Japan Loses to Europe as Abe Heads to Davos
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Japan fell behind European nations in a ranking of the best places to do business compiled by Bloomberg, underscoring the need for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to take bolder steps to reduce regulation and attract companies.
As Abe heads to Davos to explain his government’s economic and diplomatic policies to investors and world leaders, Japan dropped nine spots to 12th position, in an index based on six criteria including the cost of setting up a business and readiness of the local consumer base. That left it behind countries including Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and France. Hong Kong maintained its top ranking.