| 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 |
| J | ||
| j | second consonant in kstnhmyrw order | s in combination with i si (shi) voiced ji cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| j | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | jiya (ja) jiyu (ju) jiyo (jo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| JA | Japan Agriculture | positive branding for negative image nokyo widely used with trendy logo |
| JAFCO | Japan Associated Finance Company | Nomura related venture capital/private equity firm domestic leader |
| JAFP | Japan Association for Financial Planners | association founded 1987 granting international qualification cf kakaekomi |
| JAIC | Japan Asia Investment Company | major venture capital/private equity fund company acting internationally |
| Japan Coast Guard | kaijohoancho | Chinese immigrants and North Korean intruders a budget godsend |
| Japan Def'ce Facilities Ag'y | boeishisetsucho, Defence Facilities Agency | defence facilities amakudari slots etc organisational behaviour cf hidaika |
| Japlish | Japanese English, wasei eigo | established elements in katakana parallelling kanji compounding use cf mai |
| JAS | Japan Agricultural Standard | well used pattern of non-tariff trade barriers for barrier sake cf JIS, PDC |
| JBIC | Japan Bank for International Co-operation | then-Exim Bank and OECF merged consolidating FILP activity overseas |
| JCB | Japan Credit Bureau | Sanwa Bank now-UFJ related credit card issuer domestic industry leader |
| JCIA | Japan Credit Industry Association | MoETI sponsored body producing the definitive credit statistics etc |
| JCR | Japan Credit Rating Agency | founded 1985 reasonably professionally principled vs R&I cf Mikuni |
| JDCPA | Japan Debit Card Promotion Association | classic MoPM + NTT amakudari slot organisation cf kanmin |
| JDFA | Japan Defence Facilities Agency | boeishisetsucho providing amakudari slots throughout Japan cf hidaika |
| JETRO | Japan External Trade Organisation | overseas cover for NTAA study of private banking Zurich/New York |
| JFCfME | Japan Finance Corp for Municipal Enterprises | to be privatised in FILP Reform and tantalisingly close to DEXIA |
| JGAAP | Japanese GAAP | known for their flexibility now something of an accounting embarrassment |
| JGBs | Japanese Government Bonds | broadly also FBs, GGBs, GGLs, FILPBs, FILPABs, LGBs, LAMEBs etc |
| JHLC | Japan Housing Loan Corporation | massive public sector lender in competition with private sector cf maneita |
| jibun | I, me | slightly dated middle-aged male familiar word for first person singular |
| JICA | Japan International Co-operation Agency | MoFA-related aid organisation with a blemished track record cf fukumaden |
| jichi | self government | as jichitai local authorities (being 3,200 prefectures cities towns villages) |
| jicho | assistant general manager | somewhat indifferent title between kacho and bucho in many companies |
| JICPA | Japan Institute of Certified Public Accountants | 13,226 CPAs and 149 auditing firms (2000) cf kakaekomi, professionals |
| jidai | period, era, time | as jidai sakugo anachronism/out of date thinking jidai geki period drama |
| jieigyo | (enterprise) owner-manager | benefiting from favourable tax regime concessions voting for LDP |
| jigen | dimension | as jigen ga chigau to have missed the point tajigen multidimensional |
| jigyo | business, venture | as jigyo keikakusho business plan documents jigyo yosan business budget |
| jigyodan | FILP-related enterprise groups | heavily/entirely subsidised public sector businesses cf FILP Reform |
| jigyo shokei | enterprise succession | introducing management and inheritance tax problems source of M&A |
| jikankyu | hourly paid (arubaito) | current wage terms for arubaito typically JPY650 - JPY850/hr |
| jika sogaku | (equity) market capitalisation | as jika sogaku ga daibu meberi shita market capitalisation is down heavily |
| jiko | accident (in financial services) | as jiko ga atta there was some slight confusion between mine and thine |
| jiko | self, personal | as jiko unyo management oneself jiko sekinin at one's own risk |
| jiminto | Liberal Democratic Party | LDP as has so often been said neither liberal nor democratic nor a party |
| jinchi | encampment | strategic vested territory of the interest group (figurative) cf jintori gassen |
| jingi | benevolence and integrity | as nusubito nimo jingi ga aru there is also honour among thieves |
| jingi o kiru | to observe thieves' niceties | to inform the other party of a (negative) business development (ironical) |
| jinjibu | personnel department | liaison function clearing house for sarariman good, middling and bad |
| jinjiin | National Personnel Authority | Government personnel department establishing civil service pay scale |
| jinmin | people (Marxist terminology) | as chuka jinmin kyowakoku central flowery people's republic (PRC) |
| jinsen | personnel selection | as jinsen no ayamari ga atta yo desu it seems the wrong man was hired |
| jinshu kakuri | apartheid | neatly demonstrating precision possible with kanji compounding cf kakuri |
| jintori gassen | struggle for advantage, game of musical chairs | disorganised re-allocation of spoils on change in circumstances cf jinchi |
| JIPPA | Japan Internet Payment Promotion Association | another largely meaningless MoPM + NTT amakudari slot organisation |
| JIS | Japan Industrial Standard | well used pattern of non-tariff trade barriers for barrier sake cf JAS, PDC |
| jishakabu | (the) company shares | generally refers to the founding family's holding and treasury stock |
| jishu | independent, autonomous | as jishu haigyo voluntary closure jishu unyo independent management |
| jisshitsu | substantial, material | as zaimu no jisshitsu kaizen real improvement in the balance sheet |
| jitsugyo | business, industry | as jitsugyoka entrepreneur jitsugyo no sai a talent for business |
| jitsuju gensoku | real demand principle | prior requirement that forex dealing had to be for exim purposes only |
| jiyu | liberal, free | as gojiyu ni please feel free keizai jiyushugi economic liberalism |
| jiyuka | liberalisation | kisei kanwa mistranslated liberalisation and then back-translated jiyuka |
| JMA | Japan Medical Association | doctors seeking health care budget benefits against support for LDP |
| JNOC | Japan National Oil Corporation | with catalogue of dry wells comprehensively failed FILP agency cf maneita |
| JNR Settlement | kokutetsu seiri | Settlement I and II low profile model for FILP Reform cf zaito kaikaku |
| jogen | advice, advisory | Class II IAC unreliable sinks for securities industry employees vs ichinin |
| johoya | information boys | fly-by-night peddlers of generally pirated information (derogatory) |
| joi | joy | key Japlish element as joi suteppu arcade steps joi rain scenic road |
| joiben | joint venture | gairaigo condensation into three syllable pattern but JV also used cf VB |
| joi dantai | superior body | keito tiered organisations providing amakudari slots vs kai dantai cf hidaika |
| jojo | listed, quoted, public (company) | having credibility/social status attractive to candidate-sarariman students |
| jokyo | condition, state | as genzai no jokyo ga amari yoku nai things are not going well at present |
| jokyo handan | decision made on the actual circumstances | flying by the seat of your pants/winging it/taking an educated guess |
| jokyo shoko | circumstantial evidence | police say a suspect's confession is gold evidence of the crime is silver |
| Jomon | straw rope pattern | culture marking the Japanese neolithic (10,000 - 200BC) cf Yayoi |
| josui | water purification | as kasankasuiso shiyo josuikojo hydrogen peroxide water treatment plant |
| joto | transfer, conveyance | as joto bukken property conveyed jotonin assignor hijotonin assignee cf hi |
| joyosha | habitual user | as romen densha joyosha constant tram user mayaku joyosha drug addict |
| joyojidosha | passenger automobile vehicle | abbreviated joyosha passenger car jidosha automobile sha (kuruma) car |
| JPO | Joint Public Offer | JPO LGBs the MoPM scheme for joint issues to promote market liquidity |
| JR/JNR | Japan Railways/Japan National Railways | railways in staged privatisation JNR Settlement as FILP Reform model |
| JSDA | Japan Securities Dealers Association | securities houses trade association also managing OTC market cf JASDAQ |
| JSIAA | Japan Securities Investment Advisors Ass'n | IAC trade association membership limited to Class 1 licence holders only |
| jubako | nest of boxes | kanji reading mixing on and kun as gaitame forex (eg television in English) |
| juki netto | jumin kihon daicho netto | resident register network with 11 digit PINs cf sosebangosei, tax policy |
| jumin sanka | resident participation | as jumin sankagata kobosai ("beautiful" idea of) mini-PO LGBs cf aikensai |
| junbari | straining with (the trend) | momentum (investment) generality of Japanese investor behaviour |
| junbikin | reserve | as rieki junbikin profit reserve sonshitsu junbikin loss reserve vs hikiatekin |
| jusen | housing finance companies | non-bank banks infamously bankrupted by speculative property lending |
| jusho | abode | inheritance tax residence concept largely negated in amendment (2000) |
| jutaku | housing | as kokyu jutaku high quality housing retsuaku jutaku abominable housing |
| jutakuron | housing loan | attractive secured lending market with demise of JHLC cf FILP Reform |
| JV | joint venture, jointo bencha | katakana clumsy condensed joiben or abbreviated JV cf kakutei kyoshutsu |
| K | ||
| k | first consonant in kstnhmyrw order | k cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| k | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ka ki ku ke ko kiya (kya) kiyu (kyu) kiyo (kyo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| ka | change, become, -isation | as ekika liquefaction kika evaporation ogataka sizes become larger |
| kabu | stump (of tree), interest, share | as kabu o yaru to dabble in shares kabuya stock brokers (derogatory) |
| kabuki | sing dance skill | townspeople's light opera of Edo period now high culture vs Kabukicho |
| Kabukicho | kabuki township | dangerously disreputable/no artistic pretension area of Tokyo cf bottakuri |
| kabunushi | shareholder | much abused in Japanese stakeholder value corporate governance system |
| kabushiki gaisha | limited liability company | acronym KK but k of kaisha voiced g in elision cf YK, eiri hojin |
| kachi | value | as kachi no nai hito valueless person keizai kachi economic value |
| kachigumi | winning group | successful leaders in any process of change vs makegumi cf MTFG |
| kacho | manager | important first rung of management promotion ladder in many companies |
| kacho dairi | deputy manager | one rung below kacho and out of employee union in many companies |
| kafusoku | overs and unders | excesses/deficiencies (of funds in tanshi market) cf overloan, overmoney |
| kai dantai | subordinate body | tiered organisations per keito banks amakudari slots vs joi dantai cf hidaika |
| kaigai | overseas | as kaigai gyomu overseas operations kaigai shiten overseas branch |
| kaigi | conference | as tadaima daredare ga kaigichu desu So-and-So is now in a meeting |
| kaijohoancho | Japan Coast Guard | with Chinese immigrants + North Korean intruders a higher profile |
| kaikaku | reform | indicating desire to be seen to be doing something about system fatigue |
| kaikeikensain | Board of Audit | toothless auditor direct translation accounts inspection bureau cf kakaekomi |
| kaikeishi | accountant | as konin kaikeishi CPA cf JICPA, kakaekomi, professionals, benrishi |
| kaikin | lift a ban | as kinkaikin re-introducing gold convertibility kaikinki a (shooting) season |
| kainanshinpancho | Marine Accidents Inquiry Agency | form of Court of Admiralty specially investigating accidents at sea |
| kaisei | revision, amendment (of Act) | always presented as liberalisation on inspection frequently the reverse |
| kaishagata | in form of a company | SITs taking form of company not securities trust under new provisions |
| kaisha kosei ho | Company Rehabilitation Act | providing Court protection from creditors cf Ausgleich, Konkursordnung |
| kaishi | start, commencement | as shiai kaishi start of play kabu torihiki kaishi start of equity trading |
| kaitenritsu | turnover ratio | as zaiko kaitenritsu stock turnover shizai kaitenritsu equipment turnover |
| kaiten zushi | revolving sushi | take sushi plates from a conveyor belt pay by number/type of plates |
| kaizen | improvement | as bikaizen incremental improvement kaizensaku reform measure |
| kajoyushi | excessive financing | pushing money down a client's throat as the banks in the Credit Bubble |
| kakaekomi | headlock (in wrestling) | envelopment of an activity to control for ulterior motives cf Establishment |
| kakaku hakai | price destruction | competitive pricing also beginning to occur in financial service products |
| kakesute | (money) down the drain | premiums paid on insurance term assurance etc but no "return" seen |
| kakezan | multiplication | something with increase/accrual of benefits (figurative) vs hikizan cf sojo |
| kakuri | separation, set apart from | to be isolated/segregated from as jinshu kakuri apartheid vs bunri |
| kakuteibi | fixed day | as kessai kakuteibi settlement date bukken joto kakuteibi conveyance date |
| kakutei kyoshutsu | defined contribution (pension) | kyo obscure kanji so written 401(k) but without the 401(k) tax benefits |
| kakutei kyufu | defined benefit (pension) | poor yields and unfavourable demographics often heavily underfunded |
| kakyo | overseas Chinese | dominant economic force in SEA completely marginalised in Japan |
| Kamakura | town 50km South of Tokyo | place name of first shogunate 12th cent to 14th cent a tourist destination |
| kami no kuni | country of the gods | statement by PM Mori and the State Shinto positioning of Japan cf shinto |
| Kamiyacho | gods valley township | rather nondescript inexpensive now a foreign office location area in Tokyo |
| kan | intuition, 6th sense | as kan to keiken (decisions based on) feel and experience (derogatory) |
| kana | kana syllabary letters | cursive hiragana and square katakana in gojuon analysis cf kanamajiri |
| Kanagawa | prefecture due South of Tokyo | residential light industry region with exceptionally high level of HNWIs |
| kanai | wife | humble term (inside the house) indicating speaker's own wife cf keigo |
| Kanai | Kanai Noburu (1865 - 1933) | todai professor introducing many things Prussian cf Listianism, shiso zendo |
| kanamajiri | kana mixed in | standard Japanese script kanji + hiragana + katakana wrongly termed kanji |
| kanban | signboard | as kanban ni itsuwari ga ari advertisements always contain a falsehood |
| kancho kaikei | ministry accounting | single entry cash basis accounts from Prussia (1870s) vs fukushiki boki |
| Kanda | gods field | popular cheap office location for Japanese professionals area in Tokyo |
| kanegashigyo | money lending business | always ura implication of a tainted money lending operation (derogatory) |
| kanegashi ho | Money Lending Act | part of inconsistent legislation surrounding consumer finance cf gurezon |
| kaneru | to combine, serve both as | as yoji to asobi o kanete ikimashita (I) went on both business and pleasure |
| kaneru | to hesitate (to do) | as moshiagekanemasu ga naninani (I) venture to request such-and-such |
| kangaekata | way of thinking | as kangaekata ga kanari chigau way of looking at things is quite different |
| kani | simple, convenient | as kani seimei hoken easy life assurance kani tetsudo (2ft 6) light railway |
| kanji | Chinese characters | Japanese-style Chinese reading on + Japanese native reading kun |
| kanji radical | 214 kanji building blocks | classical Chinese listing now reduced and much abbreviated cf Nelson |
| kanjo | account | as kanjo ni tsukeru to put on the account tsuke ni suru to put on the tab |
| kankaku | spacing, interval | as semai kankaku closely spaced ittei no kankaku fixed interval spacing |
| kankei | relationship, connection | as missetsu na kankei closely related mattaku mukankei totally unrelated |
| kanko | sight seeing, tourism | as kankokyaku tourist kanko meisho tourist destination/famous site cf tabi |
