Japan has been trying to stimulate its economy for 15 years, with mixed results. A sudden collapse in the exports has brought calls for more. The current plan: a five trilion yen ($50 billion) package, the biggest part of which is a cash giveaway to families. That's just 1% of GDP, but after years of big deficits, there are limits to what Japan can do. Infrastructure spending is actually down from the high levels of the 1990s.
Stimulating the World Markets
How five countries plan to stimulate their sagging economies