‘Abenomics’ Battles for Word-of-the-Year Title

November 25, 2013 Leave a comment

November 25, 2013, 11:16 AM

‘Abenomics’ Battles for Word-of-the-Year Title

ELEANOR WARNOCK

Even if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pro-growth “Abenomics” strategy fails to turn the world’s third-largest economy around, it still has the chance to win one honor: 2013′s buzzword of the year. The premier’s last name with the suffix -nomics tacked on was one of 50 phrases nominated this week for the title by publishing house Jiyukokuminsha. The competition is stiff: Mr. Abe will have to beat out air pollutant “PM 2.5,” “big data” and Funabashi, Chiba prefecture’s androgynous pear-fairy mascot Funasshi in order to take home the top prize on Dec. 2.The contest, started in 1984, recognizes new entrants to the popular lexicon. A seven-person panel picks a winner and nine runners up from a short list of 50 nominees in early December.

The prime minister’s eponymous policies are coming into this year’s race an underdog. In a recent poll by video rental store-operator Culture Convenience Club Co., “double the payback” – a phrase popularized by the banker protagonist of a television show called Hanzawa Naoki – came in first with 26.3% of a total of 1,254 votes. “Abenomics” came in fifth with 9.7%.

If “Abenomics” takes the prize, it wouldn’t be the first prime minister to claim the prize.

Former premier Junichiro Koizumi took the top spot in 2001 after six different phrases of his or phrases inspired by him were nominated. Then-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama won for “regime change” after the Democratic Party of Japan took power in the 2009 general elections.

In a sign of the heated debate Mr. Abe’s policies have elicited, “Ahonomics,” or “Stupidonomics” also made the cut.

JRT and The Wall Street Journal published articles covering 19 of 2013′s nominees. Those include the term “black companies,” or firms accused of forcing employees to work long hours, cute “local mascots” and SNEPS – solitary, non-employed persons.

Filed under Macro Trends

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