| kankyosho | Ministry of Environment | upgraded from agency to ministry status in Hashimoto Reform process |
| kanmin | officials and people, public + private sector | as kanmin jigyo public/private business kanmin kyodotai public/private JV |
| kanpo | simple assurance (for the everyman) | PSC world's largest assurer 25,000 branches/JPY125tr approx cf yucho |
| kanren | association, affiliation | as kanren gaisha affiliated company kanren shitsumon a related question |
| kanri | control, supervision | as gaitame kanri forex control keiei kanri management control |
| kansa hojin | auditing corporation | civil code version of accounting firm partnership under the Act cf JICPA |
| Kansai | West of barrier | West Japan (Edo internal passport control barrier at Hakone) vs Kanto |
| kansei | completion | as kanseihin finished goods kansei ni chikazuku to approach completion |
| Kansei Reforms | (1789 - 1793) under Matsudaira Sadanobu | second of three economic reform programmes of Tokugawa Shogunate |
| kanseito | (airport) control tower | head of operations command centre one's better half (jocular) cf kanai |
| kansetsu | indirect | as kansetsu kinyu indirect financing/intermediation cf tochi honisei |
| kansetsu kinyu | indirect financing, intermediation | as kansetsu kinyu izon bank borrowing dependence vs chokusetsu kinyu |
| kanson minpi | bureaucrat respect people despise | Chinese Mandarinate thinking that government officials are everything |
| kan suru | to be connected (with)/related (to) | as naninani taisaku ni kan suru ho the So-and-So Measures Act |
| Kanto | East of barrier | East Japan (Edo internal passport control barrier at Hakone) vs Kansai |
| kantoku kancho | supervising authorities | responsible for supervising structured to avoid resulting responsibility |
| kanzainin | administrator of property | as hasan kanzainin receiver in bankruptcy isan kanzainin executor of a will |
| kanzen | complete | as kanzen teishi complete halt kanzen shoka (issue) completely taken up |
| kappo | cooking, cookery | as kappoya a cheap eating place kappogi cooking apron |
| kappu | instalment payment | as kappuhanbai ho Hire Purchase Act vs hikappu cf shinpan |
| karasawagi | empty ruckus | apt translation of title of Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing |
| karikae | refinancing, refunding | as karikae futan refunding burden karikaesai refinancing bonds cf FILPBs |
| kasai | fire damage | as kaijo kasai marine and fire damage/casualty/non-life cf sonpo |
| kashishiburi | unwillingness to lend | credit line reduction by balance sheet pressed banks in NPL roll-forward |
| Kasumigaseki | mist barrier | central government office location the Japanese Whitehall area of Tokyo |
| katakana | square kana | written as key radical of a homophonic kanji in square form vs hiragana |
| katatataki | tap on shoulder, invitation to resign | often legally unsound procedure claiming market forces cf yamu o enai |
| Katayama Plan | MoPM local government tax reform | central: local tax revenues 3:2 but expenditures 2:3 unclear plan 1:1 overall |
| kawase | exchange | term used also for domestic bill/promissory note settlement business |
| kaya no soto | out of the loop | when individual involved is tail end Charlie and therefore politically dead |
| kazei | (to bear) taxation | as kazei shotoku taxable income bunri kazei separately assessed tax |
| KDD | Kokusai Denshin Denwa | former monopolist of overseas calls now-KDDI rescued in kyusai gappei |
| keidai | Keio University | leading private university in Tokyo founded by Fukuzawa vs sodai |
| keidanren | Federation of Economic Organisations | largely for manufacturing industry now nomenclatively nihon keidanren |
| keiei | management | as keiei hoshin management policy keiei noryoku management ability |
| keigo | Japanese characteristic polite language | form of speech indicating social status between speaker and spoken to |
| keigo directionality | expression of personal pronouns indirectly | keigo used to express identity of speaker and spoken to by status allusion |
| keihanshin | Kyoto + Osaka + Kobe | kanji abbreviation for conurbation and segments split keihan and hanshin |
| keiho | Criminal Code | compendium of general criminal law provisions as keihojo no criminal |
| keika | progress, course, development | as keika hokoku progress report keika sochi transitional provisions |
| keikaku | plan, project | as jigyo keikaku an enterprise project toshi keikaku town planning |
| keikaku keizai | planned economy, the Manchurian Experiments | I modelled on Mussolini/Stalin 1930s II introduced to Japan proper 1950s |
| keiken | experience | as keiken no nai inexperienced keiken hofu highly experienced |
| Keio | Bakumatsu era name (1865 - 1866) | Keio Gijuku founded originally 1858 and later renamed Keio University |
| keioboi | typical graduate of Keio | well dressed/well turned out young man from a good family cf obotchan |
| keiretsu | series | vertically cartelised groups of companies originally the pre-War zaibatsu |
| keisatsucho | National Policy Agency | recruits widely from the physical education universities + todai selectively |
| keiseikai | protofaction formed by Takeshita | effective hijacking of Tanaka faction important political event (1980s) |
| keitai | portable | as keitai denwa cell phone keitai sokuteiki portable measuring instrument |
| keito | tiered (banking) system | from 19th cent German co-operative ideas cf Raiffeisen, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| keiyaku | contract | always short with a shingi seijitsu best efforts dispute resolution clause |
| keizai | economy | as keizai jijo economic conditions keizai seicho economic growth |
| keizaisangyosho | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry | MITI and EPA amalgamated loss of power a warning to MoF cf MoETI |
| kengattai | prefectural amalgamation | proposed consolidation of prefectures to create Laender cf doshu, doshusei |
| kenkyujo | research institute (a much devalued term) | as naninani keizai kenkyujo So-and So Economic Research Institute |
| kenkyukai | research meeting | opportunity (for doctors and others) to get away for an agreeable weekend |
| kenmen | face of security/note | as kenmengaku face value kenmen kijutsu stated on the face of the security |
| kenri | right, privilege | as isansozoku kenri no hoki inheritance rights (tax efficiently) relinquished |
| kenritsu | founded (ritsu) by prefecture (ken) | as kenritsu koko prefectural high school cf doritsu, furitsu |
| kensa | inspection | with chosa useful route to general delay obstruction procrastination etc |
| kensetsuzoku | construction tribe | LDP members involved in construction budget issues cf three per cent |
| kento | guess | as kento ga tsukanai to have no idea kento dewa (my) guess (is that) |
| kessai | settlement (of accounts) | translation confusion occasionally with settei settlement (of a trust) |
| kessan | (set of) accounts | as kessanki accounting period akaji kessan (reporting) a loss |
| kessan tanshin | short form securities report | required by TSE etc within two months of balance sheet date cf yuho |
| kesubaikesu | case by case | deciding according to balance of vested interests involved cf rigai kankei |
| ketsubosho | deficiency disease | as settokuryoku ketsubosho no aru setsumei an unconvincing explanation |
| ki | keigo prefix indicating second person | as kisha your company kiko your bank kifujin lady kisama you! (insulting) |
| KIAC | Kansai International Airport Corporation | MoLIT FILP agency JPY1.5tr plus waste vs NTIAC cf three per cent |
| kiban | standard, base | as seikatsu no kiban base of life for inheritance/gift tax provisions cf jusho |
| kibo | expectation, hope | as kiboho Cape of Good Hope kibo o michite iru to be full of hope vs kitai |
| kigyo | enterprise | as kigyoka entrepreneur kigyo o okosu to launch a business |
| kihon | standard, foundation | viz kiban kihon kijun kikan kiso similar but subtly differentiated usages |
| kijun | standard, criterion | as handan kijun criteria kijun gokaku accredited kijunten datum point |
| kikan | standard, nucleus | as kikan sangyo basic industry kikan kodo gijutsu key high technology |
| kiken | abstention, abandonment, default | as tohyo kiken voting abstention shiai kiken match default/uncontested |
| kiken | danger | as kiken butsu mochikomi kinshi dangerous articles not to be brought in |
| kikin | fund | civil code jurisdiction under special provisions and not a simple trust |
| kikinzoku | precious metals | closely defined as means of payment under so-called liberalised Forex Act |
| kindai | modern, recent | as kindaishi modern history kindaigo modern languages vs gendai |
| kinki | area around Kyoto + Nara | current but very old and classical name for original Yamato heartland area |
| kinkyu | emergency, urgency | as kinkyu dasshutsu happyo emergency evacuation announcement |
| kinri | interest | as uketori kinri interest receivable shiharai kinri interest payable cf rishi |
| kinshi | forbidden | as kikenbutsu mochikomi kinshi dangerous articles not to be brought in |
| kinyu | finance | as kinyu kiki financial crisis kinyu kikan financial institution |
| kinyucho | Financial Services Agency | has gained much notoriety for its unstinted support for NPL roll-forward |
| Kinzai | Institute of Financial Affairs | MoF sponsored think tank producing financial perception survey data |
| kisei | regulation, control | number of regulations 10,000 a bureaucrat's paradise cf kisei kanwa |
| kisei chosei | regulation adjustment, reregulation | more correct term for deregulation/liberalisation cf kisei kanwa, jiyuka |
| kiseichu | parasite, vested interest (figurative) | infested institutions require reform therapy of heavy system fatigue disease |
| kisei kanwa | regulation relaxation (translated variously) | misleadingly liberalisation quite incorrectly deregulation cf kisei chosei |
| kishocho | Meteorological Agency | Met Office functions plus earthquake monitoring and tsunami warnings |
| kiso | standard, foundation | as bunpo no kiso elements of grammar kiso koji building foundation work |
| kissai seigen | (LGB) bond issue restriction | LGB issues not being permitted as basis of MoPM monitoring system |
| kita | North | hoku/on kita/kun as tozai nanboku North, South, East and West |
| kitai | expectation, anticipation | as muri na kitai datta (it) was an unreasonable expectation vs kibo |
| kitaine | level of expectation | as kitaine to wa kakehanaresugita to have been a complete disappointment |
| kitasu | to cause | as hidoi infure o kitashita to have caused bad inflation cf konran o kitasu |
| kitei | regulations, provisions | as horitsu no genko kitei no moto under the existing legal provisions |
| kitokuken | established right, vested interest | an identifiable vested interest against a morass of interests vs rigai kankei |
| KK | members' liability limited to share capital | AB, AS, Co Ltd, Corp, GmbH, Inc, NV, plc, SARL, SpA etc cf eiri, hieiri |
| ko | (superior authority/state notions of) public | not public political processes of scrutiny and participation vs shi cf okami |
| Kobe | major port city in Kansai | quite large Meiji foreign settlement area parallelling Yokohama in Kanto |
| kobo | public offer | as nihyakuokuen no shigatsu kobo April public offer of JPY20bn vs shibo |
| koboku | public servant | correct but use would be somewhat counterproductive cf kanson minpi |
| kocho | favourable trend | as gyoseki ga kocho (their) business results (are) more than satisfactory |
| kochokka | rigidification, paralysis | as shigo kochokka rigor mortis hence description of bureaucracy (ironical) |
| kodan | public corporation | as nihon doro kodan Japan Highway Public Corp cf FILP Reform, railways |
| kodoha | Imperial Way Faction | Manchurian Experiment I group with Imperial/mystical tendency vs toseiha |
| kofuzei | Tax Transfer | (local government) fiscal equalisation transfers administered by MoPM |
| kogai to chosei iinkai | EDCC | Environmental Disputes Co-ordination Commission a slightly tricky patch |
| kogin | Industrial Bank of Japan, IBJ | IBJ by its kanji abbreviation a small keiretsu now part of Mizuho cf Sogo |
| kokan | exchange | as butsubutsu kokan barter toka kokan (tax efficient) equal value exchange |
| koko | high school | schoolchildren are ages 16 to 18 elective education cf shogakko, chugakko |
| kokudokotsusho | MoLIT | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport MoT + MoC amalgamated |
| kokumin | populace | political colouring: kokumin rightist minshu neutral jinmin Marxist |
| kokunai | domestic | as kokunai jijo domestic circumstances kokunai sangyo domestic industry |
| kokunaiha | domestic faction | normally personnel main stream vs kokusaiha cf shuryuha, hanshuryuha |
| kokuritsu | founded (ritsu) by country (koku) | as kokuritsu seiyo bijutsukan National Museum of Western Art |
| kokusai | international | positive popular word in 1960s and 1970s now the threatening gurobaruka |
| kokusaiha | international faction | generally anti-main stream faction vs kokunaiha cf hanshuryuha, shuryuha |
| kokusaika | internationalisation | was a good thing within limits but strong reservations cf gurobaruka |
| kokusaisei | internationalness | suffix sei having the property/nature of as kokunaisei domesticness |
| kokusaku | national policy | ultimate irrefutable justification for bureaucrat fiat viz Mizuho formation |
| kokuzeicho | National Tax Administration Agency, NTAA | notably rough/tough/alegal/idiosyncratic administration of tax cf gurezon |
| kokyaku | customer, client | as fuyu na kokyakuso affluent client base kokyaku nizu client requirements |
| kokyotoshi | public works expenditure, PWE | lifeblood of LDP, of construction industry and of regional economies |
| komeito | public light party | votes actively gathered by Soka Gakkai machine-like system cf ikedakyo |
| komoku | item, heading | as komoku ni jijo ga gaito suru the provisions apply in the circumstances |
| komon | advisor | common sinecure slot for private sector amakudari cf seido hiro, anju suru |
| komuin | public employee | no concept of civil servant as Mandarinate thinking applies cf koboku |
| kondo | this time | confusingly uncertain as to whether past present or future in meaning |
| kongo | from this time on | as sonna taido kongo yurusanai! from now on stop that kind of nonsense! |
| konin | officially recognised | as konin kohosha official candidate (officially selected by political party) |
| konin kaikeishi | Certified Public Accountant | hopelessly mired between stakeholders and shareholders cf kakaekomi |
| Konkursordnung | Bankruptcy Act (Austria-Hungary) | 19th cent legislation with then-progressive debt composition cf Ausgleich |
| konnan | difficulty, testing | as kisai negime ga konnan impossible to agree the bond issue price |
| konran | confusion | as gaitame shijo konran no kiwamari the height of forex market confusion |
| koritsu | founded (ritsu) by public (ko) | as koritsu koko public high school koritsu hakubutsukan public museum |
| kosei nenkin | Employee Pension Insurance | public sector defined benefit scheme for employees linked to their EPF |
| koseirodosho | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | two low ranking ministries MoHW + MoL amalgamated cf MoHLW |
| kosei torihiki iinkai | Fair Trade Commission | occasionally slaps wrists for yet another price fixing performance cf dango |
| koseizoku | welfare tribe | LDP members involved in health pension welfare budget issues cf JMA |
| kotei fusai | fixed liabilities (balance sheet item) | as risutora de kotei fusai o herasu to slim fixed liabilities in a restructuring |
| kotei shisan | fixed assets (balance sheet item) | as kotei shisan o danko saihyoka suru to thoroughly revalue fixed assets |
| kotei shisanzei | fixed asset tax | property taxation holding burden very low transaction burden very high |
| kotei tesuryo | fixed commissions (on equity business) | totally freed and the final nail in the coffin of the securities industry as-was |
| koteki | public | as koteki ni sekinin o ou to be publicly responsible (for) vs shiteki |
| koteki saimu | public debt | as koteki saimu ga zatto nanahyakuchoen public debt (is) JPY700tr all in |
| koza | account | as futsu koza ordinary (deposit) account teiki koza term (deposit) account |
