What is the name of the 1989 Japanese asset-price collapse involving stocks and real estate?

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The Japanese asset price bubble was the 1989–1992 collapse involving Japanese stocks and real estate.

During the late 1980s, easy credit and speculative buying drove Japanese share and land prices to extraordinary levels. The Nikkei 225 reached an intraday record of 38,957.44 on December 29, 1989.

The Bank of Japan tightened monetary policy, and asset prices then fell sharply. The Nikkei lost roughly half its value by 1990 and continued declining for years, while falling property prices damaged banks and borrowers.

The aftermath is associated with Japan's “Lost Decades,” a period of prolonged weak growth and financial stress. The crash was broader than a stock sell-off because real estate and banking problems reinforced one another.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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