Japan has been celebrating the end of a near 20-year deflationary cycle. But the country’s shrinking population remains a serious cause for concern. Gideon talks to the FT’s Kana Inagaki and Leo Lewis about whether the new mood of optimism about Japan is justified. Clip: BBC Free links to read more on this topic: Why good news for Japan may be bad news for hedge fundsJapan relaxes defence export rules to allow sales of new fighter jetUS and Japan plan biggest upgrade to security pact in over 60 yearsMarriage holds key to Japan’s falling birthsThe professor vs the PM: a political funding probe shakes Japan’s governmentSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.