| kozo | structure, construction | as tatemono wa kozojo kekkan ga aru the building has structural defects |
| kudasai | please | with neutral polite impact as imperative of humble form kudasaru to give |
| kukaku seiri | plot adjustment | re-organisation of rice paddies for irrigation or town planning related |
| kukan | space (in the three dimensions) | as kukanteki kankei spatial relations kukan yuko riyo efficient space use |
| Kulturkampf | (Bismarck's) culture conflict (1870 - 1878) | infallibility dogma of Pius IX (1870) opposing Prussian political hegemony |
| kumiai | association, society | as rodo kumiai labour union toshi kumiai investment partnership |
| kun | Japanese reading (of a kanji) | native Japanese word of same meaning tied to kanji in on/kun pair vs on |
| kunaicho | Imperial Household Agency | slightly intrusive but highly effective minders of Imperial Family members |
| kunrei shiki | Cabinet Ordinance System (1954) | transliteration based on gojuon first introduced in 1937 vs hebon shiki |
| kurejitto | credit | gairaigo euphemism avoiding connotations of established word shinyo |
| kuroji | in the black | as okagesama de kuroji desu thankfully (we are) turning a profit |
| kurosu baibai | cross trading (put-throughs) | realising profits/losses for tax/book keeping purposes now restricted |
| kuruma no ryorin | both wheels of the cart | the two necessary and inseparable features of something (figurative) |
| kuzu | rubbish, scrap | as ningen no kuzu a good-for-nothing kuzu tetsu scrap iron |
| kyapitaru | capital | inserted y preserves diphthong pronunciation of English a more closely |
| kyasshingu | cashing | inserted y preserves diphthong pronunciation of English a more closely |
| kyodai | Kyoto University | one of the eight pre-War Imperial Universities with liberal reputation |
| kyodo hakko | joint issue, Joint (Public) Offer (LGBs) | MoPM scheme for JPO LGBs first launched in 2003/04 vs enkosai cf kobo |
| kyodotai | community | as unmeikyodotai community members bound together by a common fate |
| kyogi | consultation, deliberation | as yatto kyogi ga matomatta a conclusion was eventually reached |
| kyogikai | council | form of government consultative body to rubber stamp bureaucrat policy |
| Kyoho Reforms | (1716 - 1736) under Tokugawa Yoshimune | first of three economic reform programmes of Tokugawa Shogunate |
| kyoiku | education | as kyoiku kaikaku education reform kyoiku nesshin eager for education |
| kyoka | strengthening | as kissai seigen kyokasaku policy of further restricting (LGB) issues |
| kyomi | interest | as kyomibukai very interesting kyomiusui not very interesting |
| kyoppo | comrade | Korean word for Japanese Koreans meaning 'one of ours' cf uchinanchu |
| kyosai kumiai | mutual aid association | quasi-public sector composite insurers with life + casualty licence |
| kyoso | competition | controversial kanji compound for concept alien to neo-Confucian ideology |
| kyoson kyoei | mutual co-existence, live and let live | together exist together prosper four kanji epithegm cf mochitsu motaretsu |
| kyosoryoku | competitiveness | as kyosoryoku o kanzen ni ushinatta to have lost all competitive edge |
| Kyoto | residence of Emperor (794 - 1867) | still maintaining the veneer of a closed exclusive society but sadly reduced |
| kyoyo | grant, provision | as shakkan kyoyo grant of a loan terebi kyoyo TV set provided |
| kyufu | payment, benefit | as nenkin kyufu pension payment fuka kyufu fringe benefits/perks |
| kyusai gappei | rescue merger | ura of a takeover always described omote as a merger of nominal equals |
| Kyushu | island South of Honshu | one of four major islands of Japan others: Hokkaido Honshu Shikoku |
| L | ||
| l | redundant letter l always transliterated r | r that has l characteristics difficult for Occidentals cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| l | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | not a recognised sound none cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| LAs | Life Assurers | investment manager regulatory status now in considerable difficulty |
| Laender | (German) states | between central and local government regional subsidiarity cf doshusei |
| LAMEs | Local Authority Municipal Enterprises | drinking + industrial water hospitals sewerage underground railways etc |
| LAPCs | Local Authority Public Corporations | problematic housing provision land development toll roads cf seido hiro |
| LBOs | Leveraged Buy Outs | US-style scheme not meshing well with Japanese corporate governance |
| LDP | Liberal Democratic Party | post-War Establishment party nexus of vested interests cf jiminto, zokugiin |
| legitimacy | of (sovereign's) title good or bad | sources limited to Emperor and BoJ otherwise great distrust of authorities |
| legitime | forced rules of succession | civil code jurisdiction principle restricts scope of will provisions cf iryubun |
| LGBs | Local Government Bonds, chihosai | consolidated local government debt estimate is approx JPY235tr (2001) |
| LIAJ | Life Insurance Association of Japan | in decline statistics poorly compiled somewhat arrogant and time-warped |
| line | being in the direct management line, rain | as rain bucho line general manager (one with very great power) vs staff |
| Listianism | founded by Friedrich List (1789 - 1846) | staged socio-economic development free market end-stage vs Smithianism |
| Lockheed | defunct US aircraft manufacturer | put JPY500m in cash in packing cases into PM Tanaka's car boot |
| long term credit banks | generic name for IBJ + LTCB + NCB | financial institutions killed by intermediation cf shomi kigen ga kireta |
| LTCB | Long Term Credit Bank, chogin | spectacularly failed bank once nationalised then renamed Shinsei Bank |
| M | ||
| m | sixth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | m cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| m | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ma mi mu me mo miya (mya) miyu (myu) miyo (myo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| m | million, 1,000,000 | as hyakumanen JPY1m (EUR8,000 GBP5,000 USD8,000 at typical rates) |
| MAAs | Mutual Aid Associations, kyosai kumiai | managing assets for a range of financial products reform now in progress |
| MAAPI | MAA Pension Insurance | important public sector pension schemes now being folded into EPI |
| madogiwazoku | window edge tribe | unemployed sarariman on death row awaiting their dismissal cf katatataki |
| madohan | window sales | transitional provisions end-point banks able to sell SITs directly cf magashi |
| magashi | lending space | meaningless transitional provisions halfway house to SITs cf madohan |
| magnitude | measure of energy liberated by earthquake | per Richter scale not directly connected to ground acceleration vs shindo |
| mahi | paralysis | as rigai kankei no tairitsu de mahi paralysis via a morass of vested interests |
| mai | my | key Japlish element as maikazoku Sunday/family drivers cf besuto, joi, rain |
| mai | (number of) sheets etc | flat thin counter suffix as nijumai twenty sheets maisu number of sheets |
| majin | margin | as majin torihiki margin trading or more properly shinyo torihiki |
| makaseru | to leave to somebody's discretion | as hitomakase leave (decision) to another (a popular political ploy) |
| makegumi | losing group, stragglers, losers | failing followers in any process of change vs kachigumi cf binbo kuji |
| Makuhari Messe | exposition site at Makuhari, Chiba | (die Messe German meaning fair) demonstrating the enduring influence |
| maladministration | short cuts made by bureaucrats | generally taking the form of robbing Peter to pay Paul cf sakinobashi |
| Manchukuo | Manchuria under Japanese occupation | created 1932 and Henry Pu-yi installed Emperor 1934 cf manshu |
| Manchuria | North East China | vital key to most major Japanese decisions and developments post-1932 |
| Manchurian Experiments | economic planning (I pre-War and II post-War) | I from Italy/USSR for Empire and II from I for civilian economic growth |
| maneita | chopping board (for preparing sushi) | as maneita ni sarasu to lay out on chopping board (figurative) cf kaikaku |
| maneshita | imitated | in reference to Matsushita MEI and its then-copying of proven products |
| manshu | Manchuria | second post-Edo economic planning experiment first Meiji cf Cameralism |
| market capitalisation | share price x number of shares, jika sogaku | notional value placed by the equity market on a company cf jika sogaku |
| marupeke | circle or cross | checking of items in a listing/multiple choice exam sheet (derogatory) |
| MBOs | Management Buy Outs | PE vehicle to revolutionise Japan making some slow progress cf norenwake |
| McDonald's | joint ventured junk food operator | high fat + salt + sugar intake leading to deterioration of Japanese diet |
| McKinsey | US management consultancy | important repository of conventional foreign analysis of Japan cf ACCJ |
| MEBs | Municipal Enterprise Bonds | generally issued on LGB account with pass-through to the LAMEs |
| megabank | large banks regrouped in Allfinanz | down to BoTM, Mizuho, (SM/MS)BC, R(e/i)sona, UFJ and possibly lower |
| MEI | Matsushita Electrical Industries | often otherwise known by the confusing National/Panasonic/etc brands |
| meigara | brand, issue (securities jargon) | as unyo meigara no sentei selection of issues for portfolio cf gyoku, kabuya |
| Meiji | enlightened government | world-unparalleled economic catch-up era name (1868 - 1911) cf nengo |
| meishin | myth | as nezuyoi tochidakka meishin the firm belief that land prices always go up |
| mekura hanko | blind signature | senior management agreeing to something without hands-on knowledge |
| Mencianism | founded by Meng Tzu (372 - 289BC) | Reform Confucianism emphasising economic welfare and rule by consent |
| mentsu | face, social standing | as mentsu ni kodawaru to insist on maintaining one's social standing |
| Mercantilism | immediately post-feudal economics | objective is surplus in external trade for the Prince vs Cameralism |
| Meteorological Agency | kishocho | Met Office functions plus earthquake monitoring and tsunami warnings |
| METI | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry | amalgamation of EPA + MITI loss of power a strong warning to MoF |
| MHFG | MizuHo Financial Group (FHC I) | unusual FHC tiering I (for Group) so artificially raising Basel Ratio |
| MHHD | MizuHo HolDings (FHC II) | unusual FHC tiering II (for megabank) so artificially raising Basel Ratio |
| MHI | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Nomura led underpriced issue (1986) ultimate cause of Yamaichi collapse |
| Micawber | character in Dickens' David Copperfield | relentless optimism problems will be solved/may be postponed cf seido hiro |
| microregulation | bureaucrat form over substance detail etc | busy regulating for job security but always avoiding any final responsibility |
| mikaitaku shijo | (Japan as an) undeveloped market (for) | an overseas development/product/technology to be introduced into Japan |
| mikokaikabu | unlisted/unquoted shares | as kogijutsu kanren mikokaikabu toshi fando a hitech private equity fund |
| Mikuni | Mikuni Akio and founder Mikuni & Co | proponent of concept of Japanese socialisation of risk cf itanji, JCR, R&I |
| minami | South | nan/on minami/kun as tozai nanboku North, South, East and West |
| mineika | privatisation | as nandemo kandemo mineika to iu ryuko the privatise-everything fad |
| minshu | people, masses | as minshu gekijo popular theatre (slightly dated) cf kokumin, jinmin |
| miokuru | to postpone, decide not to (do) | as zaigen ijo no meiki o miokuru to avoid fiscal resource transfer matters |
| mirai | future (yet-to-come kanji not as actuality) | as miraigaku futurology miraikei future tense mirai next world vs shorai |
| misregulation | dysfunctional bureaucracy | vested interests create bizarre transitional provisions cf maladministration |
| missetsu | intimately connected | as missetsu na torihiki kankei ga aru there is a close business relationship |
| Mita | three fields | slightly nondescript location of Keio University area of Tokyo |
| Mitbestimmung | co-determination/stakeholder empowerment | German corporate governance collective consent vs shareholder value |
| mitchakugata | intimately connected (to its market) type | viz third tier financial institution specialising in small savers/borrowers |
| mitsubishi | three water chestnuts | Mitsubishi keiretsu logo three diamond device prominently used cf mitsui |
| mitsui | three wells | Mitsui keiretsu logo stylised well with kanji three device cf sumitomo |
| Mittelstand | middle ranking (companies), chuken kigyo | a major sector in Germany significantly marginalised by keiretsu in Japan |
| miuchi | relatives, in the family | when of clients special trust exists cannot cause losses cf sonshitsu hoten |
| Mizuho | mizuho no kuni (land of vigorous rice plants) | archaic kanji compound hiragana used cf nomenclative challenge, MHHD |
| Mizuho IT Fiasco | IT systems integration failure (April 2002) | until March reported as omune mondai nashi things largely OK cf paralysis |
| MMFs | Money Market Funds | higher yielding near-deposits originally monopoly of securities houses |
| MoAFF | M of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Ministry vested interests persisting in food security argument cf norinzoku |
| mochibunho | equity method | accounting method for consolidating results of affiliated companies |
| mochimawari | buggin's turn | administrative function responsibility rotated around cartel etc members |
| mochitsu motaretsu | to support and be supported | key concept of mutual support robbing Peter to pay Paul cf kyoson kyoei |
| MoE | Ministry of Environment | upgraded from agency to ministry status with a difficult remit cf kakaekomi |
| MoEE | Ministry of Everything Else, zatsumusho | ragbag ministry MoPM created in Hashimoto Reform (critical) cf sonota |
| MoETI | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry | old EPA + MITI amalgamated loss of power a strong warning to MoF |
| MoEXT | M of Educ'n, Culture, Sports, Science, etc | near-MoPM look-alike cf Ministry of Everything Else, Hashimoto Reform |
| MoF | Ministry of Finance, Ministry of ministries | zaimusho name change cover taken MoETI loss of power a strong warning |
| MoFA | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gaimusho | termed by Tanaka Makiko abode of devils cf fukumaden, seido hiro |
| mofutan | MoF tanto, MoF representative | prior system of posting staff to MoF inviting inevitable abuses cf roran |
| mogura tataki | beating down the moles | mallets + wooden moles game management by firefighting (figurative) |
| MoHLW | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | weak MoHW + MoL amalgamated notably prone to health care accidents |
| moho | homo | back slang inversion of kana spelling as common slang usage cf shoba, yob |
| MoJ | Ministry of Justice, homusho | direct translation slightly less ambitiously legal affairs ministry cf homusho |
| mokunin | silent approval | bureaucrat implicit acceptance but with explicit responsibility avoided |
| MoLIT | M of Land, Infrastructure and Transport | the leading example of vested interest parasite infestation cf three per cent |
| mom | month-on-month, zengetsuhi | the statistical percentage change measurement formulation cf qoq, yoy |
| momentum | (of investment style) junbari | as epitomised by Japanese and going-to-the-races investors vs contrarian |
| monbukagakusho | MoEXT | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology cf MoEE |
| mondai | problem, issue | as tochi mondai the land issue jinshu kakuri mondai the apartheid issue |
| MoPM | Ministry of Public Management, somusho | nicknamed zatsumusho Ministry of Everything Else cf Hashimoto Reform |
| motorways | a motorway to every rice paddy! (satirical) | urban/rural railway budget dispute revisited post-War cf gauge controversy |
| MTFG | Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group | BoTM FHC comparatively strong megabank vs Mizuho etc cf kachigumi |
| muimi | no meaning | as hotondo muimi practically no meaning kanzen muimi no meaning at all |
