Extrapolating what future Japanese will look like in 100 years (let alone 100,000 years), our forecast is that thanks to tourism-begets-immigration, they will have huge foreheads, flat faces, and saucer-like eyes.

Economists reckon that 10% of employees (about 4.5m people) in Japanese companies are redundant, and if they could, companies would let that many go in order to increase productivity.

There are a number of lobby groups in Japan that have been trying to hold back TPP, among them the medical, education, insurance, and legal sectors, but the one group with the greatest sway over TPP is the farming lobby.

In light of the daily onslaught of "feel good" news about Abenomics, those of us in business are starting to wonder when all the positive commentary will translate into actual improved sales and earnings in our own teams.