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Modern Currency Wars: The United States versus Japan

Author

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  • McKinnon, Ronald

    (Asian Development Bank Institute)

  • Liu, Zhao

    (Asian Development Bank Institute)

Abstract

In 2013, through massive quantitative easing by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), the yen depreciated about 25% against the US dollar, stoking fears of Japan bashing by the US. However, this sharp depreciation simply restored the purchasing power parity of the yen with the dollar. Since 2008, quantitative easing by the BOJ has been similar to that carried out by the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the European Central Bank. So the BOJ can only be faulted as a currency belligerent if there is further significant yen depreciation. Led by the US, now all mature industrial countries are addicted to near-zero interest liquidity traps in both the short and long terms. Such ultra-low interest rates are causing lasting damage to the countries' financial systems, and to those of emerging markets, which naturally have higher interest rates. But exiting the trap creates a risk of chaos in long-term bond markets and is proving surprisingly difficult.

Suggested Citation

  • McKinnon, Ronald & Liu, Zhao, 2013. "Modern Currency Wars: The United States versus Japan," ADBI Working Papers 437, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:adbiwp:0437
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Akihito Asano & Rod Tyers, 2016. "Japan's oligopolies: potential gains from third arrow reforms," CAMA Working Papers 2016-03, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    2. Robert W. Włodarczyk, 2014. "Is There a Global Currency War?," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 2(2), pages 21-30.
    3. Akihito Asano & Rod Tyers, 2015. "Third Arrow Reforms and Japan’s Economic Performance," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 15-17, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    4. Kawai, Masahiro, 2015. "International Spillovers of Monetary Policy: US Federal Reserve's Quantitative Easing and Bank of Japan's Quantitative and Qualitative Easing," ADBI Working Papers 512, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    5. Ronald Ian McKinnon & Gunther Schnabl, 2014. "China's Exchange Rate and Financial Repression: The Conflicted Emergence of the Renminbi as an International Currency," CESifo Working Paper Series 4649, CESifo.
    6. Rakesh Mohan & Muneesh Kapur, 2014. "Monetary Policy Coordination and the Role of Central Banks," IMF Working Papers 2014/070, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Lobanov, Mikhail (Лобанов, Михаил) & Zvezdvanovic-Lobanova, Jelena (Звезданович-Лобанова, Елена), 2017. "Specifics of Agricultural Policy in the Countries of Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in 1990–2010s [Особенности Аграрной Политики В Странах Центрально- И Юго-Восточной Европы В 1990-2010-Х," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 3, pages 150-173, June.
    8. Asano, Akihito & Tyers, Rod, 2019. "Japan's oligopolies: Potential economy wide gains from structural reforms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 361-375.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    currency wars; liquidity trap; quantitative easing; dollar versus yen; purchasing power parity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements

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