| mujinko | mutual savings scheme | as mujin ni ataru to win credit allocation in the mujin scheme lottery |
| mujirushi ryohin (keikaku) | no-brand quality goods (programme) brand | Seibu's no-brand brand overseas abbreviated to muji Japan full name |
| mukau | to confront, face | as pasokon o mukau to confront a PC (not a positive psychology) |
| mura ishiki | village consciousness | closed vested interest circle thinking of LDP factions (figurative) cf zoku |
| Muromachi | area of Kyoto | second shogunate location period name 14th cent to 16th cent cf Ashikaga |
| musen | wireless | as musen todai radio beacon Tokyo Musen a large radio cab company |
| N | ||
| n | fourth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | initial, medial either initial or final, final nasalised cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| n | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | na ni nu ne no niya (nya) niyu (nyu) niyo (nyo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| nado | and other such things, etc | as tail to listings reduplicated toto (legalese) nado nado (normal speech) |
| nagare | flow, trend, development | as nagare no kaerazaru kawa a river whose flow cannot be reversed |
| nai | inside, we/us/ours, Japanese, domestic | on/kun readings of key conceptualisation antithesis nai/uchi vs gai/soto |
| naikakufu | Cabinet Office | support staff for the newly empowered PM following Hashimoto Reform |
| naikaku gikaisei | cabinet (Westminster) system democracy | principle of a cabinet enjoying the confidence of the elected lower house |
| naikaku hosei kyoku | Cabinet Legislation Bureau | drafting body for the newly empowered PM following Hashimoto Reform |
| naikaku kanbo | Cabinet Secretariat | as naikaku kanbochokan Chief Cabinet Secretary (Official Spokesman) |
| naimusho | Ministry of the Interior | slightly sinister pre-War ministry of which MoPM is the weak successor |
| naka | inside, within | as the wish fuku wa naka oni wa soto prosperity inside the devils outside |
| nankai dentetsu | Nankai Electric Railway (Incident) | a socially complicated stock cornering damaging foreign brokers in 1980s |
| narabi ni | and (legalese) | as gomi narabi ni soon kogai taisaku waste and noise pollution measures |
| nariyuki | as it goes | equity order placed at best in LSE parlance considered unreliable on TSE |
| NCB | Nippon Credit Bank, nissaigin | quietly failed bank once nationalised only to be renamed Aozora Bank |
| nehosho | base guarantee | required personal guarantee in shokoron agreement with fraudulent intent |
| Nelson | Japanese-English Character Dictionary | Andrew Nelson's definitive reference work revolutionary in its time (1962) |
| nemawashi | binding the roots (of a tree to be transplanted) | to gain informal agreement well ahead of the formal decision (figurative) |
| nengo | year number, era name | confusing custom of dating by reigning Emperor/his posthumous name |
| nenkan | annual (reference work) | as naninani gyokai nenkan Such-and-Such Industry Annual cf nenpo |
| nenkin | annuity, pension | introduced from early Meiji in funded form as part of War effort (1941) |
| nenkin shingikai | Pension Consultative Committee | working on pension consequences of quinquennial demographic projections |
| nenkojoretsu | according to seniority | salary progression according to years served in company cf puropa |
| nenpo | annual (reference work) | as kokusai hikaku tokei nenpo International Comparative Statistics Annual |
| nenpuku | Pension Welfare Service Corporation | then-nenpuku with then-MoHW being worsted by MoF now-nenun/GPIF |
| nenun | Government Pension Insurance Fund | maladministration example due for FILP Reform surgery cf maneita, GPIF |
| Neo-Confucianism | current eclectic mix of concepts | Shintoist, Confucian, Buddhist, Christian and Secular values cf shi, ko |
| nezumiko | rat (pyramid) scheme | form of mujinko mutual (savings) scheme but with fraudulent intent |
| nezuyoi | firmly rooted | as nezuyoi henken firm prejudice soba wa nezuyoi market tone is firm |
| nichi | sun, Japan | ni, nichi, nipp, nit/on hi/kun prefix abbreviation meaning Japan |
| nichia | Japan/Asia | a kanji abbreviation meaning rank next, come after indicating Asia |
| nichibei | Japan/US | bei kanji abbreviation meaning rice indicating US |
| nichiboku | Japan/Mexico | boku kanji abbreviation meaning ink, China ink indicating Mexico |
| nichidoku | Japan/Germany | doku kanji abbreviation meaning alone, single indicating Germany |
| nichiei | Japan/UK | ei kanji abbreviation meaning gifted person, wit indicating UK |
| nichietsu | Japan/Vietnam | etsu kanji abbreviation meaning cross, go beyond indicating Vietnam |
| nichifutsu | Japan/France | futsu kanji abbreviation meaning Buddha, Buddhism indicating France |
| nichifu | Japan/Prussia | fu kanji abbreviation meaning widely, generally indicating Prussia |
| nichigin | Bank of Japan | kanji abbreviation of nippon ginko unimpugned legitimacy cf Emperor |
| nichigo | Japan/Australia | go kanji abbreviation meaning powerful, excelling indicating Australia |
| nichii | Japan/Italy | i kanji abbreviation meaning that one indicating Italy |
| nichiin | Japan/India | in kanji abbreviation meaning seal, stamp indicating India |
| nichijo | everyday, daily | as nichijo sahanji everyday common occurrences nichijo seikatsu daily life |
| nichio | Japan/Europe | o kanji abbreviation meaning Europe, Europa indicating Europe |
| nichiran | Japan/Netherlands | ran kanji abbreviation meaning orchid indicating The Netherlands |
| nichiro | Japan/Russia | ro kanji abbreviation meaning dew, dewdrop indicating Russia |
| nigemichi | escape route, bureaucrat evasion routine | usefully shedding light on extent of problem and responsibility involved |
| nigiri | grasp, grip | often illegal off-contract undertaking made to win a deal (securities jargon) |
| nihonban bigguban | Japan's Big Bang | liberalisations + Allfinanz in bureaucrat pipeline as hyped by Hashimoto |
| Nihonbashi | Japan bridge | datum point for all national distances old commercial quarter area of Tokyo |
| nihonjinron | theory of being Japanese | previously popular inchoate ruminations on the meaning of being Japanese |
| Niigata | major city on Japan Sea coast | important centre for traffic to North Korea by sea and Russia by air |
| niji sonshitsu | secondary (newly crystallised NPL) losses | deterioration of a bank's loan book after first bail-out cf contingent NPLs |
| nikka | Japan/Canada | ka kanji abbreviation meaning addition, increase indicating Canada |
| nikka | Japan/China | ka kanji abbreviation meaning flower, ostentation indicating KMT China |
| nikkan | daily publication | as nikkan supotsu Nikkan Sports nikkan gendai Daily Tabloid |
| nikkan | Japan/Korea | kan kanji meaning South Korea using very rare No 178 radical cf Nelson |
| nikkei | of Japanese descent | as nikkei beijin Japanese American nikkei sansei third generation Japanese |
| Nikkei | leading stable of business publications | as nikkei sangyo Nikkei Sangyo (industry) Nikkei Weekly (in English) etc |
| Nikkei (Average) | TSE First Section stock price index | using original quite outdated Dow unweighted computation vs TOPIX |
| Nikko | mountain resort North East of Tokyo | easily accessible by train from Ueno site of Tokugawa Ieyasu mausoleum |
| ninidantai | voluntary association | civil code form of common law limited partnership substance legally weak |
| ninka | approval, permission | as ninka kyokasho authorised textbooks ninka gakko recognised school |
| Ninomiya | Ninomiya Sontoku (1787 - 1856) | agrarian economist practical social reformer promoting savings cf chochiku |
| ninsho | certification, validation | as ninshoshiki (Imperial) accreditation/formal investiture ceremony |
| nippi | Japan/Philippines | hi kanji abbreviation meaning ratio, comparison indicating The Philippines |
| nippo | Japan/Portugal | ho kanji abbreviation meaning grape, wild grape indicating Portugal |
| nishi | West | sei, sai/on nishi kun as tozai nanboku North, South, East and West |
| nissei | Japan/Spain | sei kanji abbreviation meaning West, westering (of sun) indicating Spain |
| nissei | Nippon Life | the leading assurer name impermissibly romanised Nissay cf R(e/i)sona |
| nissen | Japan/Korea | sen kanji abbreviation meaning brilliant, fresh indicating pre-War Korea |
| nissenren | Japan Federation of Specialist Retailers | small traders' association for specialist shops notably under pressure now |
| nisshin | Japan/China | shin kanji abbreviation meaning clean, pure indicating Qing China |
| nisshoren | Japan Federation of Retailers | small traders' association for generalist shops notably under pressure now |
| nitcho | Japan/Korea | cho kanji abbreviation meaning morning indicating North Korea |
| nitchu | Japan/China | chu kanji abbreviation meaning centre, middle indicating PRC |
| nittai | Japan/Taiwan | tai kanji abbreviation meaning stand, pedestal indicating Taiwan |
| NMAA | Nokyo Mutual Aid Association | managing financial products for the agricultural co-operatives not marginal |
| NMAAPP | NMAA Personal Pensions | personal pension products offered by Nokyo Mutual Aid Association |
| no | Noh | classical opera of Edo Period now elite high culture vs kabuki |
| nogare | escape, evasion | as kancho no sekinin nogare bureaucrat responsibility evasion cf nigemichi |
| nokyo | agricultural co-operative, nogyo kyodo kumiai | lowest tier of organisational burden on farmers cf norinzoku, seido hiro |
| nomenclative challenge | inability to choose appropriate names | decisional paralysis usefully exposed internal form over external substance |
| nomenklatura | listed names | selected civil servants/fast track sarariman 'Princes' with great privileges |
| nopan | (young female staff wearing) no panties | developed in the Nanba Osaka entertainment R&D incubator cf roran |
| norenwake | sharing trade name | Edo paying off apprentices with trade name allegedly early form of MBOs |
| norinchukin | Raiffeisen-style tiered keito umbrella bank | tiered structure of banking levels: norinchukin shinnoren nokyo cf keito |
| norinsuisansho | M of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | ministry playground for zoku and agricultural vested interests cf MoAFF |
| norinzoku | agriculture and forestry tribe | LDP members concerned with agriculture, forestry and fisheries budget |
| noruma | work norm | monthly sales level to be met by pressured salesman of financial products |
| noyaki | annual field burning, clearing out parasites | dealing with vested interests etc by reform (figurative) cf seido hiro |
| nozomashii | desirable | as sore o suru no wa nozomashikunai doing that is not a very good idea |
| NP(I) | National Pension (Insurance) | basic level public sector scheme for the self-employed sponsor MoHLW |
| NPA | National Personnel Authority | independent entity for determining Government personnel guidelines |
| NPA | National Police Agency | recruits widely from the physical education universities + todai selectively |
| NPFA | National Pension Fund Association | parallelling the PFA umbrella organisation for EPFs but for NPFs |
| NPFs | National Pension Funds | semi-public sector and parallelling EPFs but for the self-employed cf NP |
| NPL | Non-Performing Loan, furyo saiken | Establishment in denial of existence of contingent NPLs cf sakinobashi |
| NPL roll-forward | not booking credit costs as they accrue | MoF maintaining pre-tax so smoothing tax revenues cf hozei shonin ginko |
| NTAA | National Tax Administration Agency | tax collection and information under MoF political control cf kokuzeicho |
| NTIAC | New Tokyo International Airport Corp | known as Narita except to MoLIT nomenclative challenge vs KIAC |
| NTQRP | Non-Tax Qualified Retirement Pension | unfunded customary scheme generally as RLS and not approved by NTAA |
| nukemichi | loophole | as setsuzei no nukemichi o fusegu to plug a tax avoidance loophole |
| O | ||
| o | fifth vowel in aiueo order | pure vowel as in Italian not diphthong as in English cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| o | kstnhmyrw permitted combinations | ko so to no ho mo yo ro lengthened as oo, ou, oh, o- etc cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| o | keigo prefix indicating general politeness | as obento packed lunch omakase selection otosan father ouisuki whisky |
| O-157 | O-157 infection in Japan saga | MoHW denial of unsafe slaughterhouses route cf AIDS, BSE, press clubs |
| OB | Old Boy | neutral except as amakudari OBs negative re structural corruption |
| obaasan | grandmother, older woman neutral | as ojiisan to obaasan old boys and old girls/the (generally active) elderly |
| obasan | aunt, middle aged woman neutral | as obatarian queue jumping, pushing and shoving woman (slang) |
| obfuscation | intentionally confusing the issues | standard bureaucrat misinformation uttered with perfect aplomb |
| obotchan | young man (from good family) | as obotchama the young man (of the house) (ironical) cf keioboi |
| oburato | (medicinal) wafer (for powdered drugs) | as oburato ni tsutsumu to make acceptable for consumption (figurative) |
| ochita | fallen, failed | as shiken ni ochita failed an exam hashi ga ochita the bridge is down |
| ochitsuita | to have settled down | as gaitame soba ga ochitsuita the (unsettled) forex market has steadied |
| ODR | Official Discount Rate | still employed Bank Rate system BoJ prime commercial bill discount rate |
| oei | OA, Office Automation, IT kit | as oei furo (raised) IT floor oei toshi keikaku IT investment programme |
| ofubara | off-balance sheet | as naninani o ofubaraka suru to remove such-and-such from balance sheet |
| ojiisan | grandfather, old man neutral | as ojiisan to obaasan old boys and old girls/the (generally active) elderly |
| ojisan | uncle, middle aged man | as shomi kigen ga kireta ojisan a man past his consume-by date (jocular) |
| okami | Emperor, government, public authorities, ko | as okami no goyo official/government business vs shi cf civil society |
| okamisan | wife, lady, a good woman | as onsen ryokan no okamisan the landlady of the hot spring spa hotel |
| Okinawa | island chain between Japan and Taiwan | originally independent, then suzerainty and then annexed cf Ryukyu |
| okiwasurete iru | to have left (best) forgotten | to (conveniently) have forgotten/glossed over (some awkward facts) |
| okonomiyaki | meat vegetables batter pan cooked at table | popular and convenient party dish cf shabushabu sukiyaki teppanyaki |
| Okuma | Okuma Shigenobu (1838 - 1922) | colourful Meiji figure promoted British model against the Prussian vs Ito |
| omae | you (derogatory) | as ome you! yakuza style address and threatening language cf ihaku gendo |
| omakase | (leave to your) discretion | as omakase menyu the Chef's own devised menu cf makaseru |
| omote | front, expedient facade | presentational fiction covering awkward truth vs ura cf honne, tatemae |
| omowareru | to be thought (that) | generally correct facts stated by media without attribution of source |
| on | benefit, obligation | as oya no on parental love on o shiru to be grateful vs giri |
| on | Chinese reading (of a kanji) | as then heard second/third hand little relation to now-Mandarin vs kun |
| on | keigo prefix indicating the second person | less common than go as onko your bank onsha your company vs hei cf go |
| onakeieisha | owner-manager (of a business) | HNWI social element target for noruma driven financial product salesmen |
| on o uru | to earn gratitude, impose oneself | as on o urarete being set up and obliged (in the circumstances to help out) |
| Ordoliberalism | Freiburg School, Sozialmarkt | combining principle of freedom in market place with that of social balance |
| Osaka | centre of Kansai region | commercial capital Naniwa renamed Osaka (1492) serving Kyoto cf Sakai |
| OSE | Osaka Stock Exchange | quite eager to launch novel quotations/products in competition with TSE |
| osoroi | complete set (of matching plates etc) | as osoroi desu (you) are all here/birds of a feather flock together (ironical) |
| otaku | nerd | psychologically somewhat withdrawn person now applied to PC devotees |
| OTC | Over the Counter, tento shijo | third securities market managed by JSDA now trendily termed JASDAQ |
