The Japanese real estate market experienced one of the most significant crashes in history during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was a notable event in economic history. The asset bubble, as it was called, was fueled by excessive lending by Japanese banks, low-interest rates, and speculative investment. The crash profoundly impacted the Japanese economy and is still felt today, almost three decades later.
Background to the real estate bubble
The Japanese economy was one of the most dynamic and thriving in the world during the 1980s. The country was experiencing unprecedented economic growth, and real estate was one of its driving forces. The real estate market was experiencing sustained growth, and prices were skyrocketing.
One of the primary drivers of the real estate bubble was the Japanese government’s low-interest-rate policy. The government wanted to encourage economic growth, and low-interest rates made it easy for businesses to borrow money. This, in turn, created a massive demand for office and retail space, and developers started building like crazy.
At the same time, Japanese banks were lending money hand over fist, and their lending practices were notoriously lax. This made it easy for people to speculate on real estate, buying properties with the expectation that they would increase in value rapidly.
The bubble bursts
By the late 1980s, the real estate market had reached unsustainable levels. Property prices had skyrocketed, and many investors were leveraging themselves to the hilt to buy properties they couldn’t afford. The bubble finally burst around 1990, and the market collapsed.
The decline was sudden and brutal. Property values plummeted, and many investors found themselves underwater on their loans. Banks that had lent money freely during the boom found themselves holding non-performing loans, and many banks went bankrupt. The Japanese government stepped in to try to prop up the economy, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful.
Moreover, Japan is not particularly rich in natural resources to attempt to fuel domestic growth by exporting natural resources. The country heavily depends on imported resources, particularly oil and natural gas, used to power its economy. While Japan has some mineral reserves, these are insufficient to support a significant export industry.
Impact of the asset bubble crash
The Japanese real estate crash profoundly impacted the country’s economy. The stock market crashed, and the country’s GDP shrank dramatically. Many companies went bankrupt, and unemployment soared. The government tried to stimulate the economy by increasing spending and cutting interest rates further, but government policies failed. This is because the collapse of the real estate bubble and the subsequent banking crisis created significant structural problems in the Japanese economy. Short-term stimulus measures, such as low-interest rates and government spending, did not easily solve these problems.
The real estate market has never fully recovered. Property values in many parts of the country remain below their pre-crash levels, and the market has been characterised by sluggish growth ever since. The Japanese economy has been in a state of stagnation for decades, and many analysts blame the real estate crash for this.
The consequences of the Japanese “lost decades” were significant and long-lasting. The period of “Lost 30 years”, from 1991, is commonly discussed. One of the most important consequences was the persistent deflation that characterised the economy. Prices for goods and services continued to decline, which made it difficult for businesses to invest and for consumers to spend. This deflationary spiral was a significant factor in the prolonged economic stagnation.
According to World Bank data, Japan’s annualised GDP growth rate between 1990 and the end of 2019 was 0.8%. This figure takes into account the fluctuations in Japan’s GDP growth over this period, which included several years of negative growth and a few years of relatively strong growth. It’s worth noting that this growth rate is significantly lower than the annualised GDP growth rates seen in many other developed countries over the same period. For example, during the same period, the annualised GDP growth rate was 2.3% in the United States, and 3.1% in Australia. Definitely, this annualised growth rate was much lower than the remarkable growth witnessed by the emerging markets China and India during the same period — 9.5% in China and 6.7% in India.
According to data from the Japan Real Estate Institute, Japan’s annualised real estate return between 1990 and the end of 2019 was approximately 0.1%. This figure considers both rental income and capital gains or losses on real estate investments.
Another consequence for Japan was the rise in public debt. The Japanese government implemented large-scale stimulus packages and spent heavily on public works projects in an attempt to stimulate the economy. However, these measures led to a considerable increase in public debt, which remains a challenge for the country today.
The Japanese lost decades also had a significant impact on the labour market. Many young people who graduated during the 1990s and 2000s struggled to find meaningful employment, and the labour force participation rate declined significantly. The decline in employment opportunities for these young people of that time has led to a phenomenon known as the “lost generation” in Japan. Government spending on public works projects was intended to create jobs and stimulate economic activity, but these projects were often inefficient and did not lead to sustainable economic growth.
Lessons learned from the multi-decade episode
The Japanese real estate crash provides a cautionary tale for other countries experiencing a similar boom. Excessive lending, lax lending practices, and speculative investment can create an unsustainable bubble. When the bubble bursts, the consequences can be severe and long-lasting.
Governments need to be vigilant in regulating the real estate market to prevent bubbles from forming in the first place. In addition, lenders need to be more cautious in their lending practices, and investors need to be more prudent in their investments. The lessons learned from the Japanese real estate crash can help prevent similar disasters from happening in the future.
Related information
Refer to the related knowledge resources:
QuietGrowth has been publishing content in this blog or in other sections of the website. Contributors for this content may include the employees of QuietGrowth, or third-party firms, or third-party authors. Unless otherwise noted, such content does not necessarily represent the actual views or opinions of QuietGrowth or any of its employees, directors, or officers.
Any links provided in our website to other websites are for the purpose of convenience, or as required by any such other websites. Unless otherwise noted, this does not imply that QuietGrowth endorses, is affiliated, and/or promotes any information, or products or services of those websites. Please read the advice disclaimer section of the website too.