[augustnagro]

Very few countries, communities, or individuals are willing to accept a fate of involuntary, slow recession.

As suggested by previous commentators, social policies could possibly play a larger role in the long term Japanese recovery than fiscal stimulus. Opening the country to immigration may help rejuvenate the workforce, but would require significant upheavals of xenophobic Japanese culture. The government could use economic measures to encourage childbirth, but at a population density of 869 people per square mile, one must wonder how many more citizens the island can accommodate.

The rational assumption that Japan should "bite the bullet ... [and] balance the budget" is not what the country will do, as the circumstances of its plight encourage irrationality.