| Otemachi | big hand town | financial centre and original main gate of Shogun's castle area in Tokyo |
| outsourcing | sub-contracting | new and relatively clean name for the old and problematic shitauke |
| overbanked | excessive number of banks | MoF post-War protection of banking industry consequence cf gososendan |
| overloan | lending exceeding funding | banking practice first used (with nil funding) in Manchurian Experiment I |
| overmoney | funding exceeding lending | regional banks overmoney city banks overloan intermediated by tanshi |
| oyobi | and (legalese) | as gaikoku kawase oyobi gaikoku boeki ho Foreign Exchange &Trade Act |
| P | ||
| p | fifth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | h plosivised p cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| p | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | pa pi pu pe po cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| pa | nothing, stupid | as pa desu (he's) stupid pa ni natta (it) came to nothing/was cancelled |
| pachinko | vertical bagatelle, vertical pinball | vast pinball halls and popular form of unprosecuted gambling cf tobaku |
| PADI | Professional Association of Diving Instructors | 1980s memorably failed then-MoE attempt at kakaekomi cf shadanhojin |
| Paekche | SW Korean kingdom (18BC - 660AD) | included Kayu partly occupied by Japan as Minama and early friction |
| paralegals | benrishi, shihoshoshi, zeirishi | facilitating patent, legal and tax affairs below lawyers cf professionals |
| paralysis | bureaucrat inertia in Sartrian analysis | alienated non-praxis in inert field cf kochokka, impotence, seriality |
| parasite infestation | institutions gather vested interest parasites | peculiar concept of institutional fatigue + reform cycle cf kiseichu, reform |
| parastatal | of PRC entities | but also appropriate for major Japan entities in a national policy arena |
| par value | the portion of the capital, gakumen kingaku | Commercial Code revision has abolished but retains impact cf P/P multiple |
| pasokon | personal computer | gairaigo condensation into two/three syllables cf biru, defure, infure |
| Patent Agency | tokkyocho | tokyotokkyokyokakyoku Tokyo Patent Approvals Office (tongue twister) |
| Pauschal | Swiss tax scheme offering efficiencies | flexibility deeply challenging and impossible for MoF Tax Bureau/NTAA |
| pay-off | JPY10m bank deposit guarantee ceiling | to be introduced(?) after many delays as part of Big Bang but controversial |
| pay-out ratio | dividend distribution against net profits | otherwise dividend cover but expressed reciprocally/the other way around |
| PAYE | Pay-As-You-Earn | sarariman income tax paid out of wages/more commonly monthly salary |
| PAYG | Pay-As-You-Go | public sector pension schemes being operated on an unfunded basis |
| PDC | NTT/MoPT version of TDMA (1991) | neither GSM nor CDMA so barring mobile phone imports but also exports |
| PER | P/E Ratio, P/E multiple | unnecessary R when P/E not a ratio but a multiple (of years' earnings) |
| PFA | Pension Fund Association | EPF umbrella body providing technical assistance and limited portability |
| PFA | Personal Financial Assets | SNA basis flow of funds balance prepared by BoJ JPY1,400tr/1.4qr (2001) |
| Pfandbriefe | German-style covered bonds | attracting some attention as a liquidity mechanism for the LGB market |
| PFI | Private Finance Initiative | funding LAME developments at the more progressive municipalities |
| PKO | Price Keeping Operation | pressure from LDP on FILP-related to support TSE share price level |
| PM | Prime Minister | with lower house confidence nominates cabinet cf naikaku gikaisei |
| PM's Official Residence | apparatus of executive government | Japanese No 10 Downing Street recently and quite expensively rebuilt |
| PO LGBs | Public Offer Local Government Bonds | offered by "Group of 29" local authorities in open market vs enkosai cf JPO |
| POPI | Post Office Pension Insurance | kanpo pension product and approx 10 per cent of kanpo balances |
| Postal Services Agency | yuseijigyocho | transitional provisions in privatisation of postal services cf yusei kosha |
| postposition | function marker positioned after word | characteristic of subject/object/verb order languages vs preposition |
| P/P | price/par multiple | corporate indicator failing syndrome below 2 failed syndrome below 1 |
| PPI | Personal Pension Insurance | pension scheme category offered by private financial institutions |
| PPP | Purchasing Power Parity | suspect adjustment of GDP per capita to express standard of living |
| praxis | conduct in non-inert field of action | Sartrian/Marxian analysis where man may realise his being vs alienation |
| preposition | function marker positioned before word | characteristic of subject/verb/object order languages vs postposition |
| press clubs | kisha kurabu (sophisticated self-censorship) | media + media source preventing confusion of public cf Kanai, shiso zendo |
| professionals | impartial specialists in civil society | envelopment by vested interests impartiality so compromised cf kakaekomi |
| PSA | Postal Services Agency, yuseijigyocho | transitional halfway house in privatisation of postal services vs PSC |
| PSC | Postal Services Corporation | further transitional provisions in privatisation of postal services vs PSA |
| puraibeto bankingu | Private Banking | being guided by NTAA into the on-shore retail version only cf tax policy |
| puropa | proper (employee hired out of university) | full sarariman eligible for promotion ladder vs chuto saiyo cf shokutaku |
| PWE | Public Works Expenditure, kokyotoshi | lifeblood of LDP, construction, regional economies etc cf three per cent |
| Q | ||
| q | redundant letter | always transliterated kuw + vowel cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| q | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | not a recognised sound none cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| qoq | quarter-on-quarter, zenshihankihi | the statistical percentage change measurement formulation cf mom, qoq |
| qr | quadrillion, 1,000,000,000,000,000 | as issenchoen JPY1qr (EUR8tr, GBP5tr, USD8tr approx at typical rates) |
| R | ||
| r | eighth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | r has l characteristics difficult for Occidentals cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| r | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ra ri ru re ro riya (rya) riyu (ryu) riyo (ryo) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| R&I | Rating and Investment Information | goyotatsu credit rating agency out of koshasai shinbun vs JCR cf Mikuni |
| Raiffeisen | Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (1818 - 1888) | founded credit unions with umbrella co-operative banks in rural Rhineland |
| Raiffeisenbanken | agricultural co-operative banking | members of German third tier of co-operative banks cf nokyo, Raiffaisen |
| railways | with motorways strong PWE attractions | large budget justifiable transport networks perennial disputes cf zokugiin |
| ramp | to (illegally) manipulate (a stock price) higher | Ichiwakai's Ishii ramping Tokyu famously via Nikkei/Nomura cf aoru |
| ranmyaku keiei | chaotic management | as ranmyaku keiei o kiwamete iru to be a management chaos cf homan keiei |
| R(e/i)sona | quasi-megabank based on Asahi/Daiwa Bank | branding romaji Resona hiragana Risona cf nomenclative challenge |
| RECOF | REsearch, COnsulting Firm | independent M&A boutique specialising in conventional arenja function |
| reductionism | the whole is the sum of its parts | Occidental economic rationality priority over social solidarity vs holism |
| reform | therapy of fatigue diseased institutions | coping with untransparency + maladministration + parasites cf noyaki |
| rekkyoshugi | principle of cataloguing everything | bureaucrat microregulation penchant for specific listings vs basuketto joko |
| rengokai | joi dantai umbrella for kai dantai entities | (national) umbrella for (regionally/locally) tiered organisations cf keito |
| renkei | in co-operation, in concert | as beidoru renkei tsuka USD linked currency renkei pure team play |
| renketsu kogaisha | consolidated subsidiary | IAS-style effective management control criterion being introduced cf IAS |
| renketsu zaimushohyo | consolidated financial statements | introduction over 20 years ago but still resistance re implicit transparency |
| repo | gensaki | repo market was active before the word repo had even been invented |
| reputational risk | risk in untransparent regulation | bureaucratic fiat regulation represents serious risk for foreign entrants |
| reregulation | kisei kanwa translated variously | liberalisation misleading deregulation worst reregulation best cf kisei chosei |
| restructuring | risutora | selective firing of employees claiming market forces cf yamu o enai |
| revitalisation | saisei | implication that now dying lost in this Japanese usage cf restructuring |
| ri | reason, logic | as ri ni kanau to stand to reason ri ni han suru to be quite illogical |
| R(i/e)sona | quasi-megabank based on Asahi/Daiwa Bank | branding hiragana Risona romaji Resona cf nomenclative challenge |
| riboringu | revolving (credit) | fixed amount monthly settlement but credit costs thought untransparent |
| Richter scale | absolute energy at earthquake epicentre | confused with more meaningful Japanese ground acceleration scale shindo |
| rieki | profit, advantage | as sorieki gross profit eigyo rieki operating profit junrieki net profit |
| rigai kankei | interests relationship, vested interests | a morass of vested interests not single identifiable interests vs kitokuken |
| rigidification | kochokka, paralysis | as shigo kochokka rigor mortis (bureaucratic logjam of interests) cf Sartre |
| riman | sarariman, salaried employee | recently adopted two syllable abbreviation Japlish compound cf sarariman |
| rimawari | yield | as yoso rimawari forecast return unyo rimawari achieved return |
| ringisho | ringisho, circulated proposal | circulated for everybody's hanko nobody responsible cf mekura hanko |
| rinnocho | Forestry Agency | left operating forestry roads, forestry projects and other hopeless cases |
| rishi | interest | as rishi o toru to charge interest rishi o harau to pay interest |
| risoku | interest | least used variant form of rishi also kinri a lesser used form |
| risuku | risk | as risuku ritanu risk and return (a concept introduced in Big Bang) |
| risuto | list | once listed always listed despite any changed circumstances cf rekkyo shugi |
| risutora | restructuring | selective firing of employees claiming market forces cf yamu o enai |
| Ritsumeikan | Kansai leading private university | Doshisha and Ritsumeikan parallelling Keio and Waseda in Kanto |
| RLS | Retirement Lump Sum | customary pension system funded (if funded) in balance sheet no sponsor |
| ROCS | rokin bank ATM network | approximately 2,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| rodo joken | labour conditions, terms | as shugyo kisoku ni yoru rodo joken terms per rules of employment |
| rodo kyoyaku | Labour Agreement | important labour contract signed between employer and employees' union |
| RoE | Return on Equity | a concept introduced by Big Bang along with shareholder value |
| rokin | Labour Credit Association Bank | low profile financial institution and marginal in the extreme |
| romaji | romanisation of kanamajiri | Hepburn used generally kunrei shiki used officially cf fuji, huzi |
| ron | theory | suffix noting any hypothesis/theory as shinkaron Theory of Evolution |
| rongai | out of the question | as sonna nedan o teiji suru no wa rongai da suggesting that price is crazy |
| ronri | logic | as ronri tenkai ga umai having the knack of making a logical explanation |
| Roppongi | six trees | previously quality now increasingly louche entertainment area of Tokyo |
| roran | cherry orchid | nopan shabushabu restaurant for MoF staff + their mofutan sadly closed |
| rosenka hoshiki | (bizarre) urban land tax valuation method | strange notional frontage value then adjusted for plot shape and location |
| ryoko | travel | mass travel existed in Edo period hence special psychology of tabibito |
| ryudo fusai | liquid liabilities | Japanese balance sheets characterised by bills payable shiharai tegata |
| ryudo shisan | liquid assets | Japanese balance sheets characterised by bills receivable uketori tegata |
| Ryukyu | lapis lazuli spheres | Okinawa poetically but sad actuality of US bases, MoLIT PWE, tourism etc |
| ryutsu | distribution | as ryutsugyo distributive trades ryutsu senta distribution depot |
| S | ||
| s | second consonant in kstnhmyrw order | s cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| s | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | sa si (shi) su se so shiya (sha) shiyu (shu) shiyo (sho) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| sa | young men's sentence interjection | as sa iku zo (I'm) getting out of here takai sa (that's) pricey vs wa |
| sabisu | free product/gift/voucher | as sabisu desu on the house sabisu zangyo overtime worked not claimed |
| saeki | (arbitrage) margin (spread sa profit eki) | as bontore saeki bond trader margin haba no aru saeki a decent spread |
| saibungata | detailed (insurance premium) type | Big Bang impact on tariff insurance market premiums according to risk |
| saiken | loan (assets) | as furyo saiken NPLs saiken juni order of creditor priority (in bankruptcy) |
| saikensha | creditor | as saikensha hogo no gensoku protection of creditors principle |
| saimu | loan (liabilities) | as yurishi saimu borrowings bearing interest saimu furiko loan default |
| saimusha | debtor | as taju saimusha multiple debtor (deeply related to sarakin problems) |
| saisei | revitalisation | as kinyu saisei iinkai then-FRC now-FSA (as MoF cover) cf revitalisation |
| Saitama | prefecture North of Tokyo | as dassai (datsu/out of + sai(tama)) naff /Estuary Essex |
| saizen o tsukusu | to do one's utmost | political phraseology deconstructed as to do nothing in actuality |
| Sakai | old port city in South Osaka | mid-16th cent merchant city state suppressed by Hideyoshi cf civil society |
| sakinobashi | roll-forward | as furyosaiken no sakinobashi NPL roll-forward cf maladministration |
| sakoku | closed country | Tokugawa Shogunate policy of isolation of Japan (1635 - 1853) |
| sakugo | error, mistake, misconception | as jidai sakugo anachronistic thinking shiko sakugo trial and error |
| sakura | cherry blossom | classic ideograph kanji tree with woman below and petals above cf dai |
| sakura | dummy customer | as sakura ni naranai ka won't (you) help boost numbers (at the bar)? |
| SANCS | shinkumi bank ATM network | approximately 3,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| sangaku renkei | industry and academia liaison | mid-1990s concept for promoting high tech ventures now having impact |
| sanin | mountain shadow, Northern slope | Sea of Japan coast Southern section notably depopulated vs sanyo |
| Sankei | major daily newspaper | belonging to Fuji Sankei Group from Osaka substantially right wing |
| sanmen kiji | third page article, inner last page | from days of single folded broadsheet page for scandal used by NTAA |
| sanwa | three harmonies | Sanwa keiretsu claimed founded in 1656 actually in 1930s cf UFJ |
| sanyo | mountain sun, Southern slope | Pacific coast Southern section heavily industrialised vs sanin |
| Sapporo | prefectural capital of Hokkaido | highly unusual kanji spelling preserves Ainu original name pronunciation |
| sarakin | sarariman kinyu, unsecured consumer loans | confused grey zone legislation maintenance against contributions to LDP |
| sarariman | company employee | member of the post-War lifetime employment system (derogatory) cf riman |
| Sartre | Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980) | bureaucracy as exhibiting paralysis, impotence and seriality vs Weber |
| sashimi | pierce body, sashimi | thinly sliced premium quality raw fish if served on rice sushi cf maneita |
| sashine | indicated price | equity order placed at given price considered most advisable vs nariyuki |
| satei | assessment | as furyo saiken o kibishiku satei suru to rigorously assess NPLs |
| satori | enlightenment, Nirvana, Buddhahood | as kare wa satori ga osoi he is slightly slow on the uptake (ironical) cf somi |
