yokyoku |
| insei | negative | as insei no kanen kensa kekka a negative hepatitis test result vs yosei |
| insei | temple government | hidden political power centre Heian period Emperor's retirement to temple |
| Institute Cetacean Research | nihon keirui kenkyujo, Institute for | MoAFF sponsored scientific whaling research cover for sale of whale meat |
| intanetto | internet | as-is and has not been gairaigo three syllable condensed for some reason |
| IPO | Initial Public Offering | sole narrow exit for domestic private equity investors cf mikokaikabu toshi |
| ippan | general, run of | as ippan kokai open to the public ippan gakusei generality of students |
| IPSAS | Int'l Public Sector Accounting Standards | viewed with some considerable MoPM incomprehension and unease |
| irikae | change (of items) | as bare senshu no irikae change in the members of a volley ball team |
| iryo | clothing | as iryo sangyo the rag trade iryohin articles of clothing cf iryo |
| iryo | medical treatment | as iryo sangyo medical industry iryohin medical supplies cf iryo |
| iryubun | legitime | civil code jurisdiction doctrine forced rules of succession restricting wills |
| isha | doctor | as nihon isha kai Japan Medical Association cf JMA, koseizoku |
| ishiki | consciousness | as ishiki o takameru to raise profile kanzen muishiki totally unconscious |
| isoro | hanger-on, parasite, dependent | as isoro suru to feed (off someone)/borrow (office space) (ironical) |
| isshiki | complete set (of documents) | as ninka shinsei shorui isshiki complete set of approval application forms |
| issun saki wa yami | one inch ahead is pitch black | the future is unknowable famously used about political developments |
| itamiwake | drawn sumo match on injury | dividing up the pain of restructuring between the participants (figurative) |
| itanji | black sheep, loose canon | as naninani gyokai no itanji the wild man of the so-and-so industry |
| iten | move, change of address | as iten no tame denwabango ga kawatta phone number changed on moving |
| Ito | Ito Hirobumi (1841 - 1909) | Meiji disciplinarian promoted Prussian model against the British vs Okuma |
| itsuwari | misrepresentation, lie | as kanban ni itsuwari ga ari advertisements always contain a falsehood |
| ittei | one (fixed) measure | as ittei no ritsu a fixed rate ittei no kikan a specified period |
| Iwate | prefecture in NE Honshu | somewhat deprived, isolated and poor also subject to discrimination |
| iyao nashi ni | liking it or lumping it | as iyao nashi ni chihosaiboshu ni obo suru obliged to subscribe to LGBs |
| izoku no kai | War Bereaved Association | pension benefits and political support for Yasukuni against votes for LDP |
| Izumo | site of Izumo Taisha shrine in Shimane | where the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Omikami alighted to found Japan |
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