Japan accounts for over half the output of the Asian region, but for much of the 1990s its economy was virtually stagnant, and it is only just emerging from its worst recession since the Second World War. In this book, a team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) examines the causes of the lingering economic problems of Japan, the crisis in its banking system, the reasons for weak business investment, and the government's efforts to kick-start the economy through a series of stimulus packages. The main premise of the book, that banking reform and corporate restructuring are central to any sustained revival of the economy, is backed up by detailed background research