This case takes a look at the events that led up to the bursting of Japan’s stock-market bubble in 2010. It begins by describing the economic situation in Japan in the 1980s at the start of the crisis, delving into the appreciation of the yen, loss of competitiveness, low interest rates, the over-valuation of the stock market leading to inflation and the upward trend in the unemployment rate. It emphasizes that there were twenty years of poor political leadership where the political party changed frequently. The case outlines the government in Japan during the nineties and includes a detailed description of how each prime minister’s actions affected the economy. Then in 2001, seeking economic recovery, Koizumi’s government launched a comprehensive plan of reforms based on solving the problem of bad debts, establishing a stable financial system and defining seven programs of structural reform. When Koizumi left office, the economic situation was unstable and between 2006 and 2009, up to three different prime ministers occupied the post. Between 2007 and 2009, stimulus packages implemented by the government caused public debt as a percentage of Japan’s GDP to increase nearly 55 percent. This led the Bank of Japan to take emergency measures. In 2009, Hatoyama came into power, ending the Koizumi era. The government then had their chance to put an end to the “lost years.”

Cuba has been ruled for over 50 years by a socialist centralized system, with Fidel Castro as a supreme leader until 2007, when his brother Raul Castro took over power. Until the falling of the Berlin Wall, Cuba depended upon the Soviet Union’s economic support. After this geopolitical shift, the Caribbean country faced a new situation with light reforms that temporarily alleviated the suffering economy of Cuba. However, until 2009 there had been no real compromise, nor structural reforms necessary to transition towards a market economy. When Raul Castro sat on the driver’s seat, the possibility of political and economic change seemed closer.

For many years after its independence the Indian economy emphasized on central planning. In 1990 it starts its road towards market economy, which is responsible for robust economic growth and increase in the urban middle-class. However, wealth distribution remained a huge challenge, alongside poor infrastructure, bureaucracy, labor market rigidity and regulation of foreign investment. The quick expansion of domestic demand, increase in deficits, inflationary pressures and huge and growing population placed a serious threat to the government’s policies.