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Household Debt and Aging in Japan

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  • Charles Yuji Horioka
  • Yoko Niimi

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the borrowing behavior of Japanese households in comparison to the other Group of Seven (G7) countries and also broken down by the age group of the household head. We find that pre-retirement households (households with a head in the 50-59 age group) in Japan do not have inordinate amounts of debt and that their financial health is satisfactory. However, we also find that households with a head in the 30-39 age group have shown a sharp increase in debt holdings in recent years, due partly to the fact that tax breaks for housing purchase, reforms in the housing loan market since the early 2000s, and expansionary monetary policy enabled Japanese households to purchase housing at a younger age than they could previously. We therefore need to monitor the borrowing behavior of this cohort over time as the Bank of Japan normalizes its monetary policy, especially since households have become more vulnerable to rising interest rates as the share of households who have chosen variable-rate housing loans has increased in recent years.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Yuji Horioka & Yoko Niimi, 2019. "Household Debt and Aging in Japan," ISER Discussion Paper 1068, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    • Handle: RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1068
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    File URL: https://www.iser.osaka-u.ac.jp/library/dp/2019/DP1068.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charles Horioka, 2012. "Are Japanese Households Financially Healthy, If So, Why?," Japanese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(4), pages 109-124.
    2. Sekita, Shizuka, 2011. "Financial literacy and retirement planning in Japan," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(4), pages 637-656, October.
    3. Horioka, Charles Yuji & Niimi, Yoko, 2020. "Was the expansion of housing credit in Japan good or bad?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    4. Keiko MURATA, "undated". "Dissaving by the elderly in Japan: Empirical evidence from survey data," ESRI Discussion paper series 346, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    5. Charles Yuji HORIOKA & Yoko NIIMI, 2017. "An Empirical Analysis of the Saving Behavior of Elderly Households in Japan," Economic Analysis, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), vol. 196, pages 31-46, December.
    6. Niimi, Yoko & Horioka, Charles Yuji, 2019. "The wealth decumulation behavior of the retired elderly in Japan: The relative importance of precautionary saving and bequest motives," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 52-63.
    7. Kobayashi, Masahiro, 2016. "The Housing Market and Housing Policies in Japan," ADBI Working Papers 558, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    8. Shizuka Sekita, 2011. "Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning in Japan," CeRP Working Papers 108, Center for Research on Pensions and Welfare Policies, Turin (Italy).
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    Cited by:

    1. Horioka, Charles Yuji & Niimi, Yoko, 2020. "Was the expansion of housing credit in Japan good or bad?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    2. Charles Yuji Horioka, 2021. "Is the selfish life-cycle model more applicable in Japan and, if so, why? A literature survey," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 157-187, March.
    3. Charles Yuji Horioka, 2020. "Does the Selfish Life-Cycle Model Apply in the Case of Japan?," Discussion Paper Series DP2020-14, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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