Japan bets big on a stimulus package aimed at fighting inflation and winning back voters. Good morning. This is the Marketplace Morning Report and we're live from the BBC World Service. I'm Leanna Byrne. Japan just unveiled a $140 billion stimulus plan to tackle inflation and boost the economy. The package includes cash handouts, small business

aid and tax cuts. But critics worry it will worsen Japan's massive debt, which is already over

200% of its gross domestic product. Dr. Sejiro Takesha at the University of Shizuoka can explain

this. Hello. Hi, how are you? So why is the stimulus package necessary right now?

Well, partially it's because the LDP and the Comito's Coalition Party

in their lower house election in October did a very, very horrible job.

They couldn't get the majority.

So they really need to basically increase their popularity.

And also this supplementary budget,

you know, in these economic stimulus packages coming at this time, has become almost an annual thing,

which tells us that Japanese economy isn't really back on his feet. So if it's an annual thing,

do you think it's going to work this time around? No, I don't. The reason for it being is that the policy itself would not induce further spending by the Japanese or would it have the multiplier to the economy. I don't think that is a case. In the past, we've had many cases of governments throwing know, government throwing cash in the face of the Japanese.

But I think this is almost a wrong thing to do in the sense that Japanese are very conservative.

And if you throw cash in their face, they'll put it in the savings.

I think we have to also start thinking about, you know, putting discipline into financial policies.

And many people are forgetting that, you know, these are eventually debt that will basically haunt us on our next generation.

You know, I think there will be a lot of alarm sounds from foreign investors that would be

focusing on this issue. Okay, Sergio Takesha. thank you so much for joining us in Marketplace.

Thank you.

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