| satoru | to comprehend, achieve Nirvana | as kimi satotta no ka have you understood? (jocular) cf somi, satori |
| Schuldschein | debt note, kariire shosho | instrument of zero to inconveniently limited assignability vs Wertpapier |
| Schulze-Delitzsch | Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch (1808 - 1883) | Prussian nationalist politician promoted co-operative movement legislation |
| SCS | Second regional bank ATM network | approximately 12,500 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| Seagaia | Miyazaki Pref extensive resort facility TSP | classic failed TSP bought by Ripplewood for restructuring and sale |
| sei | nature, character | kanji suffix as kokusaisei internationalness danryokusei elasticity |
| seibi | preparation, additional | as seibi shinkansen additional Shinkansen flavour of construction excesses |
| seido hiro | (institutional) system fatigue | paradigm parallelling kinzoku hiro metal fatigue cf maneita, noyaki |
| seigen | restriction, limit | as seigen jikan time limit suryo seigen quantitative restrictions |
| seiho | life assurance | kanji abbreviation of seimei hoken vs sonpo cf seisonpo |
| seikatsu | life, existence, livelihood | as seikatsuhi living expenses seikatsu kankyo living environment |
| seikyo | consumer co-operative | also offering a limited variety of financial services marginal in the extreme |
| seimei | life | as seimei iji sochi o hazusu to disconnect life support equipment |
| seirei | ordinance, Cabinet Order | as seirei shitei toshi a designated city (fiscal status of a prefecture) |
| seiri | arrangement, re-organisation | as seiri bango reference number seiri gaisha a company in liquidation |
| seisonpo | casualty and life insurance | kanji abbreviation of seiho + sonpo composite insurance (not licensable) |
| seiyo | Western Ocean, Occident | as seiyojin an Occidental seiyo shokoku the West vs toyo cf reductionism |
| seizen | while still alive, inter vivos | as seizen zoyo gift inter vivos (inheritance tax loophole now largely closed) |
| Sekigahara | battlefield SE of Lake Biwa | Tokugawa Ieyasu won (1600) to found Tokugawa Shogunate cf Edo |
| sekinin mondai | responsibility problem, finding guilty party | once a sanmen kiji issue all hope lost for hapless individual/organisation |
| sekisho | control barrier | historically Hakone now any informational chokepoint (figurative) |
| sekkyokuteki | vigorous (action promised) | every politician's empty undertaking to do something cf reform |
| Sendai | city in North-West Honshu | still benefiting from town planning of Date Masamune (1567 - 1636) |
| seninrodoiinkai | Labour Relations Commission for Seafarers | amakudari slot organisation now quite stranded by industrial change |
| senkotoshi | investment for the future | ura implication of immediate burden and somewhat uncertain return |
| sennen suru | to give undivided attention (to) | as shigoto ni sennen shigachi desu (he) tends to be given over to work |
| sensabanbetsu | 1,000 differences 10,000 distinctions | as hito wa sensabanbetsu desu it takes all sorts to make the world |
| sentaku kijun | criteria | often much post facto argument about basis of a (personnel etc) decision |
| sente o utsu | to make the first move | as kyokumen no sente o utte iru to retain the initiative in a situation |
| senzairyoku | latent capabilities, potentiality | as toji no senzai kobairyoku latent purchasing power at that time |
| seriality | structured impotence in inert field of action | alienated impotence of bureaucrat superiors and subordinates cf Sartre |
| serusu | sales | as serusupointo selling point vs sorudo bargain sales cf soldes |
| SESC | Securities and Exchange Surveillance C | commission to upgrade supervision but also cover for MoF cf nigemichi |
| setai | household | as setai chochiku chosa tokei household savings survey statistics |
| setchi suru | to establish, found, set up | as shikin no setchi kijun available funds requirement to set (it) up |
| setsu | theory, opinion | as gakusetsu an academic interpretation (of legal point for Court guidance) |
| setsuzei | tax efficiency, tax avoidance | often termed evasion by NTAA through co-operating media vs datsuzei |
| settei | fixing, settling | as fudosan shintaku o settei suru to settle a property trust |
| settokuryoku | power of persuasion | as settokuryoku no aru gohatsugen (he made) some persuasive comments |
| SGA | Sales and General Administration (expenses) | eigyo ippan kanri hi between gross profit and operating profit lines |
| shabushabu | thinly cut meat parboiled at the table | popular and convenient party dish cf okonomiyaki sukiyaki teppanyaki |
| shadanhojin | civil code public interest entity, trust | form of amakudari slot organisation for kantoku kancho cf zaidanhojin |
| shain | company members | legally speaking shareholders but colloquially speaking employees |
| shakai fukushi | social welfare | Meiji Establishment's great fear of socialism ensured its early adoption |
| shakaihokencho | Social Insurance Agency, SIA | handling the nitty gritty of welfare ie SIA/MoHLW as to NTAA/MoF |
| shakkan | loan | as taiki shakkan standby credit endate shakkan JPY denominated loan |
| shareholder value | Anglo-Saxon corporate governance | implying high transparency + low social solidarity vs stakeholder value |
| shi | (selfishness/misconduct notions of) private | not privileged value in Neo-Confucianism as shii bias vs ko cf civil society |
| shichoson | cities, towns and villages, municipalities | as shichoson gappei no sokushin promotion of municipal amalgamation |
| shido | guidance, leadership | as daredare no shido no moto under the guidance of So-and So |
| shigenenerugicho | Agency of Natural Resources and Energy | left operating the oil stockpile etc on demise of JNOC etc in FILP Reform |
| shiho shoshi | legal agent, judicial scrivener | facilitator of legal applications (in the bureaucrat interest) cf paralegals |
| shikiho | four seasons (quarterly) report | Japan Company Handbook Japanese version as published by Toyo Keizai |
| shikin | capital, funds | as shikinnan shortage of funds unten shikin working capital |
| shikin unyobu | Trust Fund Bureau (created 1885) | renamed FILP Fund, zaito shikin, on launch of FILP Reform (2001) |
| shikkaku | loss of qualification, disqualification | as yakubutsu shiyo de shikkaku suru to fail the drugs test (in sports event) |
| Shikoku | island off Honshu | smallest of four major islands of Japan others: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu |
| shikumi | scheme, plot, contrivance | gairaigo euphemism sukimu used to avoid the negative connotations |
| Shimane | prefecture in Sanin | coded allusion to late ex-PM Takeshita's political/financial practices |
| shinai | (within the) city | as shinai kyokuban local number shinai romen densha city trams |
| shinazoroi | line-up of goods | as asoko wa shinazoroi ga hofu they have an excellent selection of articles |
| shinbun | newspaper | as shinbun ni yoru to according to the papers vs denbun |
| shinbutsu bunri no rei | Shinto and Buddhism Separation Ordinance | State Shinto created and then-established Buddhism disestablished (1868) |
| shincho ni | cautiously, carefully | as shincho ni taio suru to cope with circumspectly/be in opposition to |
| shindo | earthquake ground acceleration scale | at specific locations frequently confused with Richter scale magnitude |
| shingikai | council, inquiry | as gaikoku kawase shingikai/gaitameshin Council on Foreign Exchange |
| shingyoren | Fishery Co-operative Credit Federation | intermediate umbrella body for a minor keito banking system marginal |
| Shinjuku | new inn | louche history (bordellos temporarily suppressed in 1718) area of Tokyo |
| shinkansen | new main line, standard gauge trunk routes | 1930s plan being realised from 1960s cf dangan ressha, Breitspurbahn |
| shinkin | Credit Associations, shinyo kinko | third tier banks no social complications vs shinkumi cf Schulze-Delitzsch |
| shinku | vacuum | as shinku hatchaku vacuum sputtering shinku jochaku vacuum deposition |
| shinkumi | Credit Unions, shinyo kumiai | third tier banks with social complications vs shinkin cf Schulze-Delitzsch |
| shinnichiha | Japanophile faction | as zentaisei no shinnichiha prior regime's pro-Japan group vs hannichiha |
| shinnoren | Agricultural Co-operative Credit Federation | intermediate umbrella body for important nokyo keito banking system |
| shinpan | credit sales (company) | buys sales debtor accounts from retailers for settlement by instalment |
| shinrai | reliance, dependability | as shinrai kankei fiduciary relationship shinrai dekinai untrustworthy |
| Shinsaibashi | new Buddhist food bridge | parallelling Akihabara the discounted electrical goods etc area of Osaka |
| shinsei ginko | new life bank, Shinsei Bank | improbable name given to failed LTCB after bail-out in Ripplewood stable |
| shintaku | trust | limited application made of trusts despite being a civil code jurisdiction |
| shinto | way of the gods, harmless Japanese Taoism | as though Druids had survived Christianity vs State Shinto cf Emperor |
| shinyo | credit | as shinyo chosa credit enquiry shinyo kahei fiat money shinpan credit sales |
| shinyo kinko | Credit Associations, shinkin | form of third tier financial institution cf shinkin, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| shinyo kumiai | Credit Unions, shinkumi | form of third tier financial institution cf shinkumi, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| shinyo torihiki | margin trading (equities) | recently restricted (2002) by FSA to support bank shares cf PKO |
| Shiodome | tidal basin | old marshalling yard East of Shinbashi Station now massively redeveloped |
| shiritsu | founded (ritsu) by city (shi) | as shiritsu koko city high school shiritsu hakubutsukan city museum |
| shiritsu | founded (ritsu) by individual (shi) | as shiritsu koko private high school jubako watakushiritsu distinguishes |
| shiryo | material, (objective) data | as shiryo shussho data source shiryo teikyo provision of data vs zairyo |
| shisan | assets | as junshisan net assets/shareholders' funds shisanka wealthy man |
| shisan unyo | asset management | licensed managers are: life assurers, trust banks, IACs I & II, SITMCs etc |
| shisan unyo shingikai | Council on Asset Management | drew up portfolio asset allocation model prior to FILP Reform 2001/08 |
| shisho | obstacle, impediment | as shisho naku without a hitch shisho o kitashita to have obstructed |
| shiso zendo | correct guidance of (popular) thought | media omote for Establishment and social complication ura cf Kulturkampf |
| shisutemu | system | gairaigo euphemism indicating doubtful to louche services payment fee |
| shitauke | sub-contracting | now outsourcing the modern word for a quintessentially Japanese practice |
| shiteitan | designated pecuniary trust | vehicle enabling portfolio diversification for public sector assets |
| shiteki | private | as shiteki seikatsu private life shiteki zaisan private wealth vs koteki |
| shiteki nenkin | Personal Pension Plan | plans tiered public eg EPI, corporate eg EPF and personal eg POPI |
| shizenjin | a natural person in civil code jurisdiction | rational codification: individuals at law vs hojin cf bukken |
| shoba | place, back slang inversion of basho | as shobadai rent (for a market street stall) position cf ingo, moho, yob |
| shobocho | Fire-Defence Agency | fire, ambulance and disaster prevention under the one original roof |
| shobun | dispose of, punish | as gomi shobun rubbish disposal genju na shobun severe punishment |
| shodaku | assent, compliance | as tojisha soho shodaku no ue by mutual consent of the parties |
| shogai | obstacle, impediment | as seishin shogaisha mentally handicapped person noshogai brain damaged |
| shogakko | elementary school | schoolchildren are ages 6 to 12 compulsory education cf chugakko, koko |
| shogun | generalissimo | military dictator nominally subject to authority of Emperor in Kyoto |
| Shogunate | military dictatorship | Kamakura 12th-14th Muromachi 14th-16th Tokugawa 17th-19th cent |
| shohi | consumption | as shohisha a consumer tairyo shohi shakai the mass consumption society |
| shohin | goods (for sale) | as shohin chinretsu goods display kinyu shohin financial products |
| shohisha kinyu | consumer finance | covering large number of sins in particular sarakin cf ihaku gendo |
| shohizei | consumption tax (half-way house to EU VAT) | EU-style invoice tax audit trail resisted by SMEs cf shokozoku, tax policy |
| shokan | redemption | as manki de ganpon shokan redemption of principal on maturity |
| shoken | bills, bonds, securities | as shogyo shoken commercial instruments funani shoken bill of lading |
| shoken gaisha | securities company/house | LDP protected structure now in terminal decline re TSE trends + Allfinanz |
| shoken sogo koza | Wrap Account | introduced as part of Big Bang can be amusingly misspelt Rap Account |
| shoken toshi shintaku | Securities Investment Trusts, SITs | divided by licensing into domestic dSITs and equivalent foreign fSITs |
| shoki | early, initial | as shokigan early stage cancer meiji no shoki ni in early Meiji |
| shoko | commerce and industry | as shoko kumiai chuo kinko Shoko Chukin Bank cf shokozoku |
| shoko | evidence | as butteki shoko material evidence jokyo shoko circumstantial evidence |
| shoko | lull, respite, breathing space | as tanki kinyu shijo ga shoko jotai the money market is now quiet |
| shokoron | enterprise loans | financing of failing small businesses and quasi-fraudulent in intent |
| shokozoku | commerce and industry tribe | LDP Diet members interested in commerce and industry issues cf zokugiin |
| shokuin roku | (highly detailed) annual register of staff | usefully published by Diamond in public and private company editions |
| shokuryocho | Food Agency | still operating the immediate post-War anachronism of rice price support |
| shokutaku | contract employee | typically one year renewable employer avoiding welfare costs vs puropa |
| shometsu | extinguishment, extinction | as shometsu gaisha non-surviving company (in merger of nominal equals) |
| shomi kigen ga kireta | past consume-by date | to have been on the shelf for too long and to be unwanted/unloved (jocular) |
| Shonan | trendy resort area West of Kamakura | as shonanboi beach boy shonan nanba Shonan (car registration) number |
| shorai | future (soon-to-come kanji actuality) | as chikai shorai the near future toi shorai the distant future vs mirai |
| shoraizo | future image, (desirable) outlook | as chihozaisei no shoraizo local government finance the way ahead vs tenbo |
| shosu kabunushi | minority shareholders | more than most shareholders set upon without much protection |
| shotei | fixed, stated | as shotei no yoshi prescribed form shotei no jikan appointed time |
| shoten nushi | (small) shop owner | previously important class now economically sidelined cf kakaku hakai |
| shotoku | income | as shotokuzei income tax shotoku satei income assessment |
| shotorishin | Securities Industry Consultative Council | kanji abbreviation of shoken torihiki shingikai amakudari slot organisation |
| Showa | brilliant peace | era name (1926 - 1989) saw both Manchurian Experiments I and II |
| shuchu | concentrate, focus | as shuchu bakugeki saturation bombing shuchu suru to concentrate |
| shudan | means, device | as saigo no shudan final resort iho na shudan illegal means |
| shueki | gains, proceeds | as shueki kanjo revenue account shuekidaka revenues |
| shufuren | Housewives' Federation | important and powerful consumer grouping subject to kakaekomi |
| shugyo kisoku | Rules of Employment | in absence of individual contracts a compendium for all employees |
| shukanshi | weekly magazine | moonlighting journalists writing the occasional quality expose article |
| shukei | (data) aggregation | as shukei suji aggregated figures shukeizumi already fully compiled |
| shunto | Spring struggle | high growth era annual strike play-acting and wage round now history |
| shuryuha | mainstream faction | factionalisation creates distinctions by origins/specialities vs hanshuryuha |
| shushin koyosei | lifetime employment system | basis of sarariman household finances now under great pressure cf risutora |
