Interesting article about how Japan is on the verge of debt deflation depression. We were , last autum, in the same spot Japan was in during the late 1980s. But we have taken on way more debt in a shorter time frame. For the last 20 years Japan has had zero interest rates (or next to zero), zero inflation, and zero growth. However, they have an enormous debt that is growing and is threatening to sink their sorry economy even more.   Japan just elected an outsider as prime minister. It is my opinion this guy, much like Obongo, has been put in place to administer the dismemberment of first-world society. They are the fall guys here to sell us a lower standard of living. I think you've hit the nail right on the head as I've thought the same exact thing about Hatoyama. He seems to spend more of his time making celebrity appearances rather than doing anything substantive to dealing with the economic crisis.    Two things of note that he's accomplished so far:    1) Begin to dismantle the construction/concrete/public works conglomerates which were responsible for a large part of the Japanese domestic economy.    2) Increased welfare benefits substantially, especially for single mothers.    For the first, they have smacked down what was a big power base for the LDP and also employed probably about 15% of the Japanese population. when you go off to the countryside you will see all the river banks concreted, highways going to nowhere and dams that probably didn't need to be built. Almost instantly, they have crippled this industry and a lot of people will be out of work and smaller out of the way towns are going to slowly dry up and die. While this is probably a good thing in theory if well-planned (the environmental damage is huge and there is no benefit to these large-scale projects) and other industries are introduced to fill the void to the local area. From what I've seen, there has been zero planning and no alternative livelihoods offered for the people that live in areas that have these huge public works projects. A dam that was planned and in the middle of construction was promptly cancelled when Hatoyama came into power. My guess is that most of the people in this area will either be on welfare or relocate to the cities within 2-3 years as a result.    For the second, there is an increase in divorce and single mothers in Japan and they are receiving very generous government benefits now at the expense of the taxpayer. They get all utilities for about 1/3rd the normal cost, a food allowance very cheap subsidized housing and also about 150,000 yen per month (roughly 1,600 USD) per month as well as all sorts of education subsidies for their little bastard kids. The really depressing thing as that more than a few of them spend their days gambling the money away in pachinko parlors.    So yes, I think this guy has been put in place to dismantle the Japanese economy. There is more talk of benefits (if you are a working stiff with a family, you get almost nothing) and also talk of higher taxes.