A State of Paralysis in Japan

Political and economic constraints at home and abroad have brought Tokyo to a standstill, unable to enact the policies it needs. This paralysis reflects, in part, the limited options available to solve the country's long-term economic problems. But it also is driven by the interests of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration to bolster his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in July elections for the upper house of the Diet. Those factors have prompted a series of delays and avoidance of policy decisions that underscore the difficulties in tackling Japan's economic woes in a charged political environment....