| shusho kantei | PM's Residence | Japanese No 10 Downing Street recently and expensively rebuilt (2002) |
| shussho | release (from a place) | as shussho nikkei source Nikkei kari shussho release on parole |
| shuyo kabunushi | leading (top ten) shareholders | favoured group of major shareholders key part of anteika taisaku |
| shuyokoku | leading countries | as shuyokoku no zaisei jijo fiscal situation of leading countries |
| shuzeikyoku | Tax Bureau (of MoF) | brains behind tax policy and NTAA relegated to tax collection |
| SITMC | SIT Management Company | investment manager regulatory status now meeting poor demand |
| SITs | Securities Investment Trusts | Japanese mutual funds (US) unit trusts (UK) divided into dSITs and fSITs |
| SMAA | Seikyo Mutual Aid Association | managing financial products of the seikyo movement marginal in extreme |
| SMAAPP | SMAA Personal Pension scheme | personal pension products offered by SMAA marginal in extreme |
| SME Agency | chushokigyocho, Small and Medium Enterprises | the agency for the ineffectual but politically necessary protection of SMEs |
| SMEs | Small and Medium (sized) Enterprises | Japanese Mittelstand is subjugated to interests of large keiretsu companies |
| Smithianism | founded by Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) | individual agents produce macrophenomenal good of whole vs Listianism |
| (SM/MS)BC | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation | borderline with BoTM kachigumi and Mizuho, UFJ, R(e/i)sona makegumi |
| (SM/MS)FG | Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group | megabank (SM/MS)BC FHC per R(e/i)sona order in romaji/kanamajiri |
| smokescreen | method of avoiding responsibility | erroneous arguments change of names reform of responsibilities etc |
| SNA | System of National Accounts | UN mandated/IMF imposed national macro-economic statistics system |
| SNS | shinkin bank ATM network | approximately 18,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| sochi | apparatus, installation | as reibo sochi air-conditioning equipment anzen sochi safety device |
| sochi | measure, action | as kare ga kyonen komyo na sochi o totta he made a clever move last year |
| Social Insurance Agency | shakaihokencho, SIA | handling the nitty gritty of welfare ie SIA/MoHLW as to NTAA/MoF |
| SOCS | trust bank ATM network | approximately 1,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| sodai | Waseda University | large and leading private university in Tokyo founded by Okuma vs keidai |
| sogai | alienation | as daigakusei no jiko sogai university student self-alienation |
| sogo | mutuality, reciprocity | as sogo ni tasukeau to help each other sogo boeki two-way trade |
| Sogo | failed department store (classic full-set failure) | as homan keiei + funshoku kessan + kogin + dongame + ichinin suru |
| sojo (koka) | multiplication/conjoint (effect) | as osake to chintsuzai to no sojo saiyo alcohol + analgesics potentiation |
| Soka Gakkai | basic value study group | neo-Buddhist sect implicated in a wide range of questionable activities |
| sokaiya | AGM boys | yakuza corporate extortion specialists active in AGM protection rackets |
| sokosoko | fair, passable | as shohin no sokosoko no suberidashi a reasonable product launch |
| sokosoko | only about | as gojuen sokosoko no mono something (costing) just about JPY50 |
| sokuno | immediate settlement (of tax liability) | as sozokuzei sokuno prompt cash settlement of inheritance tax liability |
| sokushin | promotion, acceleration | as keitai shiyo o sokushin suru to accelerate the use of mobile phones |
| soldes | bargain sales | fully acculturated exceptional gairaigo vocabulary item cf Makuhari Messe |
| somi | whole body | as somi ni satori ga mawaranai no ka still not fully up to speed? (jocular) |
| somusho | Ministry of Public Management | often termed zatsumusho Ministry of Everything Else MoEE (ironical) |
| songai baisho | compensation | as kotsu jiko no songai baisho seikyu a traffic accident damages claim |
| sonkin kaikei | loss accounting (principles) | inconvenient prompt recognition of material losses on assets in accounts |
| sonkin kanjo | (tax allowable) expense accounts | as sonkin kanjo keijo posting in the accounts as an expense (item) |
| sonota | other items (not detailed in a listing) | often concealing material items extending as far as sonota no sonota |
| sonota no sonota | other other | vague final entry to a list showing nomenclative challenge of classification |
| sonpo | casualty insurance | kanji abbreviation of songai hoken cf seiho, seisonpo |
| sonshitsu | loss | as torikaeshi no mattaku tsukanai sonshitsu a totally irrecoverable loss |
| sonshitsu hoten | loss supplementation/covering | (illegal plugging) of client losses post-Bubble cf miuchi, nigiri, tobashi |
| sontoku | losses and profits | as sontoku kanjo account of the profits and losses (of an event) |
| sonzoku | surviving, continuing | as sonzoku gaisha surviving company in merger of nominal equals |
| sosebangosei | universal player number | tax identification number for all tax payers cf juki netto, tax policy |
| soshisan | gross assets | as soshisan de sekai ichi largest in the world by gross assets cf Mizuho |
| soto | outside, they/them/theirs, foreign, alien | on/kun readings of key conceptualisation antithesis gai/soto vs nai/uchi |
| soundings | discreet investigation of opinion | bureaucrats research vested interests at policy junctures cf hiaringu chosa |
| Sozialmarkt | system applied by Ludwig Erhard | an explicit description of implicit Japanese system cf Ordoliberalism |
| sozokuzeiho | Inheritance Tax Act | tightened under cover of owner-manager succession concessions (2000) |
| Sparkassen | savings bank institutions | a German model for keito banking systems cf Raiffeisen, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| SPCs | Special Purpose Companies | specialised corporate vehicles for derivative product financial engineering |
| staff | being off direct management line, sutaffu | as sutaffu bucho staff general manager (with zero power) vs line |
| stagflation | stagnation + inflation | counter intuitive but possible economic conjuncture viz UK in late 1970s |
| stakeholder value | non-Anglo-Saxon corporate governance | ex-UK European + East Asian social solidarity model vs shareholder value |
| Starbucks | junk food operator | high fat + salt + sugar intake leading to deterioration of Japanese diet |
| State Shinto | form of Shinto created for reasons of State | crusading religion for construction of Empire vs Buddhism cf Yasukuni |
| Stichting | civil code public interest entity, foundation | Dutch Route endowment vehicle was popular for inheritance tax avoidance |
| Stiftung | civil code public interest entity, foundation | German endowment vehicle legal model for zaidanhojin cf Stichting |
| straightline | unconservative depreciation computation | tax allowable however useful life determined per Tax Code |
| suberidashi | launch (down the slipway) | as suberidashi ni jakkan mondai ga atta (it) was a problematical launch |
| substance over form | common law pattern of legal interpretation | broad interpretation of circumstances vs form over substance cf urisenba |
| suii | change, trend | as sosenkyo undo no suii the progress of the general election campaign |
| suijun | level, standard | as sengo seikatsu suijun no suii trend of living standards post-War |
| suisancho | Fisheries Agency | firmly in favour of commercial whaling cf Institute of Cetacean Research |
| suishin | propulsion, drive | as suishin kyogikai promotion association suishinryoku (engine) thrust |
| sukigirai | likes and dislikes | as sukigirai no hageshii hito a person with strong (food) preferences |
| sukimu | scheme | as sukimuappu suru to draft a (financial) vehicle structure cf shikumi |
| sukiyaki | meat and vegetables stewed at the table | popular and convenient party dish okonomiyaki shabushabu teppanyaki |
| sumitomo | dwelling friend | Sumitomo keiretsu stylised well frame logo moderately used cf mitsui |
| Sweden | classic banking crisis of early 1990s | crystallised NPLs 10 GDP per cent and 20 loan book per cent cf Finland |
| system fatigue | (inevitable) accretion of vested interests | institutions attract parasites requiring periodic reform therapy cf seido hiro |
| T | ||
| t | third consonant in kstnhmyrw order | t cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| t | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | ta ti (chi) tu (tsu) te to cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| tabi | travel | on compounds practical while kun compounds are romantic cf tabibito |
| tabibito | a (questing) traveller | kun compound romantic but on compound practical vs ryokoka cf tabi |
| taiki shoki | title of column in Nikkei | occasionally very revealing analysis and blunt description of ura actuality |
| taiki suru | to be waiting, be on standby (for a meeting) | as taiki meirei an order to be on alert joji taiki constant alert |
| taio suru | to cope (with) | as taiki kogai mondai ni taio suru to tackle air pollution problems |
| taisaku | (counter) measure, policy | as nezuyoi defure taisaku measures to counter persistent deflation |
| taisei | general trend | as kita chosen mondai no taisei the trend of the North Korea problem |
| taisei | regime, system | as kyutaisei ancien regime hantaiseiha anti-Establishment faction |
| Taisho | big correctness | era name (1912- 1925) nengo adverse economy killed Taisho Democracy |
| taishoku | retirement | as taishoku ichijikin (customary) retirement lump sum benefit cf RLS |
| taiyo nensu | useful life (of fixed assets) | as zeiseijo no taiyo nensu Tax Code determined period for depreciation |
| taju | multiple | as taju hoso multiplexed broadcasting taju saimusha multiple debtor |
| takuru | to snatch, gather | as bottakuri gathering in and ripping off (customers) cf Kabukicho |
| tankan | (BoJ) economic survey | leading survey of business confidence using diffusion index methodology |
| tanki kinyu shijo | short term money markets | business involving close BoJ/tanshi liaison hit by zero interest rate policy |
| tanpo | security, mortgage | as mutanpogashi unsecured lending yutanpogashi secured lending |
| tanshi | short term money market and forex etc brokers | as tanshi no sekai wa kan to keiken the tanshi are all feel and experience |
| tanshiki boki | single entry (cash basis) bookkeeping | so-called ministry accounts from Prussia (1870s) vs fukushiki boki |
| tataki | seared | as katsuo tataki seared bonito wagyu tataki seared Japanese beef |
| tatemae | constructed facade | the presentational fiction of the hidden agenda vs honne cf omote, ura |
| tatemono | building | often quite fancifully named origin of building/bldg/bld in addresses cf biru |
| tatewari gyosei | vertical administration | no horizontal co-ordination and a dysfunctional bureaucracy cf paralysis |
| tax policy | MoF tax policy programme 1985 - 2020 | 1. ring fence Japan, 2. introduce tax PIN, 3. raise tax burden cf juki netto |
| Tax Transfer | (chiho) kofuzei | (local government) fiscal equalisation transfers administered by MoPM |
| TB | Trust Bank | investment manager regulatory status in decline as result of Allfinanz |
| tegata | note, bill | as shiharai tegata bills payable uketori tegata bills receivable |
| tehon | model, exemplar | as warui tehon bad example yoi tehon good example cf handobukku |
| teigaku | fixed amount | as teigaku shoken baibai tesuryo flat sum equity commission vs teiryo |
| teikei | co-operation, agreement | as gyomu teikei commercial agreement shihon teikei equity agreement |
| teiki | fixed term, stated period | as teikibin scheduled flight teikiken season ticket teiki kensa routine check |
| teiko seiryoku | forces of resistance, anti-reform forces | Establishment system fatigue beneficiaries cf amakudari, kiseichu, zokugiin |
| teikyo suru | to offer, tender, make available | as jippi teikyo offered at cost bangumi teikyo programme sponsorship |
| teiritsu | fixed rate | as teiritsu shoken baibai tesuryo fixed rate equity commission vs teigaku |
| teito eidan | Imperial Metropolis (Tokyo) undertaking | underground railway system managed by the FILP agency TRTA vs toei |
| teki | mark, target, (adverbial) suffix | as jikanteki timewise (how long?) kingakuteki moneywise (how much?) |
| tekiho | statutory | as tekiho gesuido chiho koeikigyo statutory sewerage LAMEs vs hitekiho |
| tekikaku | eligibility, competency | as tekikaku nenkin TQRP kyujin tekikakusha qualified applicant |
| tekio | adaptation, accommodation | as tekiosei ga nai lacking adaptability tekio hosen adaptive radiation |
| tekiya | street vendor, stall holder | Edo low life with bakuto professional gamblers becoming modern yakuza |
| temochi | in hand, holdings | as temochigyoku shares held (securities jargon) cf gyoku, kabuya |
| tenbo | outlook | as yuki ieru paneru no tenbo organic EL panel outlook vs shoraizo |
| tenkan shasai | convertible bonds, CBs | CHF denominated a fountain of money for all involved 1960s to 1980s |
| tennosei | Imperial System | along with BoJ the two largely unimpugned sources of legitimacy in Japan |
| tenpo | shop | as tenpo o kamaeru to run a shop tenpo suken several shops |
| Tenpo Reforms | (1841 - 1843) under Mizuno Tadakuni | third of three economic reform programmes of Tokugawa Shogunate |
| tento shijo | OTC market | TSE third market now given the NASDAQ modelled JASDAQ name |
| teppanyaki | meat and vegetables fried at the table | popular and convenient party dish okonomiyaki shabushabu sukiyaki |
| tesuryo | commission | as kotei shoken baibai tesuryo haishi abolition of fixed equity commissions |
| tetsudo kikan | railway gauge | 2ft 6 light, 3ft 6 JNR/JR, 4ft 6 tram/tram-originated, 4ft 8.5 shinkansen |
| TFB | Trust Fund Bureau, shikin unyobu | TFB renamed FILP Fund, zaito shikin, for MoF's FILP Reform 2001/08 |
| tobaku | (strictly forbidden) gambling | bicycle/horse/lottery/pachinko/soccer/speed boat variously condoned |
| tobashi | causing to fly, hiding losses | juggling securities losses between companies with different year-ends |
| tochi honisei | land standard | parallelling gold standard justification for excess bank lending cf meishin |
| todai | Tokyo University | summit of educational system Law Department Summit of summits |
| todofuken | (all 47) prefectures | to (Tokyo-to) do (Hokkai-do) fu (Kyoto-fu, Osaka-fu) and other-ken (43) |
| todokede | registration | simple registration process as opposed to approval process cf ninka, fujuri |
| toei | (Tokyo) Metropolis managed | underground railway system managed as a Tokyo LAME vs teito eidan |
| Tohoku | Northern part of Honshu | remote, quaint and slightly backward with quite distinctive regional dialect |
| tohokudai | Tohoku University | one of eight Imperial universities amd well respected for technology |
| tojisha | a concerned person, a concerned party | as sosho tojisha party to an action rigai tojisha interested party vs daisansha |
| Tokai | central Honshu on Pacific coast | main city Nagoya heavily influenced by Toyota presence cf Chubu |
| tokei | statistics | as tokeigakuteki ni ieba statistically speaking tokei nenpo statistics annual |
| tokkin | special pecuniary trust | segregation vehicle for portfolio holdings/cross-holdings cf eigyo tokkin |
| tokkyocho | Patent Agency | tokyotokkyokyokakyoku Tokyo Patent Approvals Office (tongue twister) |
| tokubetsu giketsu | extra-ordinary resolution | proposed to EGM (involving materiality per Commercial Code provisions) |
| Tokugawa | virtue river | family name of Edo shogunate 17th cent to 19th cent cf Sekigahara |
| tokusei | specificity, property | as kin no tokusei properties of gold kojin no tokusei idiosyncrasies |
| tokutei | specific, defined | as tokutei gyoshu designated industries tokutei ryokin special charge |
| tokuteikyoku | privately owned (post) offices (in headman line) | wink-and-nod approval of office expenses against LDP votes cf yuseizoku |
| tokuyaku | special contract | as tokuyaku sakaba a tied house (serving house alcoholic beverages) |
| Tokyo | Edo renamed Eastern Capital | nankyo Southern Capital (Nanking) hokkyo Northern Capital (Peking) |
| tomeisei | transparency | as gyosei no tomeisei o takameru to raise the transparency of regulation |
