Japan’s Rough Road, China’s Silk Road

Fear of Trump’s tariff impacts has already sapped the life out of Japan’s consumer sector, raising the specter of stagflation and thwarting the Bank of Japan’s tightening plans. If BOJ Governor Ueda fails to navigate the economy away from the shoals, he won’t be the first BOJ head set rolling by the Tokyo political establishment. William takes a look at his conundrum. … Also: China is taking full advantage of what it didn’t wish for, i.e., Trump’s Tariff Turmoil. As heavily tariffed Southeast Asian nations disengage from the US, China has begun framing its Belt and Road initiative—designed to unify the region and expand China’s power—as an alternative to US dependence.