Abenomics start to bite

Now we are starting to see the effects of Abenomics, the economic policies that the prime minister of Japan are implementing. The cost of producing food is going up, since the Japanese yen is decreasing in value against other currencies. But while there have been some price increases, the grocery stores try to decrease their costs instead, to keep prices constant. Because people are buying less of everything, including food. Salaries have already gone down. The groups in society with the smallest resources are already hurting.
And instead of trying to help small companies, Abenomics is bad for them. Double whammy on the "small people" (in the all-too-revealing phrase of BP chair Carl-Henric Svanberg). No jobs and higher prices. Triple whammy if you include lower salaries for the few who have jobs.
Small companies are the backbone of the Japanese economy. It is their cleverness that was behind the miracle rise of Japan after the second world war, and it was they who stood for most of the resilience in the Japanese industry after the "bubble years". But formation of new companies (which by definition start out small) has decreased. Even compensating for an ageing and shrinking population. If you want success as an entrepreneur today, it is easier to move abroad than fight your way through a compöicatrd and inert culture and economy. Unless you are selling to retirement homes, in which case there is a huge market waiting among the people who voted for Abe. If they have any money left, once inflation has eaten their retirement money.
It is not hard to figure out what a people-friendly policy would look like. Help small companies, punish the finance industry. But don't hold your breath until next election.