Pricing Nikkei 225 Options Using Realized Volatility

This article examines option pricing performance using realized volatilities with or without handling microstructure noise, non‐trading hours and large jumps. The dynamics of realized volatility is specified by ARFIMA(X) and HAR(X) models. The main results using put options on the Nikkei 225 index are that: (i) the ARFIMAX model performs best; (ii) the Hansen and Lunde (2005a) adjustment for non‐trading hours improves the performance; (iii) methods for reducing microstructure noise‐induced bias yield better performance, while if the Hansen–Lunde adjustment is used, the other methods are not necessarily needed; and (iv) the performance is unaffected by removing large jumps from realized volatility.     

Interpolating the Lorenz Curve: Methods to Preserve Shape and Remain Consistent with the Concentration Curves for Components

C¹‐class interpolation methods that preserve monotonicity and convexity and are thus suitable for the estimation of the Lorenz curve from grouped data are not widely known. Instead, parametric models are usually applied for such estimation. Parametric models, however, have difficulty in accurately approximating every part of income/expenditure distributions. This paper proposes two types of C¹‐class shape‐preserving interpolation methods. One is a piecewise rational polynomial interpolation (proposed independently by Stineman and Delbourgo) that enables consistent interpolation of the concentration curves for income/expenditure components, attaining approximately the same accuracy as that of the existing methods when applied to decile‐grouped data or to more detailed aggregation. Another is a Hybrid interpolation that employs pieces of curves derived from parametric models on end intervals. Empirical comparisons show that the Hybrid interpolation (with the assistance of parametric models for class‐boundary estimation) outperforms the existing methods even when applied to quintile‐grouped data without class boundaries.     

Coverage area expansion, customer switching, and household profiles in the Japanese broadband access market

This paper examines the diffusion process of Internet broadband access in Japan by modeling the household choice of access modes. Estimates reveal that the characteristics of users, rather than those of the access modes, play a significant role in demand substitution across the modes. Simulation exercises indicate that had optic fibers (fiber-to-the-home; FTTH) been made available to the whole country in 2005, only 10% of households would have switched to that mode. This result implies that once chosen, the household choice of access mode persists, and that indirect network effects are an important element in decisions to adopt the new technology of broadband. Finally, policy implications are discussed.     

Peliosis of the spleen with intraperitoneal hemorrhage

We encountered a patient with steroidrelated peliosis of the spleen, a rare disease characterized by multiple blood-filled cavities in the splenic parenchyma, with spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage. The ultrasonographic, computed tomographic, and angiographic images were compared with pathologic findings of the material obtained surgically.     

Horizontal mergers and divestment dynamics in a sunset industry

Industries with declining demand tend to be riddled with chronic excess capital due to the presence of a business‐stealing effect and fixed costs. This article highlights the potential of mergers to internalize this business‐stealing effect and thereby promote divestment. Using the case of mergers in the Japanese cement industry, it examines whether such merger‐induced divestment improves total welfare based on a dynamic model of divestment. The findings suggest that merged firms indeed tended to reduce capital more actively and that, as a result of these mergers, total welfare improved despite a reduction in the consumer surplus.     

近代日本老工业城市发展过程中"社宅街"的形成、演变及改良

"棚户区"改造是我国老工业城市更新改造的难点和重点。近代日本在矿工业快速发展的过程中也面临类似的问题,即"社宅问题"。日本的"社宅"发展在不同历史时期内表现出不同的形态特征和具体问题。日本政府为解决这些问题出台过多项政策,并开展了相应的工程实践。文章介绍了日本"社宅"产生的时代背景、各历史时期的具体特征和改良政策,分析论述了1970年代末期开始的"小规模矿区居住区改良工程"的实施办法,提出了日本"社宅"改造对于我国的借鉴意义。     

International harmonization of Japanese accounting standards

Historically, Japanese accounting standards have been quite distinct from International Accounting Standards (IASs) which have been perceived as being modelled on British-American accounting standards. However, in the 1990s, after the publication of E32 in 1989 and the IASC-IOSCO Agreement in 1995, the Business Accounting Deliberation Committee (BADC), the standards-setting body in Japan, has pursued a policy of harmonization with IASs. Accounting standards relating to consolidated financial statements of companies that make cross-border offerings of securities or operate worldwide are being revised drastically. This paper focuses on the development of international accounting harmonization and its impact on Japan.     

WHAT EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EFFECT OF RETIREMENT ON HEALTH? EVIDENCE FROM GLOBAL AGING DATA

This paper analyzes the reasons for differences in the estimated effect of retirement on health in previous studies. We investigate these differences by focusing on the analysis methods used by these studies. Using various health indexes, numerous researchers have examined the effects of retirement on health. However, there are no unified views on the impact of retirement on various health indexes. Consequently, we show that the choice of analysis method is one of the key factors in explaining why the estimated results of the effect of retirement on health differ. Moreover, we re‐estimate the effect of retirement on health by using a fixed analysis method controlling for individual heterogeneity and endogeneity of the retirement behavior. We analyze the effect of retirement on health parameters, such as cognitive function, self‐report of health, activities of daily living (ADL), depression, and body mass index in eight countries. We find that the effects of retirement on self‐report of health, depression, and ADL are positive in many of these countries.     

Market variance risk premiums in Japan for asset predictability

This article evaluates the predictive performance of variance risk premiums (VRPs) in Japan on the Nikkei 225 returns, credit spreads, and the composite index of coincident indicators. Different monthly VRPs, such as expected and ex-post VRPs, are measured by using model-free implied and realized variances from option prices and high-frequency (HF) data, and their predictive ability is compared with that of VRPs using a realized measure based on coarser frequency return observations. The empirical results show that the VRPs in Japan with HF data are useful in predicting credit spreads and the composite index of coincident indicators, but lose their predictive ability for the Nikkei 225 returns. Such significant predictive power tends to be greater for the expected VRPs with HF data relative to the ex-post VRP with HF data and VRPs with daily data as well as for lower investment grade credit spreads.