Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, is a man of conviction. But even he must have had a moment of self-doubt yesterday when it emerged that Japan grew by an annualised 1 per cent only in the last three months of 2013, less than half of what analysts expected. Some will surely see these disappointing numbers as a sign that Abenomics, the prime minister’s mix of fiscal, monetary and supply-side policies aimed at revitalising the economy, is coming off the rails. But while this judgment is probably too hasty, Mr Abe and Japan’s corporations must act soon to stop the recovery coming to a grinding halt.
日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)是一個信念堅定的人。但即便如此，當昨日訊息傳出，日本2013年第四季度經濟年化增幅僅爲1%，還不到分析師預期的一半，他必定也會有自我懷疑的那一刻。一些人肯定會將這些令人失望的數據視爲安倍經濟學(Abenomics)脫軌的跡象。雖然這種判斷可能有些過於武斷，但安倍晉三以及日本企業必須迅速採取行動，阻止經濟復甦逐漸停滯。安倍經濟學是由安倍晉三提出的旨在振興日本經濟的一攬子財政、貨幣以及供應面政策。