Tankan Survey

What is ‘Tankan Survey’

An economic survey of Japanese business issued by the central Bank of Japan, which it then uses to formulate monetary policy. The report is released four times a year in April, July, October and mid-December.

Explaining ‘Tankan Survey’

The survey covers thousands of Japanese companies with a specified minimum amount of capital, although firms deemed sufficiently influential may also be included. The companies are asked about current trends and conditions in the business place and their respective industries as well as their expected business activities for the next quarter and year.

Further Reading

  • Causes of the Long Stagnation of Japan during the 1990s: Financial or Real? – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
  • Balance sheet deterioration and credit allocations: Japanese evidence from the short-term economic survey of enterprises – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
  • Bank lending and economic activity in Japan: did 'financial factors' contribute to the recent downturn? – onlinelibrary.wiley.com [PDF]
  • Do financial shocks have negative effects on small businesses? New evidence from Japan for the late 1990s – www.degruyter.com [PDF]
  • Credit allocation of Japanese banks in the 1990s: Evidence from the short-term economic survey of enterprises – papers.ssrn.com [PDF]