【英语国际】日本将延长家电补贴计划 刺激消费

Japan's government, grasping for ways to rev up a deflating economy on the cheap, is extending a subsidy plan for consumers who trade in their old appliances and television sets for more energy-efficient models.

The government's plan to keep its year-old 'eco-points' program running until March is part of a 920 billion yen, or $10.92 billion, package of relatively modest measures meant to boost consumer spending.

Other elements of the plan -- which is expected to be finalized by Sept. 10 -- include help for young job seekers, investment incentives for environmentally friendly industries and aid for small businesses.

Tokyo's reliance on eco-points and other narrow measures highlights the constraints faced by the government as it seeks to offset damage to the economy from a rising yen, which has made Japanese exports less competitive.

Japan's national debt is huge, after years of spending on highways, bridges and other large-scale projects that were part of previous economic-stimulus packages. That sharply limits the government's spending ability now.

Complicating matters, interest rates are already at a rock-bottom 0.1%, leaving the central bank little room for additional monetary easing.

Japan started the 'eco-points' program in June 2009, as part of a package of measures aimed to keep the economy from collapsing in the wake of the global financial crisis. The program offers points for buying energy-efficient products. Those points can then be redeemed for other goods and services.

A person buying a flat-screen TV set for 270,000 yen, for example, would receive 36,000 eco-points.

Those points could then be exchanged for a 36,000 yen gift certificate for shopping at a department store or for 36,000 yen toward airplane tickets or hotel bills.

By the end of July, the Japanese government had issued about 268 billion yen, or $3.18 billion, of eco-points for appliances.

By comparison, China spent 7.54 billion yuan, or $1.11 billion, in 2009 subsidizing sales in rural areas of TV sets, washing machines, air conditioners and other products.

Television sales in Japan have surged since the program started. In unit terms, flat-panel TV sales rose 40% in 2009 and shipments are up 67% in the first seven months of this year, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.

Overall, retail sales in Japan fell 2.3% in 2009 and rose less than 4% in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Daisuke Wakabayashi

寻找提振经济的低成本方法之际，日本政府将延长一个消费者补贴计划，继续鼓励他们换掉老旧的电视机等家用电器，购买能源效率更高的产品。

日本政府打算让其已满一年的“eco-points”（生态积分）计划延长至明年3月份。这是一揽子力度相对不大的消费支出刺激措施的一部分。

这一揽子措施总规模9,200亿日圆（合109.2亿美元），预计于9月10日最终敲定。其中的其他措施还包括为年轻求职者提供帮助，鼓励投资于环境友好型行业，以及为小企业提供援助。

东京对生态积分计划和其他有限措施的依赖，凸显了日本政府设法抵消日圆升值对经济的负面影响时所面临的束缚。日圆升值削弱了日本出口产品的竞争力。

多年以来，根据先前的经济刺激方案，日本政府花钱建设公路、桥梁和其他大型工程，结果背上了沉重的债务负担，从而极大地限制了当前的支出能力。

更加麻烦的是，由于利率已经降到0.1%的极低水平，央行基本没有进一步实施货币放松的空间。

生态积分计划于2009年6月启动，是日本政府在全球经济危机过后为防止经济崩溃而采取的一揽子措施之一。该计划为购买能效产品的消费者提供积分，然后消费者可以拿这些积分购买其他产品和服务。

比如，消费者购买一台27万日圆的平板电视，就会拿到36,000个积分。

这些积分然后可以换为一张面值36,000日圆的百货店礼品券，或者换为36,000日圆的礼品券拿去购买机票或支付酒店账单。

截至7月底，日本政府已发放价值2,680亿日圆的家电生态积分，折合31.8亿美元。

相比之下，中国在2009年为电视机、洗衣机、空调等家电下乡产品的补贴支出了75.4亿元，折合11.1亿美元。

自生态积分计划启动以来，日本国内电视机销量大幅增长。据日本电子信息技术产业协会(Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association)数据，按量计算，2009年平板电视销量增长了40%，今年头七个月增长67%。

据经济产业省(Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)数据，2009年，日本零售总额下降2.3%，今年上半年增长接近4%。