| tomen | for the time being | as tomen no taisaku (frequently long maintained) temporary measures |
| tonza | standstill, deadlock | as naninani ginko ga tonza shita the So-and-So Bank failed |
| TOPIX | Tokyo (Stock Exchange) Price Index | TSE computed fully weighted comprehensive index vs Nikkei Average |
| Toranomon | tiger gate | centre for amakudari + patent agents + lawyers + gangsters area of Tokyo |
| toseiha | Control Faction | Manchurian Experiment I group with strong planning tendencies vs kodoha |
| toshi | city | as toshi keikaku city planning toshi kokka city state toshi ginko city bank |
| toshi | investment | as setsubi toshi capex shoken toshi shintaku Securities Investment Trusts |
| toshiginko | then-city banks | major commercial banks now in Allfinanz consolidation cf megabank |
| toshiginko | investment bank | unrecognised and not a licensed form of financial institution in Japan |
| toshijigyo kumiai | investment partnership | civil code jurisdiction Private Equity etc partnerships cf ninidantai |
| toshin | SITs | kanji abbreviation of shoken toshi shintaku divided into dSITs and fSITs |
| toyo | Eastern Ocean, Orient | as toyojin an Oriental toyo igaku Oriental medicine vs seiyo cf holism |
| tozai nanboku | East/West South/North | the compass directions on-compounded or higashi, nishi, minami, kita/kun |
| TQRPs | Tax Qualified Retirement Pensions | old corporate sector schemes NTAA remains unwilling regulator by default |
| tr | trillion, 1,000,000,000,000 | as itchoen JPY1tr (EUR8bn GBP5bn USD8bn approx at typical rates) |
| transparency | of governance/regulatory process, tomeisei | notably absent in Establishment tool kit cf sakinobashi, maladministration |
| Trinity (of Issues) | Local Government reform hurdles | programme hurdles: 1. fiscal resources transfer, 2. subsidies, 3. tax transfer |
| TRTA | Teito Rapid Transit Authority | Tokyo's larger underground railway a FILP agency to be privatised vs toei |
| TSE | Tokyo Stock Exchange | TSE JPY250tr at 10 per cent of total world market JPY2,500tr approx |
| TSPs | Third Sector Projects | failing public sector ventures being bundled into private/public partnership |
| tsuba o tsukeru | to put your spit on something | to lay down a claim at an early stage in competition with others (figurative) |
| tsuka | currency | as kokusai tsuka kikin IMF tsuka boraku currency collapse |
| tsumori | intention, belief | as tsumori hazure stymied bijin no tsumori fancying (herself) beautiful |
| tsushin | communications | as idotai tsushin mobile communications tsushingyo telecoms industry |
| tsutatsu | notification | as kihon tsutatsu (NTAA) tax interpretation guidelines but no legal force |
| three per cent | take for arranging a construction contract | alleged Kanemaru Shin concessionary two on JPY1.2tr Aqualine Project |
| U | ||
| u | third vowel in aiueo order | pure vowel as in Italian not diphthong as in English cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| u | kstnhmyrw permitted combinations | ku su tu (tsu) nu hu (fu) mu yu ru lengthened as uu, uh, u- etc cf Hepburn |
| uchi | inside, we/us/ours, domestic | on/kun readings of key conceptualisation antithesis nai/uchi vs gai/soto |
| uchinanchu | our (Okinawan) people, Okinawans | Okinawan dialect for our folk against Yamato folk vs yamatonchu cf uchi |
| UFJ | United Financial of Japan | Tokai/Toyo Trust/Sanwa megabank nomenclative challenge cf MHHD |
| ugoki | movement | as ugoki ga mattaku torenai to have absolutely no room for manoeuvre |
| ukeru | to receive, accept, obtain | as uketsugu to inherit uketsuke reception ukemi passive voice |
| uketomekata | (impression) received | as uketomekata ga yoi to wa ienai not to be favourably impressed |
| ukezara | saucer, receptacle | as ukezara kino function of a sink (for a generally unwanted/excess supply) |
| unyo | use, employment, management | as shisan unyo asset management unyo kekka management results |
| unyo rimawari | achieved return | life assurer's actual portfolio performance achieved vs yoso rimawari |
| ura | behind, reality of situation | awkward truth covered by presentational fiction vs omote cf honne, tatemae |
| ureru | to sell, be in demand | as urekko a popular person yoku ureru to be a good seller/in demand |
| urisenba | rent boy bar | not intercourse hence not criminal prostitution cf form over substance |
| V | ||
| v | redundant letter v transliterated b | irregularly transliterated voiced u to retain v-ness cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| v | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | not a recognised sound none cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| VB | venture business | romaji acronym used as katakana somewhat clumsy parallelling 401(k) |
| vested interests | rights by association providing advantage | parasite infestations causing institution system fatigue cf kiseichu, zokugiin |
| W | ||
| w | ninth consonant in kstnhmyrw order | w cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| w | aiueo/yayuyo combinations | wa wo (only as the postposition wo (o)) cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| wa | women's sentence ending interjection | as iku wa (I'm) leaving takai wa surprisingly expensive vs sa |
| waga | my, our | as wagakuni Our Country wagamama selfishly wagaken our prefecture |
| wakimaeru | to discriminate, understand, comprehend | as wakimaenai jodan a joke inappropriate to one's social status/position |
| wariate | allotment, allocation | as wariate shuhasu allocated frequencies shukusha wariate (troop) billeting |
| Waseda | early rice paddy | name of university founded by Okuma a rather nondescript area of Tokyo |
| watakushiritsu | privately founded | to distinguish from homophonic shiritsu municipally founded cf jubako |
| Weber | Max Weber (1864 - 1920) | proponent of bureaucracy as having legitimacy and rationality vs Sartre |
| Wertpapier | securities, yuka shoken | (debt etc freely assignable financial instrument) security vs Schuldschein |
| Wimbledon effect | overcome by foreigners | All England Lawn Tennis but notable long absence of any local champions |
| WPI | Wholesale Price Index, oroshiuri bukka shisu | bureaucrat inertia means constituents lag on actual business behaviour |
| X | ||
| x | redundant letter x transliterated variously | initially z medially and finally kusu cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| x | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | not a recognised sound none cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| Xavier | St Francis Xavier (1506 - 1552) | Jesuit missionary active mid-16th cent with notably high opinion of Japan |
| xenografting | inter-species grafting, ishu ishoku | with many rejection and cross infection problems (figurative) cf donyu |
| Y | ||
| y | seventh consonant in kstnhmyrw order | y cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| y | aiueo permitted combinations | ya yu yo cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| Yaesu | eight heavy state | office location directly opposite Tokyo station East Exit area of Tokyo |
| yaku doshi | critical age (for men) | as yonjuni ga otoko no yaku doshi da forty-two is a man's critical age cf eto |
| yakuza | 8 + 9 + 3 (a poor hand of cards/deficient) | privatised social coercion police condone to prevent disorganised crime |
| yama | mountain, pile, heap, speculation | as yama hodo hoshii really wanting (something) yamakan pure guesswork |
| Yamaichi Securities | major securities firm failed 1997 | first failure 1965 second failure had complex background cf MHI |
| Yamato | great peace | original Japanese state now the literary and classical name for Japan |
| yamatonchu | (they the) Yamato people, mainlanders | Okinawan dialect for Yamato folk not our folk vs uchinanchu cf Yamato |
| yamawake suru | to divide the spoils | politicians splitting up the benefits of a budget programme (derogatory) |
| yami | pitch black | as issun saki wa yami one step ahead is pitch black (in political life) |
| yamu o enai | unavoidable, force majeure (fuka koryoku) | (often engineered/foreseen) events decide a policy decision cf nigemichi |
| yarase | put-up-job, sham | bogus TV programmes showing carefully rehearsed scenes as the actuality |
| Yasukuni | enshrinement of war dead in State Shinto | fighting religion Yamato Empire against Christian Powers cf izoku no kai |
| yatoware | employed | as yatoware gaijin hired foreigners (as technical experts in early Meiji) |
| yaya | little, slightly, in a way | as yaya shin ni chikai not far from the truth yaya anzen fairly safe |
| Yayoi | Japanese bronze age (200BC - 200AD) | time of introduction of paddy rice agriculture and rapid population growth |
| yob | boy | back slang romaji spelling reversal exactly parallelling moho, shoba etc |
| yobigun | army in reserve | as jojo yobigun companies in the issue queue (for their IPO market debut) |
| yoi | good, fine (variant of ii) | as ikeba yokatta you should have gone itta yokatta it is good that you went |
| yokin | deposit | as yokin koza deposit account teiki yokin koza term deposit account |
| yoko guruma o osu | to be difficult/behave badly | as kare ga yoko guruma o oshita he managed to upset everything |
| yoko narabi | lining up (by the right) | with banking protected all players offered the identical terms cf gososendan |
| yokyoku | anode | as tomei na injium suzu yokyoku transparent InSn anode vs inkyoku |
| yomi | reading, judgement, calculation | as kare wa soba no yomi ga umai he can read the market trend very well |
| YONS | PSC ATM network | approximately 24,000 machines installed throughout Japan cf ATM |
| yoran | manual, survey | as kaisha yoran company guide gyokai yoran industry overview |
| yoron | public opinion | as yoron chosa public opinion survey (however yo kanji often misread se) |
| yoroshii | keigo term indicating second person | as nasaru no wa yoroshiku gozaimasen not appropriate action for you Sir |
| yosei | positive | as kankohen no kensa kekka ga yosei a positive cirrhosis test result vs insei |
| yosei suru | to demand, request | to be the weaker party/the supplicant asking for something to be done |
| yoshi | OK (familiarly abrupt form of yoi) | as yoshi iku zo OK I'll go sore de yoshi I'll take it yoshiyoshi well done! |
| yoso | expectation, forecast | as yoso gyoseki forecast results yoso shukakudaka estimated crop yield |
| yoso rimawari | forecast return | life assurance actuarially assumed portfolio performance vs unyo rimawari |
| yotakukin | deposit | as beikoku yotaku shoken ADR keiyaku yotakukin contract deposit |
| yoteigaku | budgeted cost | as yoteigaku ga dangoya ni moreta the budget price got to a fixer cf dango |
| yoy | (same period) year-on-year, zennen(doki)hi | the statistical percentage change measurement formulation cf mom, qoq |
| yubin | post, mail | as yubinbutsu piece of mail yubin tohyo postal voting yucho postal savings |
| yucho | postal savings, yubin chokin | world's largest deposit taker 25,000 branches/JPY250tr approx cf kanpo |
| yugen gaisha | (simplified) limited liability company | acronym YK but k of kaisha voiced g in elision modelled on Kommandit |
| yugen sekinin | limited liability | goshi gaisha (GK) kabushiki gaisha (KK) yugen gaisha (YK) cf eiri hojin |
| yuho | long form securities report | required by FSA within four months of balance sheet date cf kessan tanshin |
| yuigon | will | subject to civil code jurisdiction forced rules of succession cf legitime |
| yuji no sai | emergency situation | bureaucrat justification trotted out for Forex Act reserve powers etc |
| yukan | evening edition | major newspapers all appear in morning and evening editions vs chokan |
| yukashoken | valuable instrument, security | modelled on German word and legal concept Wertpapier vs Schuldschein |
| yuko | validity, availability | as yuko denatsu effective voltage yuko yubin tohyo valid postal ballot |
| Yurakucho | have pleasure town | conveniently located and central office and entertainment area of Tokyo |
| yuseijigyocho | Postal Services Agency, PSA | transitional provisions in postal services privatisation as PSC cf yuseikosha |
| yuseikosha | Postal Services Corporation, PSC | eventual listing on TSE in a staged privatisation following the NTT model |
| yuseizoku | postal affairs tribe | LDP members involved in PSC postmaster vote gathering cf tokuteikyoku |
| yushi | financing, funding | as kajo yushi excessive funding yushi joken financing terms |
| yutangumi | U-turn crowd | making an eventual return to original region/company/occupation etc |
| Z | ||
| z | second consonant in kstnhmyrw order | s voiced z cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| z | aiueo/yayuyo permitted combinations | za zi (ji) zu ze zo cf Hepburn, gojuon |
| zaibatsu | finance clique, the pre-War cartels | family owned and managed: mitsubishi mitsui sumitomo yasuda etc |
| zaidanhojin | civil code public interest entity, foundation | was popular vehicle for inheritance tax avoidance cf shadanhojin |
| zaigen ijo | fiscal resources transfer | sine qua non of local government reform programme cf bunken, zeigen ijo |
| zaikei | wealth formation | employee savings scheme important in 401(k) debate cf kakutei kyoshutsu |
| zaikeinenkin | Zaikei Type Personal Pension | ZTPP model in Japanese-style 401(k) product debate cf kakutei kyoshutsu |
| zaimusho | Ministry of Finance | okurasho for centuries but covering name change made cf nigemichi |
| zairyo | material, (stock market) news | as tsuyoki zairyo bullish news yowaki zairyo bearish news cf shiryo |
| zaisan | fortune, property | as ichiokuengurai no zaisan ga aru to be worth around JPY100m |
| zaiseitoyushi (zaito) | Fiscal Investment and Loans Programme, FILP | as zaito kaikaku FILP Reform zaito shikin FILP Fund (previously TFB) |
| zaitech | financial technology | speculative hype of bubble era now decently forgotten cf okiwasurete iru |
| zaitokikansai | FILP Agency Bonds, FILPABs | (corporate-style) bonds issued by FILP agencies en route to privatisation |
| zaitosai | FILP Bonds, FILPBs | quasi-JGBs refinancing FILP Fund on model of JNR Settlement I and II |
| zandaka | balance | as zenki kara no kurikoshi zandaka balance b/fwd from prior period |
| zatsumusho | Ministry of Everything Else | the ragbag ministry MoPM (derogatory) cf MoEXT, Hashimoto Reform |
| zehi | by all means | as zehi ikitai (I) definitely want to go zehi sansei definitely in agreement |
| zehi | right and wrong | as danjo kyogaku no zehi o tou to consider the suitability of co-education |
| zei | tax, duty | as muzei tax free zei futan tax burden zeiritsu tax rate zei taino tax arrears |
| zeiho | Tax Code | as zeiho no bappon kaisei thorough-going reform of the Tax Code |
| zeikin | tax | as zeikin o nogareru to evade tax zeikin nofu tax liability settlement |
| zeirishi | tax accountant, tax attorney | facilitator of tax returns/reporting (in the bureaucrat interest) cf paralegals |
| zeitaku shisetsu | luxury facilities | coded reference to tendency of local authorities to construction excesses |
| zeni arahen | We're clean broke (Osaka dialect) | MoF's Shiokawa graphically describing Japanese unhappy fiscal outlook |
| zenkoku | All-Japan | common compound in titles abbreviated zen cf zenshinkumiren, zenshinren |
| zenshinkumiren | Federation of Shinkumi Banks | shinkumi banks national umbrella organisation cf keito, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| zenshinren | Federation of Shinkin Banks | shinkin banks national umbrella organisation cf keito, Schulze-Delitzsch |
| zokaichiku | extension/rebuilding of a house | housing land is always held and houses are cheaply and nastily rebuilt often |
| zoku | tribe (of those specialising in an activity) | as bosozoku speedster gangs maikazoku Sunday/family drivers cf zokugiin |
| zokugiin | LDP parasites infesting ministry budgets etc | notably active in MoAFF, MoETI, MoHLW, MoLIT and MoPM affairs |
| zoshi | increase in capital | as musho zoshi bonus issue (of shares) wariate zoshi rights issue vs genshi |
| ZTPP | Zaikei Type Personal Pension | private sector pension scheme with assets held in zaikei account cf zaikei |
| Zug | Swiss Canton | noted for an especially advantageous and flexible corporation tax regime |